Brazilian João Fonseca, 18, caught the attention of the tennis world when he won, on Sunday (22), the Next Gen Finals, a tournament contested by the eight best tennis players of the season aged up to 20 years.
He is only the third player to win the competition at the age of 18 — the first two were the Italian and current number one in the ranking, Jannik Sinner, in 2019, and the Spanish and third in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, in 2021.
Already seen as a great promise for Brazilian tennis, João sees the comparisons with the two Europeans as “good pressure” and says he wants to equal or surpass everything they have already achieved or are yet to achieve.
“I’m looking forward to playing against them and I hope to be able to play great matches in Grand Slams,” he told the ATP (Tennis Professionals Association).
Outside the top 700 rankings at the start of the season, the Rio native will end the year ranked number 145 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Rio Open and the ATP 250 in Bucharest, Romania, and winning the Challenger in Lexington, in the United States.
In the Next Gen final, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he faced American Learner Tien, 19, who went on to win the first set. The Brazilian turned the match around after a tense second set, defined in a tie-break, and an easier third set, with two breaks of serve in favor. The fourth and final set was more balanced, but João knew how to make the most of his chances. Final result: 3 to 1 for Rio (2/4, 4/3, 4/0 and 4/2).
“I like playing difficult matches in big stadiums. I love the pressure,” he said.
For the title, he received congratulations from tennis references, such as Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek, current number 2 in the world.
“It’s incredible how I’ve improved physically and mentally. I’m proud of myself, but of course I want more. My dream is to become number one.”
A fan of Bia Haddad Maia, the tennis player is still getting used to being stopped by children asking him for autographs. “Three years ago I was the one doing this,” he said.
His immediate goal is to celebrate the achievement with his family. Still in 2024, he will compete in the Canberra Challenger, in Australia, and, in early 2025, the qualifier for the Australian Open, in Melbourne.
