Is it s possible that someone has turned down a proposal from Roger Federer once, but to do it twice? And as a teenager? Joao Fonseca did something perhaps unprecedented.
The young Brazilian afforded himself the luxury of saying no to Federer two times in the same year. The last “no” came prior to the Laver Cup: the 18-year-old refused to be an alternate and hitting partner for Team World.
Fonseca declined the competition, owned by the 20-time Grand Slam champion, due to his tight calendar. According to the player’s circle, who spoke to CLAY, the offer came very late, leaving him with few options to squeeze something that wasn’t planned into his schedule.
In the season in which he began to be known as the great future of world tennis and in which he decided to turn professional instead of accepting scholarships to study in the United States, Joao Fonseca was sought after by the big managament companies, including Federer ‘s Team8.
‘For now I won’t have an agent, I won’t sign with an agency yet. My agents are my parents. For now we are living the present calmly, thinking very well, because it’s a career-long thing. These are important decisions and for now we are waiting to find the right path and get it right,’ explained Fonseca in his most recent interview with CLAY.
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The Brazilian, however, already has a link with the Swiss, because he is sponsored by the sportswear brand On, of which Federer is an investor and advertising face. Signing for Team8 and thus being even closer to the man who is his greatest tennis idol? “It would be crazy, but we are waiting for now,’ he said.
Fonseca and his parents are aware of the significant pressure stemming from the high expectations surrounding the young talent, so they don’t want to rush it. They know that when the time is right, he will be able to compete alongside the world’s top tennis stars in a competition like the Laver Cup.
“I’m 18 years old and I understand that I’m in training, that I’m a project,” he acknowledged.
