(Video) Joao Fonseca Bursts into Tears Despite Emulating Roger Federer’s Feat at Rio Open

Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca clinched his career's first doubles title at the Rio Open.

(Video) Joao Fonseca Bursts into Tears Despite Emulating Roger Federer’s Feat at Rio Open

Joao Fonseca (R) emulated Roger Federer's (L) feat at the Rio Open (Image via X/AllAboutHQ, Jose Morgado)

In Short
  • Joao Fonseca won his first doubles title at the Rio Open alongside Marcelo Melo.
  • He became the first teenager to win a doubles title above the ATP 250 level since Roger Federer.
  • Fonseca expressed his determination to win a singles trophy in the future during the trophy presentation.

Although Joao Fonseca failed to win the Rio Open singles title, he finished the doubles event with the trophy along with compatriot Marcelo Melo. On Sunday (February 22), the pair of Fonseca and Melo beat Dutchman Robin Haase and German Constantin Frantzen 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 to win the Rio Open doubles title.

It was Fonseca’s first title in doubles, while for the veteran, it was his 41st title. During the trophy presentation, the 19-year-old broke down in tears as the crowd at Quadra Guga Kuerten gave him a standing ovation.

I will win the singles trophy here one day. But for now, the doubles is great!

Joao Fonseca said

Watch the video here:

In an interview this year, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said Fonseca is a “little bit” like him as well as Jannik Sinner in terms of his needing more time to “know when to dial back and when to unload his shots“. Federer is convinced that if Fonseca figures this out, then “the sky’s the limit“.

The recent win made him the first teenager to win a doubles title above the ATP 250 level since Roger Federer. The Swiss maestro, who retired in 2022, won the 2001 Rotterdam Open alongside Jonas Bjorkman as a teenager.

Fonseca has also become the youngest man to clinch a doubles title at an ATP 500 event since the series was introduced in 2009. In singles, Fonseca’s run was ended by Ignacio Buse in the last 16. Prior to arriving in Rio, Fonseca failed to defend his title at the Argentina Open, where he suffered an opening-round exit at the hands of Alejandro Tabilo.

Fonseca, who clinched the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, has two ATP singles titles to his name. Apart from the 2025 Argentina Open, he lifted the Swiss Open the same year by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Marcelo Melo lauds Joao Fonseca after the Rio Open win

Joao Fonseca and Marcelo Melo made their team debut at the Rio Open. Although for Fonseca, it was his career’s first doubles title, for Melo, it was his third doubles title in the home tournament. The 42-year-old, after losing in 2014, lifted the trophy in 2023, 2025, and this year. At the press conference after the win, Melo was all praise for Fonseca.

Joao Fonseca
Joao Fonseca (Image via ATP/X)

The public ends up generating bigger emotions and expectations of getting the results, but as I’ve already talked about this, he’s 19 years old, and what he played today and during the tournament, whether in singles or doubles, has to be exceptional to do what he did today. The one who was truly exceptional today was Joao, with a packed court at home.

For Melo, it was his first doubles title since the 2025 Winston-Salem Open he won with compatriot Rafael Matos. Before reaching the final, Melo and Fonseca saved one match point against Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner in the semi-finals.

These pressures are complicated, but if we think about the positive side, we have a privilege, and I’ve already lived this pressure as No. 1, and in the Davis Cup, people think that because of that, you have to win, but it’s not quite like that. I hope that over time, the results will come and things will calm down a bit, this pressure isn’t an ideal path on the negative side, but rather on the positive side.

Marcelo Melo added

Last year in Rio, Fonseca lost to Alexandre Muller in the opening round. Fonseca, who withdrew from the Brisbane International and the Adelaide International due to injury issues, has yet to make a deep run in a singles event this year.

Also read: (Video) Jessica Pegula’s Coach Hilariously Ignores the American During Title Celebrations at the Dubai Open