Joao the nascent star, because in tennis the ‘foundation’ is going crazy

In South America and among the Tennis fans of the Z generation, the ‘foundation’ goes crazy, as the cheering for Jao Felix was renamed, the Brazilian new rising star of the racket that Sunday at the age of 18, 5 months and 26 days he won his first ATP tournament in Buenos Aires, Seventh younger tennis player in the Open era. On social media it is a rampant phenomenon and even the Brazilian Olympic Committee that wrote “Fonsequismo ta ‘on”, “the’ Fondsequismo ‘ignited”. The Copa America website wrote that the “Fonsequismo is fashionable” and also those of the US Open has made homage to the Rio de Janeiro champion.

The word also entered the Anglophone lexicon as a synonym for cheering for the tennis player, the ancient meaning linked to the philosophical current that followed the Jesuit Pedro da Fonseca which was inspired by Aristotle. Fonseca, however, is a phenomenon: his ball emits a different noise when he comes out of the racket. Different from that of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, But then it travels even faster than that of the two large rivals that is destined to challenge in the next decade. In one year he earned 580 ranking positions (he has now reached 68th place) and is the youngest Brazilian ever to have imposed himself in a professional tournament.

It cannot escape the fact that The victory arrived in Argentina against an Argentine, Francisco Cerundolo, number 26 in the world, after defeating two more: Coia and Navone. Cerundolo is excellent player and good experience: the climate was the one that only in South America can be found with a popular passion that often borders on in cheering Bacero that could have annihilated anyone. Not the young Joao, former champion of the Next Gen Finals in the last autumn, who chose a very particular moment to point out everyone the brightness of his star: the one in which the number 1 in the world Sinner is stopped in the pits for disqualification and will remain such until May 4th.

When he returns to the field, Jannik will know that he will have to face an extra suitor on his throne And no longer a promising young man who has in his face, he who was born in Rio, the same smile of that ‘Guga’ Kuerten whose ball traveled much less than hers, but which became an idol for Brazil like Ayrton Senna and many football champions. Fonseca certainly does not hide behind a finger or behind her smile: it is aiming at the top, very high. “I want to become number 1” he said immediately after the triumph and it is to be believed. His tennis has been rightly defined that of a Sinner 3.0: great legs of legs, excellent timing, dried -straight, clean and powerful reverse even if to improve, violent service.

But above all a ability not to give in to emotions (he canceled a matchpoint to another Argentine, Mariano Navone, in the semifinal) which reminds Sinner’s very much. For an 18 year old boy there is no bad. On the balls that arrive at the net or above the shoulder there will still be to work but if with these limits Joao (which as Sinner originally was born as a land player but on rapid fields does not seem to accuse any delay in the impact point with the ball) He came to trim a 6-4 7-6 to Francisco Cerundolo in Buenos Aires something will mean. Without forgetting that his physique, like that of Sinner when he was his age, is still in the formation phase and even in height he could still earn a couple of centimeters.

The pupil of Texheira is an greasy of the Lord who is already similar to Sinner even under another aspect: An entire country had been waiting for decades the advent of a player-leader capable of reviving the glories of ‘Guga’today 48 years old and three times winner of Roland Garros, and to unleash his passion. And the push of an entire country, as Sinner’s growth demonstrates, can have sensational effects on the career of a young player especially if he proves to have broad shoulders: and Fonseca has already succeeded. Joao will now play Rio’s ATP 500 at home: easy to predict what will happen.