João Fonseca (tennis)
| Country (sports) |  Brazil |
|---|---|
| Residence | Rio de Janeiro |
| Born | 21 August 2006 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 2023 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Guilherme Teixeira |
| Prize money | $ 143,190 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 5–6 (45.5%) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 242 (22 April 2024) |
| Current ranking | No. 242 (22 April 2024) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open Junior | QF (2023) |
| French Open Junior | QF (2023) |
| Wimbledon Junior | QF (2023) |
| US Open Junior | W (2023) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–3 (0%) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 431 (26 February 2024) |
| Current ranking | No. 520 (22 April 2024) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open Junior | F (2023) |
| Wimbledon Junior | SF (2023) |
| US Open Junior | QF (2023) |
| Last updated on: 22 April 2024. | |
João Fonseca (born 21 August 2006) is a Brazilian professional tennis player. Fonseca has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 242 achieved on 22 April 2024. He also has a career high doubles ranking of No. 431 achieved on 26 February 2024.[1]
Career[edit]
2023: First Brazilian Junior world No. 1, ATP debut[edit]
Fonseca reached the final of the 2023 Australian Open – Boys' doubles tournament with Alexander Blockx,[2] João Fonseca became the Junior champion of the 2023 US Open - Boys' singles tournament with a victory over Learner Tien in the final.[3][4]
Fonseca was the 2023 world champion of the Junior circuit. At 17 years old, he was the first Brazilian to finish the season as No. 1 in the junior rankings.[5]
He made his ATP debut at the 2023 Rio Open after receiving a wildcard for the singles main draw[6] and also appeared in the doubles main draw, entering as lucky losers with Mateus Alves.
2024: First ATP wins & two quarterfinals, turning pro at 17 years old & top 250[edit]
In January 2024, the 17-year-old Rio native reached the semifinals of the Buenos Aires Challenger, his first in his career in this type of tournament. Until then, Fonseca had reached the quarterfinals in two challengers, the first in 2022 in São Leopoldo and the most recent in 2023, in Florianópolis.[7]
Ranked No. 655, he made a second appearance in the main draw at the 2024 Rio Open after receiving a wildcard in singles and also in doubles qualifying with Marcelo Zormann.[8] He recorded his first ATP and first ATP 500 win over seventh seed Arthur Fils in straight sets, giving away only four games. [9] Excluding the Davis Cup, he became the first South American to claim an opening set 6-0 against a top 50 ranked opponent before turning 18, since the ATP rankings were first published in 1973.[10] He also became the first player born in 2006 to win an ATP Tour match.[11][12][13] Next, he defeated Cristian Garin in straight sets to reach his first ATP quarterfinal. As a result he moved 300 positions up, making him the youngest player in the top 350 in the rankings. He became the second youngest ATP 500 quarterfinalist since the series began in 2009 and the first since Alexander Zverev made the last eight in Hamburg in 2014.[14] Days after the end of his run in Rio, Fonseca was rewarded with a second consecutive ATP Tour tournament wildcard at the 2024 Chile Open.[15] Later that week, he officially announced his decision to fully turn pro, forgoing his eligibility to play college tennis and ending his commitment to the University of Virginia.[16]
In March 2024, at the Paraguay Challenger, Fonseca defeated Argentine Román Burruchaga to reach his first ATP Challenger final and made his top 300 debut at world No. 288 on 1 April 2024 moving more then 50 positions up in the rankings.[17] He lost to compatriot Gustavo Heide in the championship match.[18]
Ranked No. 276, he received a wildcard for the 2024 Țiriac Open in Bucharest, Romania and reached the quarterfinals of an ATP Tour event for the second time, defeating sixth seed Lorenzo Sonego, his third ATP tour win,[19] and fellow qualifier Radu Albot.[20] He lost to fourth seed Alejandro Tabilo. As a result he reached the top 250 in the rankings.[21]
Fonseca received a wildcard for the main draw of the at the 2024 Madrid Open, making his debut at a Masters 1000 and defeated American Alex Michelsen,[22] recording his first win at this level.[23][24]
