João Fonseca will be the next Novak Djokovic, said Alejandro Davidovich Fokina this Sunday (26), shortly after losing to the Brazilian in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, Switzerland.
The 26-year-old Spaniard, at the trophy ceremony, was effusive in his praise. “I want to congratulate João — man, you played incredible tennis today. You are the man of the sport, our bright future, for sure. You will be the next Nole [apelido de Djokovic]will defeat Carlos [Alcaraz, atual número 1 do mundo] and Jannik [Sinner, número 2]. Congratulations on the tournament and good luck next week.”
The Serbian, former world number 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion, joked a few months ago that he would like to coach the Brazilian when he retires.
In a 1h25min match, João defeated Fokina by 2 sets to 0 (6/3 and 6/4) and won not only his second title, but the biggest by a Brazilian since Gustavo Kuerten was champion in Stuttgart in 2001.
The victory will also place him in the top 30 for the first time — he will be 28th in the world rankings in this Monday’s update (27).
João returned his colleague’s praise with words of encouragement. “I need to congratulate Alejandro for an incredible week. He and his team, we know how hard you work, you have a great family and a great team. Congratulations to everyone, I know it was another final, but keep working, your future is bright, keep going,” he said.
The title was dedicated to his mother, Roberta, who accompanied him on trips and tournaments since he was 11 years old. “To my family, who came from Brazil and arrived an hour before departure, thank you very much. My parents have believed in me since I was little. It’s a pleasure to be your son. We follow, this is the first [ATP] 500, but it won’t be the last, I hope”, he said, emotionally, in his winner’s speech.
He also dedicated special care to his team and revealed a promise. “Thank you Gui [Guilherme Teixeira, seu técnico]Emmanus [Emmanuel Jiménez, preparador físico] and Egidio [Magalhães Júnior, fisioterapeuta] for this incredible week, the entire tournament. Only we know how hard we work, how much effort we make every day. We made a promise that if I won one of these tournaments, we would shave my head, so… I’ll soon be hairless.”
To screams coming from the stands, he finally thanked the fans: “It’s crazy like everywhere I go, there are Brazilians shouting my name. It’s a pleasure to represent this incredible country. Thank you to everyone who came today and cheered for me.”
