Tennis star Joao Fonseca has admitted he will ask his parents for help after winning more than £397,000 at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia. The 18-year-old Brazilian overcame American opponent Learner Tien 2-4, 4-3, 4-0, 4-2 in the final to take the cash prize.
Fonseca, who is ranked No. 145 in the world, won all five of his matches at the season-ending tournament.
And he is the youngest player to win the title since Jannik Sinner clinched victory at the same event five years ago.
Fonseca was asked to give his verdict on his prize during an interview after the final. And the teenager exclaimed: “I can’t say that sounds bad. Thankfully my parents will help me with that because it’s a lot of money.”
Fonseca, who had beaten Tien in the group stages of the tournament on Thursday, endured a slow start in the showpiece match as he fell behind early on.
But he battled back in front of Rafael Nadal, who was watching on from the stands, to clinch a second set tiebreak and then rallied to win the final two sets. And he follows in the footsteps of Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who all won the event in the early stages of their careers.
“I was really nervous before the match. I knew it was going to be so difficult,” Fonseca explained after the showdown.
“I played a final against Learner in juniors [at the 2023 US Open] and I know the way he can play. He is such a nice guy and a great player, so I knew it was going to be difficult, mentally and physically. But I got my way through.
“I need to believe when I go to a tournament that I can win. But now I have won it I am thinking, ‘Wow, I made it’. I am very proud of myself.”
And he added: “Honestly, I don’t know how I did it in the second set. I was just trying to keep my game strong on serve.
“I was not playing my best at the beginning, I was too nervous. But after the second set, I think the third set was another Joao.
“I was much more aggressive going for the shots and he got a little bit more tight. In the fourth set I just did my best and got the win.”
Meanwhile, Tien said: “I had an amazing year. I had a great week this week. It didn’t end the way I wanted but I am proud of myself. I am really happy with the strides I made this year.”