"There’s no serious argument in favor of Roger Federer" - Fans accuse Joao Fonseca of chasing checks after Novak Djokovic snub

Tennis fans accused Joao Fonseca of chasing checks and being biased after he declared Roger Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time, choosing him over Novak Djokovic. Fonseca is currently sponsored by On sportswear, a company that is backed by Federer himself.

Fonseca recently won his first ATP Tour title by winning the 2025 Argentina Open. He began his campaign at the ATP 250 clay court tournament by defeating eight seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-3 and lucky loser Federico Coria 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first and second rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the 18-year-old overcame Mariano Navone 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 and then in the semifinals registered a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-1 win over qualifier Laslo Djere to secure his place in the final. Fonseca ultimately emerged victorious in the championship match against Francisco Cerundolo, winning 6–4, 7–6(1) to claim the Argentina Open title.

Following his title win in Argentina, while speaking with GE, Joao Fonseca expressed that for him Roger Federer is the greatest player in tennis history. He said that many people can deem Novak Djokovic to be the G.O.A.T but for him the Swiss tennis legend's legacy remains unmatched in his eyes.

The Brazilian also mentioned that Djokovic may be the "best of all time," but Federer is the "greatest" which is an "unrivalled" fact for him.

"Federer (is the greatest idol). There's no way to change that . They can say that Djokovic is the greatest of all time, but for me there's no way . Djokovic may be the best of all time, but Federer is the greatest. Unrivalled," Joao Fonseca said (as quoted by ESPN, translated from Portuguese).

These comments by Joao Fonseca drew various comments from tennis fans, who took to social media to voice their opinions.

One fan stated that there’s "no serious argument" in favor of Roger Federer being better than Novak Djokovic and therefore the Fonseca's comments on the G.O.A.T discussion might be influenced given his sponsorship by On.

“Let’s be real, there’s no serious argument in favor of Federer being better than Djokovic so that statement from Fonseca is either motivated by the fanboy in him or to preserve his On sponsorship," a fan posted.

Another fan mentioned that since Joao Fonseca is currently sponsored a company backed by Federer, there is very less chance that he will name anyone as the G.O.A.T other than the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“Being sponsored by the current brand, does anyone normal think he could say anything else?????" a fan wrote.

“I mean, Federer is his sponsor, it would be strange if he said otherwise," a fan posted.

“I learned to accept peoples different opinions so no problem. Unfortunately for Fonseca he cant prove Federer is greater or better. its purely subjective. Djokovic's history and numbers are written in stone. Everyone will be trying to break his records not Federers," a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions:

“He’s sponsored by RF," a fan posted.

“Sponsored by On, grew up idolozing Federer. Personal preference vs facts," a fan wrote.

“If I was wearing Mr. Federer's brand, I would talk about him like this as well. Kid is smart," a fan posted.

---

Joao Fonseca will next compete at Indian Wells Masters 2025

Joao Fonseca at the 2025 Argentina Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Joao Fonseca will next compete at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters, where he has received a wild card entry into the main draw. The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 2, 2025, to March 16, 2025 and the matches will be played on the outdoor hard courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

This will be Fonseca's second time competing at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, with his first one being the 2024 Madrid Open, where he also received a wild card entry.

The 18-year-old had started his campaign in Madrid by defeating Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 in the first round before facing a tough challenge against 29th seed Cameron Norrie, who ultimately emerged victorious with a score of 6-1, 6-4 in the second round.

In addition to Joao Fonseca, other players who have been granted wild card entries at Indian Wells to date include Learner Tien, Venus Williams, and Petra Kvitova.