Fonseca dedicates Basel title to his mother, who took last-minute flight to Switzerland
Joao Fonseca dedicated his Swiss Indoors Basel trophy to his mother on Sunday, praising her influence in his post-match speech. The #NextGenATP Brazilian defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the title match to become the third-youngest ATP 500 champion in series history (since 2009).
“Since I was young, my mum travelled with me. Since I was 11, I only travelled with her, so that title is for her,” Fonseca said after his 86-minute win.
Fonseca triumphed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF last December with his parents courtside. His mother and father were not in Basel throughout his run to the final. However, after the 19-year-old overcame Jaume Munar, they made a last-minute switch of flights to ensure they were in attendance during Sunday’s championship match.
“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,” Fonseca said. “It is just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career.”
Fonseca jumped into his box and embraced his parents, uncles and coach after clinching his second tour-level title in Basel. The Brazilian will rise to a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings and is now 25-15 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Watch Fonseca celebrate with his parents: