Fonseca: "Many people compare me to Guga, but I want to be Joao and write my own story".

© AFP

Clément Gehl

le 11/02/2025 à 11h41

2 min to read

Buenos Aires Fonseca Open d'Australie

Joao Fonseca is in Buenos Aires to compete in the ATP 250 tournament, and in a press conference he spoke of the comparisons between himself and Brazilian tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten: "Guga is an idol, not just for Brazilian tennis players, but for all Brazilian people.

He's an idol as a player, as a person: he's a great person who said fantastic things to me that deserved to be heard.

I don't really like to hear comparisons, everyone writes their own story. Sometimes Brazilians say I'm the next Guga, but I want to be Joao. I want to write my own story."

Fonseca made an excellent start to the season, winning the Canberra Challenger and then qualifying brilliantly for the Australian Open, marked by a victory over a top 10 player, in the person of Andrey Rublev.

Aware of his new status, the Brazilian declares: "I went to Brazil last week.

People were stopping me in the street on my way to the physio, asking me for photos. It's something new for me, really.

I've experienced a lot of new things since Australia: a lot more visibility, more people know me. A lot of things are new on the outside, but on the inside, I still have the same goals, the same dreams.

Things have changed, yes. I didn't notice it so much in Australia, but when I got to Brazil, I realized that everything was much bigger."

Fonseca will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry this Tuesday in the first round in Buenos Aires.