Joao Fonseca claimed the biggest title of his young career as he beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Swiss Indoors final over the weekend. The teenager has been making waves on the ATP Tour this year – he started the season ranked outside the world’s top 140, and he now sits at a career-high of No. 28 after winning his first ATP 500.
But it was his reaction to his latest victory that really caused a stir in Basel, as Fonseca revealed that he had some big plans to mark his title win. The Brazilian star made a deal with his team and promised to follow through.
Fonseca will now head to the Paris Masters, where he faces Denis Shapovalov in a rematch of their Basel quarter-final. But fans may not recognise the Swiss Indoors champion when he arrives in the French capital, as he’s vowed to shave his head in a bold move.
During his victory speech on Sunday, the 19-year-old thanked his team and shed light on their agreement. “We know how hard we work, how hard we put our effort in every day, so thanks a lot to you guys,” Fonseca said.
“And we made a promise that if we won one of these tournaments, we are going to shave my head! So yeah, soon I’m not going to be with hair!”
Fonseca’s comments sent shockwaves through the crowd, as the fans started murmuring and laughing. But he soon had them close to tears as he paid an emotional tribute to his parents, who flew in for the final.
The newly-crowned champion added: “My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles.
“It is just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career.”
Fonseca’s family had intended to meet him in Paris for this week’s Masters 1000 tournament, but they re-routed their flight and headed to Basel once he reached the championship match, and it was worth it.
But there’s no rest for the wicked, and Fonseca has already arrived in Paris ahead of his opening match against Shapovalov. The teenager still has a full head of hair, but fans will be waiting to see whether it’s still there when he takes to the match court.
The Brazilian will hope to carry his momentum into the Paris Masters and finish his breakout season on a high. Fonseca started the year by qualifying for the Australian Open and upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev on his debut.
A few weeks later, Fonseca claimed his maiden tour title at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires on the clay. After winning on the indoor hard courts in Basel, he’s become the youngest South American man in the Open Era to lift multiple ATP Tour titles on different surfaces.
