Brazil’s young tennis sensation Joao Fonseca has named the former
world number one Switzerland’s
Roger Federer as his ‘idol’. The 18-year-old is
already regarded as the one for the future and has recently showcased his class
by winning his first ATP title at the highest level.
He lifted the Argentina Open after beating local favourite Francisco
Cerundolo in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6. Fonseca has
been recently asked about who the greatest player of all time (GOAT) is in men’s tennis, as there has been a lot of debate. While responding to that, the
youngster admitted that Djokovic might be the best player of all time, but for
him, Federer will remain the GOAT and his ‘idol’.
"Federer [is the greatest idol],” he said. “It can’t be
changed. People may say Djokovic is the greatest of all time, but for me there
is no competition. Djokovic might be the best of all time, but Federer is the
greatest. Unmatched.”
Federer, who finished his career in September 2022 after
struggling with fitness concerns in the latter stages of his playing days, won
20 major titles in his career. He was the first player in the history of men’s
tennis in the singles category in the Open era to win more than 15 major
titles. He was also the first to win 20 major titles in the history of men’s
tennis in the singles category. His last title was the Australian Open in 2018, where he defeated Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the final in a five-set thriller
with a score of 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 3–6, 6–1.
On the other hand, Djokovic is still playing at the highest level.
He has won 24 Grand Slam titles, most by a player in the history of men’s
tennis in the singles category. His last major title was the US Open in 2023, where he defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final in straight sets with a
score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.