"Boris Becker having a meltdown";"Hype over Joao Fonseca is ridiculous" - Fans react to German lamenting ATP omission after 18-year-old's maiden title

Boris Becker did not seem to like a particular ATP stat that surfaced in the aftermath of 18-year-old Joao Fonseca's maiden title at the 2025 Argentina Open. Later, fans reacted to Becker's take, with some criticizing the 'hype' surrounding Fonseca and others pointing out a mistake in the legendary German's perception of the stat.

On Sunday, February 16, Joao Fonseca defeated Francisco Cerundolo in the final of the 2025 Argentina Open. Shortly after Fonseca's first-ever ATP Tour-level title triumph, the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of Tennis TV shared an infographic consisting of the youngest ATP finalists since the year 2000. While Rafael Nadal was the youngest on the list at 17 years and seven months, Joao Fonseca appeared at No. 10 at 18 years and five months.

Upon taking notice of the post, Boris Becker reacted to it, writing:

"Really ?!?"

Becker's take stemmed from his omission from the list. To this day, the German remains the youngest-ever men's singles title winner at the Wimbledon Championships, a feat he achieved at the age of 17 years and seven months in 1985. Some fans though, pointed out to the 57-year-old that the stat only took players into consideration starting from the year 2000.

"Boris having a meltdown. The size of the ego still 😂 Have you thought they picked this time frame so that it mostly reflected current players / those who Twitter would relate to?" a fan wrote.

"I hate to say it, Boris... But we are getting old brothers, and now "2000" is as far as the stats go," commented another.

"Key words mr Boris: Since 2000," another fan chimed in.

Another set of fans suggested that as things stand, Joao Fonseca, despite his undeniable talent, potential and recent Argentina Open success, is being overhyped.

"Joao Fonseca has a literal MACHINE backing him promotionally. The hype over him is a bit ridiculous," wrote one fan.

"When your parents are the CEOs of a massive hedge fund and you get to not only meet Federer as a little kid, but you also just happen to land a huge endorsement deal from Fed’s clothing and shoe brand at just 17. “Just an ordinary boy from Rio”!," the previous fan added in a separate post.

"This has nothing to do with Joao, but the HYPE for him is so inflated and it needs to stop. Really = the answer is NO!," yet another fan weighed in.

Interestingly, in the buildup to the 2025 Australian Open, Becker had himself hyped up Fonseca.

Boris Becker named Joao Fonseca as Australian Open 2025 "dark horse"

Joao Fonseca in action at the 2025 Australian Open (Source: Getty)

During an appearance on the Becker Petkovic podcast ahead of the 2025 Australian Open, Boris Becker picked Joao Fonseca as his "dark horse" citing the Brazilian's performances in the hardcourt Major's qualifying stages.

"May I tell you my dark horse for the men’s side? He made it through the qualifiers and I’ve been a great admirer of his craft ever since I got to know him during a training session in Turin a year and a half ago. Joao Fonseca," Boris Becker told Andrea Petkovic. (translated from German)

Joao Fonseca seemed to be living up to Boris Becker's words after he produced one of the early upsets of the 2025 Australian Open by eliminating No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev in the first round. However, ultimately, the young Brazilian would be defeated in a five-set thriller by Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.