Joao Fonseca 'not a fan' of 'next Novak Djokovic' comparison after winning Basel title and being predicted to challenge Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner

Joao Fonseca won his second tour-level title and first at ATP 500 level, beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Swiss Indoors Basel final. Fonseca was given the ultimate praise from his opponent after his 6-3 6-4 victory as he was labelled the "next Novak Djokovic". Fonseca became the second-youngest champion of the tournament in Basel after Jim Courier's triumph as a 19-year-old in 1989.

'I am making my own history' - Fonseca rejects Djokovic comparison

Video credit: SNTV

Joao Fonseca says he is "not a fan" of being labelled the "next Novak Djokovic" after defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Swiss Indoors Basel final.

The 19-year-old played fearlessly in the biggest match of his career, earning a 6-3 6-4 victory over Davidovich Fokina.

The triumph earned Fonseca a second tour-level title, and a first at ATP 500 level.

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Davidovich Fokina was full of praise for his opponent after the match, saying: "I want to congratulate Joao, you played unbelievable tennis. You are the person of this sport; you have a bright future.

"You are for sure going to be the next Nole to beat Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner]. Congrats on this tournament and good luck for next week."

Fonseca is the first Brazilian to win a title above the ATP 250 level since Gustavo Kuerten lifted the ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati in 2001, per ATP. He is also the third-youngest player to win a 500 title since the series began in 2009.

However, Fonseca downplayed the praise from Davidovich Fokina and said he intends to make his "own history".

"Actually, I am not a fan of the comparisons," said the Brazilian.

"Everyone has their own history, and I'm going to make my own history. I just think it's a pleasure hearing those kind words from him. Great guy, great friend, great fighter, but, yeah, I'm doing my own history. I'm trying my best every day just to be with them.

"We all know from the tour that Jannik and Carlos, they are playing next level of tennis. So, we're just kind of working hard. All the other players from the tour, we are working harder and harder to keep going with them.

"But I'm still young. It's my first year playing the big tournaments. I need to get some experience. But I want, I hope, in the future, I'll be with them playing big titles and winning great tournaments."

Why Fonseca is giving Djokovic vibes

The Basel triumph is the latest milestone in Fonseca’s burgeoning career. The 19-year-old won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah last December and claimed his first Top 10 victory at the Australian Open against Andrey Rublev.

Fonseca also captured his first ATP Tour title at the 250 event in Buenos Aires. He is set to climb to a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday, having started 2025 at No. 145.

"They were the ones who believed in me," Fonseca said of his parents. "I was thinking about going to university, and they said it was my choice and they would be there to support me. I just want to thank them. Since I was young, my mum has travelled with me. Since I was 11, I only travelled with her, so that title is for her."

In Basel, Fonseca dominated the first set with 15 winners, putting constant pressure on Davidovich Fokina.

He dictated play from the baseline, converting his fourth set point to take the lead and closing out the second set on serve after initially missing a championship point at 5-3.

Meanwhile, Davidovich Fokina has now lost four finals in 2025. He has come agonisingly close in that time, losing two championship points against Miomir Kecmanovic in Delray Beach and three against Alex de Minaur in Washington. He was also defeated in the title match in Acapulco to Tomas Machac.

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