Joao Fonseca said he never expected his rapid rise to stardom after winning his maiden ATP title at the Argentina Open last week. (More Tennis News)
🎃Fonseca shot to fame after his first main draw grand slam appearance at the Australian Open, reaching the second round after beating Andrey Rublev in his opening match.
ඣThe Brazilian followed that up with a victory in Buenos Aires over Francisco Cerundolo, becoming the youngest South American to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).
✱He also became the 10th-youngest title winner in ATP Tour history with this win in Argentina, aged 18 years, five months and two days, and returned home to a heroes' welcome.
ꦰ"Things have always happened very fast in my career. I quickly went from juniors to Challengers, then ATP," Fonseca said.
🍸"I always thought I could go far, I could get to where I am or even more, but not so soon.
💃"I didn't know the impact of my performance at the Australian Open, but they explained to me that a lot has changed in terms of the media.
♐"I'm a little off social media, and now I see how everything has changed. I'm proud, but I want more.
🥀"Seeing that children idolise me motivates me to reach my goal, which is to be number one in the world.
﷽Fonseca also received messages from global sports stars after his win in Argentina, something he felt was out of reach just two months ago.
ꦇ"I am honoured by the messages I have received from national and world idols. You know who I am. Neymar, Vini, Ronaldo," Fonseca said.
♌"They are idols, people I saw as untouchable. The children saying that I am an idol for them is crazy. I'm very happy with everything that's happening."
ಞFonseca returns to action at the Rio Open on Tuesday where he will face Frenchman Alexandre Muller.
🃏But the talented teen has also received praise from Carlos Alcaraz, who himself became a household name in the sport at an early age.
💞"I was watching the match. I think he played a great match, his first ATP Final," Alcaraz said.
⛄"It's not easy to face an ATP Final, and playing against Francisco Cerundolo in his hometown, I know it wasn't easy. I think the level he played was insane.
🐼"I was just really happy about him playing and getting his first ATP title. His potential is huge. His level is really, really high.
✤"I saw a stat that in this part of the year last year he was No. 660, and now he is No. 68. So, I'm pretty sure during the year he's going to get higher."
𝔍Alcaraz knows how it feels to have a meteoric rise as a teenager. Aged 19 in 2022, he became the youngest number one in ATP history after his triumph at that year's US Open.
ꦰThe Spaniard, however, did not commit to any bold predictions about Fonseca's future within the sport.
꧅"Potential No. 1? I don't know. I think nobody knows that," said Alcaraz.
ꦯ"I can say let's see in the future, but he has potential, he has the level to get there or to fight for great things. So, I'm excited to see him in real life in a match.
𓆉"I'm excited to see if I'm going to play against him soon."
