JEDDAH/WASHINGTON, December 24, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)
The moment that Joao Fonseca announced himself as “I Am Next,” winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Sunday evening, he fell to the ground in a moment of jubilation and celebration. He covered his eyes with his hands.
After American Learner Tien‘s fourth-shot forehand return struck the net – ending their four-set championship final – the 18-year-old Brazilian from Rio de Janeiro, who entered as the lowest-ranked competitor but won five straight matches, took a moment to soak in the applause from the fans that came out to support him during his finest hour as a professional tennis player.
The moment Joao Fonseca announced himself as NEXT
The edges past Tien 2-4 4-3(8) 4-0 4-2 to secure the biggest title of his career #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Zc3VNiZGvg
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) December 22, 2024
When Fonseca lifted himself off the ground of the Center Court at King Abdullah Sports City, his undefeated week had reached its peak. He rallied from a set down to defeat the 19-year-old Tien, 2-4, 4-3 (8), 4-0, 4-2, in 87 minutes. After shaking hands with Tien and chair umpire Aurelie Torte, he returned to the court and glanced toward his player’s box to acknowledge his team, led by his coach, Guilherme Teixeira, and his parents, Christiano and Roberta. It also looked like he yelled out “Vamos!” as he was pumping his fist in the air, in appreciation of former World No. 1 and 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal being part of the crowd that witnessed his triumph. After all, as a kid Fonseca watched Nadal from front-row seats in Rio de Janeiro in 2014, when the Spaniard won the Rio Open title.
Looking back on his week in Jeddah, surrounded by and pushed to excel by the best 20-and-under players on the ATP Tour this season, Fonseca showed the world that dreams are real and they do come true.
The road to Jeddah ends in glory
Joao Fonseca goes undefeated to win the #NextGenATP Finals! pic.twitter.com/S1WnjFIwg2
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) December 22, 2024
Now that Fonseca has joined Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the only 18-year-olds to win the Next Gen ATP Finals event, what’s next? After all, Sinner (who won in 2019) and Alcaraz (the 2020 winner) have gone on to achieve plenty of big things on the ATP Tour, liking winning majors and rising to No. 1 in the world rankings. Expect to see Fonseca playing more tournaments on the ATP Tour, where he will build upon his 12 tour-level victories this season – including five in Jeddah.
“It is a good pressure,” Fonseca said after lifting the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy, as quoted by the ATP Tour website. “By winning Next Gen, it shows I am on the right path. I hope I can do the same or even better than what they have done and are doing and are going to do. I look forward to playing with them and I hope I can compete in big matches at Grand Slams. It is where I want to go.”
It’s hard to fathom that Fonseca is just 12 months removed from being ranked 730th. Over the past year, though, he’s jumped 585 spots to No. 145. Along the way, Fonseca reached the quarterfinals at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro, recording his first tour-level win in the process. He won his first ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Lexington, Ky. in August, and he qualified for his first Next Gen ATP Finals.
JOAO HAS DONE IT
Fonseca is the champion in Jeddah #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/UCy21lgIQb
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) December 22, 2024
The rising Brazilian star became the second-youngest champion in the history of the Next Gen event, behind Sinner. As a bonus, by going undefeated (5-0) – with wins against World No. 20 Arthur Fils of France, Tien and No. 48 Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic in group play; No. 128 Luca Van Assche of France in the semifinals; and Tien, again, in the title match – Fonseca earned a tournament-record $526,480 in prize money.
“If you told Joao at the start of the year that he did all the things he did this year, he would think it is amazing,” Fonseca said Sunday evening. “It is amazing how I have improved physically and mentally. I have been very strong mentally, winning matches against Top 50, Top 20 players. I am proud of myself, but of course I want more. My dream is to become No. 1. Of course, now after winning Next Gen, I want to enjoy it this week and relax and celebrate with my family. I want to enjoy the moment and I am very pleased and thankful for this year.”
Fonseca’s dream season!
“Just the start. My dream is to be No. 1.”#NextGenATPFinals
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) December 22, 2024
