TEAM WORLD’S FONSECA A SLUGGER ON ALL ACCOUNTS

Leave it to a 19-year-old kid from Rio de Janeiro, who had never played an inning of baseball in his life, to be the best hitter of the bunch.

That was the case for Laver Cup debutant João Fonseca this week during a Team World visit to Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. With the home team out on the road, Fonseca, Alex Michelsen, Reilly Opelka, Francisco Cerundolo, Jenson Brooksby and vice-captain Patrick Rafter got a chance to swing at a few pitches from atop the dugout, tennis balls in lieu of baseballs.

Though the 21-year-old Southern Californian Michelsen made some easy-groove contact, and the Aussie Rafter surprised with his pitching talents, it was Fonseca who stole the day, launching balls high into the pitch-blue Bay Area sky. That renowned whiplash forehand translated quite nicely on the baseball diamond.

“It was my first time hitting a baseball, even handling a baseball bat,” said the No. 42-ranked Fonseca, who earlier this year became the youngest South American tour-level champion (Buenos Aires) since Guillermo Pérez Roldán in 1987, and the youngest Brazilian champion in the Open Era. “It was a little bit of luck. My first try was the best one. It was my first time in a baseball stadium. I don’t even know all the rules. It’s a fun game.”

Fonseca, who grew up a stone’s throw from the host site of the ATP 500 Rio Open, has been a hit on the global tennis scene since he captured the 2023 US Open boys’ singles title and became the ITF No. 1. He went a perfect 5-0 at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals to join Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the only 18-year-old titlists in the event’s history. But his true arrival might have been signaled when first-year Team World captain Andre Agassi extended an invite for Laver Cup 2025, and none other than tournament co-founder Roger Federer stopped by to great him during a practice session at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

“It was a pleasure, an opportunity, I think, every kid who loves tennis dreams about. When you meet your idol, it’s just amazing.” — João Fonseca on meeting Roger Federer

“It was a pleasure, an opportunity, I think, every kid who loves tennis dreams about,” said Fonseca. “When you meet your idol, it’s just amazing. When somebody told me that I was going to meet him, my hands started sweating. I was so nervous. We had a fun talk. He’s a super-nice guy. I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”

Not only did Fonseca get to chat with Federer, he’s getting Hall of Fame-level advice on a daily basis this week from Agassi, one of only eight men to win the coveted career Grand Slam.

“Being with this guy on the court is just unbelievable,” he said of Agassi. “I’m the guy who will only listen and not talk. I’ll get a lot of experience this week, for sure. He told me he likes watching me. I said, ‘No, I like watching you!’ It’s another amazing opportunity.”

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