Teenage Superstar Fonseca Reveals Ronaldo And Neymar Texted Him After Buenos Aires Title
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Joao Fonseca demonstrated why many think he will reach the very top of tennis during an outstanding run to the title at the 2025 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. Some world stars congratulated him afterward.
18-year-old Fonseca won his first ATP title in Buenos Aires. He sealed that moment by defeating home favorite Francisco Cerundolo in the final. That was the fourth Argentinian the teenager beat during his run to glory.
Fonseca's shot-making, especially his incredible forehand, is amazing. Some have compared him to 21-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, whose playing style is viewed by many as the best in tennis.
It was not just people directly involved in tennis who noticed Fonseca's heroics in Buenos Aires. The Brazilian revealed to the ATP that three legendary footballers from his home country had sent messages to congratulate him.
"I feel very honoured by the messages I got from local and international idols, to know that they know who I am. Guys like Neymar, Vini Jr (Vinicius Jr), Ronaldo. They are idols, people that I consider untouchable. And also to see kids saying that I’m their idol is just crazy. I’m very happy with everything that’s happening."
Receiving messages from sporting figures as significant as those three shows how Fonseca captured the imagination at the Argentina Open and also at the 2025 Australian Open last month, where he beat Andrey Rublev in the opening round.
Fonseca admitted that he is stunned by his progress in the last 12 months, rising nearly 600 places in the rankings to his current position of No. 68. The young star has always believed in himself but did not think his development would be so swift.
"Things are quite different now if you compare from last year. I know that things happened really fast in my career but I think last year’s Joao would never believe that he could go so far so fast. Obviously I always believed I could get to where I am today, but never this soon."
Although he is rightly proud of his achievements, Fonseca is not satisfied with just being an ATP title winner. How kids already look up to him makes the Brazilian even more determined to work hard and improve.
"This is the first time that I got a feeling of how things have changed and that only makes me even prouder of my achievements. I’m happy to see kids looking up to me and that only makes me stronger and hungrier."
Fonseca's development is another reason why fans do not need to worry too much about tennis' future when Novak Djokovic retires. Many were once concerned that no one could fill the void left by Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
Young stars Fonseca, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner are not yet near the careers Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal built. However, their emergence should guarantee fans entertainment for years to come.
Sinner will not compete on the ATP Tour again until the Italian Open in May after a three-month case resolution with the World Anti-Doping Agency. The settlement has caused controversy, but the Italian was proven not to have deliberately taken a prohibited substance.
