Teenage sensation João Fonseca humbled in first round loss after bizarre dog walking stunt
Teenage tennis sensation João Fonseca frustrated his home fans at the Rio Open in a first-round loss Wednesday (AEDT), two days after winning his first ATP title.
The 18-year-old entered the Quadra Guga Kuerten with a dog to a raucous applause but was overcome by the world No.60 Alexandre Muller.
Fonseca lost 6-1, 7-6 (4) to the Frenchman, making 34 unforced errors and appearing to be exhausted during the match.
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Joao Fonseca walks out with a dog. Rio Open
The Brazilian won his first career title at the elite level with victory in the Argentina Open final.
Muller will meet Argentina's Tomás Martin Etcheverry in the next round.
“It was tough to play against such a great player and perhaps 5,000 (fans), but I’m very happy to get the victory today,” Muller said. “I was feeling calm in half of the match. I didn’t take my chances to take the break in the second set and then he was playing better and better. I played a great tie break to finish.”
Post-match, Fonseca admitted the weight of expectation impacted his performance.
"I knew I would get nervous, that I would have to face the fear of playing with so many people," he said in Portuguese.
"I tried with all my strength to face the moment but I couldn't, it's part of the sport. It's about learning from these experiences to become stronger.
"Tonight I will be furious but tomorrow I have a day off and Thursday we are back on the practice courts. The year will be long and my career will be long as well. We live and we learn.
"I was 100 per cent physically. Today it was all mental."
On the weekend, Fonseca became the first man born in 2006 or later to win a top-level ATP singles title, the 10th youngest champion in ATP Tour history and the youngest South American player to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).
Last year, the rising star reached the quarter finals of the tournament in Rio, an ATP 500, and finished off 2024 by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals in December.
He moved up 31 spots to No.68 in this week's rankings after his win in Buenos Aires.
