THE FUTURE OF WORLD TENNIS
In his first tennis final, Joao Fonseca showed no signs of being intimidated by Francisco Cerundolo’s home crowd. After a tense start, the Brazilian took advantage of a crucial break to win the first set 6-4.
In the second set, Fonseca continued to dominate, breaking to lead 5-3. But when he had the chance to end the match, he twice let Cerundolo take the set to a tie-break. However, just when everyone thought the pressure would make the 18-year-old collapse, Fonseca exploded in spectacular fashion. He won 7-1 in the "shootout", ending the match with a powerful forehand down the line.
Joao Fonseca's first ATP title
This is the first ATP title in the career of Joao Fonseca - who is considered the future of world tennis along with Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz today. At the age of 18, he became the youngest Brazilian tennis player to win an ATP title in the open era (since 1968), breaking the previous record of Thiago Seyboth Wild (winning Santiago 2020 at the age of 19).
Joao Fonseca became the first player born in 2006 to win an ATP tournament and is among the four youngest players to do so since 2000, after Alcaraz (Umag 2022), Rafael Nadal (Sopot 2004) and Kei Nishikori (Delray Beach 2012).
Fonseca's road to the 2025 Argentina Open also bears some resemblance to Nadal's triumph at the tournament 10 years ago, when both men beat four home players en route to the title. Fonseca beat Tomas Etcheverry, Federico Coria, Mariano Navone and Francisco Cerundolo in this year's tournament, while Nadal's four Argentine opponents in 2015 were Facundo Arguello, Federico Delbonis, Carlos Berlocq and Juan Monaco.
JOAO FONSECA'S CAREER IS JUST BEGINNING
The young Brazilian arrived in Buenos Aires with high hopes, but looking at the tournament's draw, he felt things were looking very difficult: "When I arrived here, I thought it would be difficult to stay, but I kept going. This is my first championship. Argentina is always in my heart. I feel at home and it's even better because I'm Brazilian. Hopefully I can come back here next year."
Fonseca's future is still ahead
The first ATP title came early for Fonseca, but it was a dream come true, although he has many more dreams.
"An unbelievable week. I feel like I'm in a dream. This is my dream: to play tennis, to enjoy every moment on the court. And I'm living the dream. This is a very special championship for me, a big step in my career to achieve my dream, which is to become world number 1!
Every kid who loves sports wants to be the best in the world. I started playing tennis at the age of four, influenced by my father and brother. When I was eight or nine, I started playing more tournaments and I realized that I wanted to pursue tennis. I also play football, but I hope to become a professional tennis player, I am still developing and that dream is still there," Fonseca shared.
REJECTING COLLEGE FOR TENNIS
Exactly one year ago, Fonseca turned down the opportunity to go to the University of Virginia (USA), even though he had signed a contract to participate in college tennis. "A year ago, I decided not to go to college. Every young tennis player has to consider going to school, it is very important for the future and maturity of a person. It was an opportunity to study in the United States as a Brazilian. I had the opportunity and even signed a contract with a university, but now I have no regrets, and I am glad I did not go," Fonseca affirmed.
Joao Fonseca is very young
2024 also marked the rise of Joao Fonseca's tennis career. Starting the 2024 ATP Tour season at No. 730 on the rankings, Fonseca reached the quarterfinals of his first ATP Tour tournament in his hometown of Rio. In December 2024, Fonseca became the youngest champion in the history of the Next Gen ATP Finals after defeating his opponent of Vietnamese origin - Leaner Tien in the final.
After winning his first ATP title, Fonseca made an incredible leap, climbing 31 places to hold the ATP position of 68. Fonseca, Leaner Tien and Alex Michelsen (USA) are now considered a formidable trio of world tennis in the coming time.
After the final of the 2025 Argentina Open, Fonseca also received congratulations from Alcaraz. "Impressive Joao! Sending you lots of wishes," Alcaraz shared on X network.
Besides, Fonseca also received a warning from another senior. "I talked to him. The road to the top 20 and competing for Masters or Grand Slam titles is not simple. Fonseca has talent, has the right style of tennis. But there is a long way ahead," Zverev emphasized. Zverev's warning is probably necessary for Fonseca. Early success is not always an advantage.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/than-dong-quan-vot-brazil-joao-fonseca-viet-chuong-moi-cho-lang-banh-ni-the-gioi-185250218091243145.htm
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