Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca, 19, defeated Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 2-0 in the Basel ATP 500 final in Switzerland on Sunday (26). The win marks the biggest title for a Brazilian since Gustavo Kuerten in 2001 and propels him into the top 30 world ranking. His opponent praised Fonseca as the next Novak Djokovic.
João Fonseca beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6/3, 6/4 in 1h25min in the Basel ATP 500 final, securing his second professional circuit title. It is the first ATP 500-level trophy for a Brazilian since Gustavo Kuerten won the equivalent in Stuttgart in 2001. The victory lifts Fonseca from 46th to 28th in the world ranking, updated on Monday (27), making him the seventh Brazilian in the top 30 and the fifth best-ranked in the country's history, behind Kuerten, Thomaz Bellucci, Thomas Koch, and Fernando Meligeni.
At the trophy ceremony, Fokina, 26 and world No. 18, was effusive: "I want to congratulate João —man, you played incredible tennis today. You are the guy in the sport, our bright future, for sure. You will be the next Nole [Djokovic], you will defeat Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner]." Fonseca, a 19-year-old from Rio, replied: "I need to congratulate Alejandro for the incredible week. [...] Your future is bright, keep going."
Emotional, Fonseca dedicated the title to his mother, Roberta, who has accompanied him since age 11, to his family who traveled from Brazil, and to his team, including coach Guilherme Teixeira, physical trainer Emmanuel Jiménez, and physiotherapist Egídio Magalhães Júnior. He revealed a promise: "We made a promise that if I won one of these tournaments, we would shave my head." Thanking Brazilian fans present, he said: "It's crazy how everywhere I go, there are Brazilians shouting my name."
Prior to the final, Fonseca won the Next Gen ATP Finals in December 2024, the Canberra Challenger, the Buenos Aires ATP 250 —as the youngest Brazilian elite champion— and the Phoenix Challenger. He reached the top 60 in June and third round in Masters 1000s and Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic joked months ago about becoming his coach in the future. Next challenge: Paris Masters 1000 against Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday (28).