After the achievement of the ATP of Buenos Aires last Sunday (16), Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca, a new sensation of Brazilian sport, returned to Brazil and debut this Tuesday (18) on Rio Open, Rio de Janeiro, against the French Alexandre Müller.
Müller is the current number 60 ° in the ranking of ATP (Association of Professional Tennis players). Fonseca is the 68 °.
The duel between the Brazilian and the Frenchman will take place at night, after the confrontation between the German Alexander Zverev and the Chinese Yuchaookete Bu, which will start at 19h.
The title in the ATP of Buenos Aires made João Fonseca, 18, the youngest Brazilian to gain an elite tournament – higher level to the Challengers, played mainly by developing athletes or without ranking for the main championships – in the open era, from 1968.
“Things have always happened very quickly in my career. I was playing increasing tournaments, gaining invitations, I grew up. John a year ago would not believe it could get so soon. , but not so soon, “said the carioca, on Monday (17), after an open training.
Fonseca trained in one of the courts of the Jockey Club of Rio de Janeiro, where the Open River takes place, and was accompanied by dozens of fans. It was mainly tiered by children, part of them with uniforms of tennis schools and municipal schools invited to the event.
“My family said that a lot had changed, and I didn’t understand much what had happened until I got here. I’m a little out of social networks, only this week I really managed to see how everything changed,” said the tennis player.
“Seeing children cheering for me and seeing me as an example and inspiration is something that gives me strength.”
It reaches the grabbed blocks of the Open River of 2025 as a sensation. In the 2024 edition, it surprised to play as a guest and advance to the quarterfinals.
The conquest of Sunday in Argentina made Fonseca take a leap in the ranking of ATP. He started the week as 99th in the world and climbed 31 positions.
With a prize of US $ 100,000 (R $ 572 thousand), it exceeded the mark of US $ 1 million (R $ 5.72 million) collected in its career.
Fonseca competed in January in Australian Open and was eliminated in the second round of the main key. In the first, he defeated 3 sets at 0 Russian Andrei Rublev, then nine of the world.
“Where I saw that I had changed a little life was in Australia. I say this not to the outside world, but in the world of tennis. Players started to know me better and respect me more.”
The carioca tournament, whose first edition took place in 2014, never had a Brazilian champion in the simple key. Brazilian Rafael Matos was champion in the pairs in 2024, playing alongside Colombian Nicolás Barrientos.
Spain has three Simple Open River title —Rafael Nadal, in 2014, David Ferrer in 2015 and Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. Argentina, with Diego Schwartzman, in 2018, and Sebastián Báez, in 2024, has two titles. .
Fonseca watched Nadal’s title in 2014 of the stands. This year, the biggest star to compete on Rio Open is the German Alexander Zverev, number two in the ATP ranking.
German does not care about the temperature in Rio, although the city has exceeded 40 ° C and reached heat level 4 this Monday, for the first time since the scale with 1 to 5 levels was implemented last year.
The Open River is played at the Brazilian Jockey Club, Gávea, a well wooded space in the south of Rio.
“I really like heat, I really love it when it’s hot. The conditions are much faster, the ball bouncing louder, so it’s better for me. I don’t care much about the heat. I trained well for three hours yesterday, it won’t be a Problem for me, “said Zverev.
The Italian Lorenzo Musetti, 17th in the ranking, gave up competing in Rio Open for physical problems. An injury also took Dane Holger Rune, 12th.
