17-year-old Joao Fonseca makes a ‘tough decision’ as he drops college plans to turn pro this season

Fonseca recently grabbed the attention of the tennis world due to his brilliant run at the Rio Open.

17-year-old Joao Fonseca makes a ‘tough decision’ as he drops college plans to turn pro this season

Joao Fonseca (via Imago)

Brazil tennis gets a new face in their squad, as teenager Joao Fonseca shines through in his first ATP tournament. Having made the tough decision to drop out of college, the 17-year-old spent more time playing tennis and is currently one of the top youngsters to watch out for in the future. 

Fonseca had previously won the 2023 US Open boys tournament and soon turned pro. He played his first ATP tournament in the Rio Open, where he made history after some great victories. After the Rio Open miracle, Fonseca decided to drop out of college and turn pro. Sacrificing a family dream of experiencing a college life, the Brazilian makes time to tend to his tennis career, which has started to flourish. 

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Thanking the University of Virginia and the people involved in his college process, the 17-year-old penned down a note on his Instagram. 

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It was an incredibly tough decision for me and my family as I have been dreaming about living a college life in Charlottesville, playing the sport that I love with a wonderful team and a coach, but, in the last few months, professional tennis called me in a way that I simply couldn’t say “no". 
Fonseca via Instagram

Ever since he turned pro, Fonseca played a couple of challenger tournaments before getting a wildcard entry into the Rio Open. In his home tournament, the Brazilian was up against No.7 seed Arthur Fils. He beat the Frenchman in straight sets, including one bagel set. He won the match 6-0, 6-4 to secure his first ATP top 40 win. 

Joao Fonseca receives praises from compatriot Beatriz Haddad Maia after memorable entry to tour-level tennis

After his quarter-final run at the Rio Open, young Joao Fonseca announced on Instagram his decision to turn pro and forgo his college eligibility. 

Joao Fonseca
Joao Fonseca (Via Imago)

The 17-year-old was committed to playing tennis at his college, the University of Virginia. However, after his breakthrough in tennis, the youngster is now ranked at a career-high rank of 343 in the PIF ATP rankings. Idolizing Roger Federer, the youngster shines his way into professional tennis. 

Furthermore, he also received a lot of praise from his compatriot Beatriz Haddad Maia, who praised his gameplay and gave him a bit of advice on the future. 

João is a nice person. He has a great future if he keeps working hard and keeps doing what he’s doing. I think he has a very aggressive mentality and tennis. I like his game.
Haddad-Maia via San Diego Press. 

With a long career ahead of him, the Brazilian has now committed full-time to the sport as he looks to play and win more tournaments. He now has his first Top 40 win and will surely aim to get bigger wins in the future. 

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