withdrew from competing in the ATP 250 in Athens, which has Novak as one of the investors. After reaching the top 30 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings, the Brazilian complained of back pain during the Miami Masters and was diagnosed with low back pain. The indoor hard court tournament will start on November 3rd.
The information was confirmed by Estadão by sources close to the athlete. After being eliminated by Karen Khachanov this Wednesday (29), the tennis player underwent an evaluation with his team and decided to end the season. In addition to him, four other athletes had already given up participating in the Athens ATP: Jakub Mensik, Marton Fucsovics, Roberto Bautista Agut and Sebastian Baez.
Chilean Alejandro Tabilo takes Fonseca’s place. Stefanos Tsitsipas is still listed as a participant in the tournament, but announced that he will also end this season due to severe back pain. The competition is directed by Djordje Dkokovic, Novak’s brother, and moved its headquarters from Belgrade, Serbia, to Athens amid political conflicts in the country.
The withdrawal does not mean, however, that the Brazilian will no longer play this year. The 19-year-old sensation still has an exhibition duel in Miami on December 8th. The match, until now, remains confirmed, even with Fonseca’s departure from the Athens ATP.
Fonseca arrived at the Miami Masters driven by his ATP 500 title in Basel. In his debut, against Denis Shapovalov, he had to undergo treatment while still on the court and received a massage on his lower back, the same one that forced him to end the season. Even though he guaranteed that there would be no risks to the tournament, he chose to give up his place in Athens.
The Brazilian thus ends a dream season. The tendency is that, in the next update of the ranking, it will jump to 24th position, in a year in which it achieved great performances in Masters 1000 tournaments, Grand Slams and the Davis Cup, precisely against Greece. He also ends 2025 with titles at the ATP 250 in Buenos, in addition to the Basel tournament.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
Published by Nícolas Robert