Junior Grand Slam finals[edit]
Singles: 1 (1 title)[edit]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2023 | US Open | Hard |  Learner Tien
|
4–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)[edit]
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2023 | Australian Open | Hard |  Alexander Blockx
|
Learner Tien Cooper Williams
|
4–6, 4–6 |
ATP Challenger and Futures/ITF World Tennis Tour finals[edit]
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)[edit]
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Mar 2024 | Asunción, Paraguay | Challenger | Clay | Gustavo Heide
|
5–7, 7–6(8–6), 1–6 |
Doubles: 1 (1 title, 1 runner-up)[edit]
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jun 2023 | M15 Saarlouis, Germany | World Tennis Tour | Clay |  Dylan Dietrich
|
 Robin Catry Luca Staeheli
|
1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Jan 2024 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Challenger | Clay | Pedro Sakamoto
|
 Jakob Schnaitter Mark Wallner
|
6–2, 6–2 |
Equipment[edit]
João Fonseca plays a Yonex VCORE 95, strung with Yonex Poly Tour Strike 1.25/1.20 at tensions of 50 lbs for the mains and 48 lbs for the crosses. This equipment choice reflects his preference for precision and powerful groundstrokes on the court.[25]
Endorsements[edit]
In 2023, the then-16-year-old Fonseca was signed by On, a sportswear company partly owned by Roger Federer. He was announced alongside Iga Świątek and Ben Shelton as one of the first three tennis players to be sponsored by the brand.[26]
References[edit]
- ^ "Joao Fonseca | Overview | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
- ^ "Nas duplas do Australian Open juvenil, João Fonseca fica com o vice – Bola Amarela Brasil". bolamarela.com.br.
- ^ "João Fonseca é campeão do US Open juvenil e vira número 1 do mundo: "Aqui é Brasil, po..."". Globo.com. September 9, 2023.
- ^ "US Open 2023: A future star, a dominant force and wins for two 'firsts' - champions glow for Team Yonex".
- ^ João Fonseca é o campeão mundial da ITF em 2023
- ^ "João Fonseca, carioca de 16 anos, jogará chave principal do Rio Open". O Globo. January 22, 2023.
- ^ Fonseca tem grande atuação e faz sua primeira semi de challenger
- ^ "What Fonseca learned from Alcaraz, Sinner & more at the Nitto ATP Finals". 20 February 2024.
- ^ https://twitter.com/TheTennisLetter/status/1760412774671491456
- ^ https://twitter.com/OptaAce/status/1760400863053709379
- ^ "Brazil's João Fonseca becomes first player born in 2006 to win ATP Tour match at Rio Open". 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Fonseca, 17, stuns Fils in Rio: 'This is where I belong'". 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Joao Fonseca, 2023 US Open boys' champion, is the first player born in 2006 to win an ATP Tour match".
- ^ "Teen Dream: Fonseca fires into Rio QFs". 23 February 2024.
- ^ "ATP DRAW 2024 Chile Open Santiago headlined by Nicolas JARRY, Sebastian BAEZ, Arthur FILS and Joao FONSECA". Tennisuptodate.com. 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Joao Fonseca turns pro, forgoing college eligibility | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ Fonseca bate 161º do mundo e faz primeira final
- ^ "#NextGenATP Rocha downs Basilashvili for maiden Challenger title; Heide beats Fonseca in Asuncion Challenger final". 25 March 2024.
- ^ "17-year-old Fonseca continues breakthrough season in Bucharest". 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Fonseca fires past Albot to Bucharest QFs". 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Tabilo ends Fonseca's run in Bucharest". 19 April 2024.
- ^ Madrid Open 2024: veja rivais de Bia Haddad, Thiago Wild e João Fonseca na estreia
- ^ "#NextGenATP Fonseca wins first Masters 1000 match in Madrid, Mensik also advances". 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Joao Fonseca wins Masters 1000 debut in Madrid over fellow teen Alex Michelsen". 25 April 2024.
- ^ João Fonseca Racket
- ^ Newcomb, Tim. "On Signs Iga Swiatek And Ben Shelton To Head-To-Toe Tennis Deals". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
External links[edit]
- João Fonseca at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- João Fonseca at the International Tennis Federation
Association of Tennis Professionals Top Brazilian male singles tennis players | |
|---|---|
As of Apr 21, 2024 | |
| |
|
