Fonseca refuses to be compared to the big names: "I want to write my own story, to be João".

Adrien Guyot

le 24/12/2024 à 09h04

1 min to read

Fonseca Next Gen ATP Finals

João Fonseca is the big winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals 2024. The Brazilian impressed with a faultless performance in Jeddah.

He won all three of his matches in the group stages, before overcoming Luca Van Assche in the semi-finals and Learner Tien in the final.

At 18, Fonseca became the second youngest player to win this tournament after Jannik Sinner in 2019. Nevertheless, the 145th-ranked player in the world doesn't want to be compared with any of the big names in tennis.

"I think it's a bit of our tradition. When we see a young Brazilian doing great things, they already want to see him as a promise.

I want to be myself. Obviously, being supported by everyone is good pressure. But I don't want to be compared to sporting myths. I want to write my own story, to be João.

I want to live in the present with people who help me and wish me well, so I don't think too much about this prodigy thing. I won at 18 years and three months, Sinner did it at 18 years and two months.

These are pointless comparisons, everyone has their time. I think that's it, you don't have to think about things like that, but rather live in the moment," he explained for ESPN.