'I watched Roger on TV' - Joao Fonseca opens up on Roger Federer's influence on his Tennis

Overview

• Joao Fonseca won his first ATP title in Basel at the age of just 19 by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 in the final
• In the process, the Brazilian became the joint youngest player to break into the top 30 of the ATP rankings
• He claimed to have grown up watching Roger Federer play in the Basel Open

Joao Fonseca won his first ATP title in Basel at the age of just 19 by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 in the final. In the process, the Brazilian became the joint youngest player to break into the top 30 of the ATP rankings. Following his win, Fonseca got emotional during his speech.

Fonseca thanked his family members for believing in him from a young age. He hoped it to be not his last ATP win. Fonseca claimed to have watched Roger Federer play in the tournament as a kid and remembered him winning it 10 times or so.

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"To my family, I'm gonna talk but I can't look at you guys. They believed in me since I was a kid. It's a pleasure to be your kid. It's a pleasure. We keep going. It's the first ATP 500 but not gonna be the last hopefully. I watched on TV Roger playing this tournament since I was young and winning like 10 times if I'm not mistaken," Fonseca said.

"It's crazy how everywhere I go, there are some Brazilians cheering and calling my name," - Joao Fonseca

The Brazilian claimed it would not be his last tournament in Basel. The 19-year-old thanked the Brazilian fans who have been rallying behind him over the last few months. He claimed himself to be proud to be representing Brazil in Tennis.

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"It's a pleasure playing on this court and playing here for the first time. For sure it won't be the last time. It's crazy how everywhere I go, there are some Brazilians cheering and calling my name. It's a pleasure representing this amazing country. Thanks so much to everyone who came and cheered for me today," Fonseca added.