Joao Fonseca talks about his dream dinner guest and how he would change history! | ATP Tour

Fonseca talks about his dream dinner guest and how he would change history!

The Brazilian will compete in the 2024 Next Generation ATP Finals hosted by PIF

December 15, 2024

Joao Fonseca will make history in Jeddah this week when he becomes the first Brazilian to compete in the Next Generation ATP Finals hosted by PIF.

The 18-year-old may have a bright future on the ATP Tour, but he also knows which past Grand Slam classics he will remember most. Earlier this year, Fonseca spoke to ATPTour.com about his desire to change the outcome of that match, his off-court hobbies and more.

If you could have dinner with any three people in history, who would they be?
I would say Roger [Federer]. I haven’t met Roger yet, but he’s my tennis idol. [Basketballer] Kobe Bryant: The way he plays is unbelievable. And then I would say my dad because he helps me ask things that I want to ask but sometimes have a hard time saying in English.

If you could trade one day with anyone in the world, who would you choose?
A difficult question. I don’t want to say Roger, I want to say someone who doesn’t play tennis. Maybe someone from football, like Cristiano Ronaldo. I could also say Neymar, maybe because he is Brazilian, but also Ronaldo.

Do you remember any particular game you saw on TV a few years ago that you wished you could have attended?
In 2019, when Roger got match point [Novak] Djokovic at Wimbledon. I wish I could be Roger so I could hit an ace at 40/15 [on championship point]. I want to change history!

What’s the cool thing you’ve done as a tennis player off the court?
At the Rio Open, I visited a project working with people in favelas. Humble people don’t have a lot of money, it teaches them how to play tennis. When they see me, I think, ‘Okay, I’m just a guy your age’ who just wants to help and teach tennis. This is very good for me. It was a very special day for me. I help a lot of kids and help inspire them to play tennis.

What’s your biggest off-field hobby?
I have loved sports since I was a child. I would say I played every sport until I was 11 or 12 years old. I live near the beach, so I surf, I go hiking with my dad, and I ride my bike a lot. I also play soccer, so I like to be involved in as many sports as possible. My mom is a volleyball player, so I play volleyball too, and I love volleyball. So that’s also my interest. On my days off I like to do some exercise.

You can travel a lot to play tennis. If there was one place in the world you could visit instead of attending a tennis tournament, where would it be?
I would say Japan or Greece. Greece is good