Roger Federer snubbed by tennis wonderkid – and it’s not the first time he said reasons are…see more

Roger Federer enjoyed another successful Laver Cup campaign.

The seventh edition of the Laver Cup saw Team Europe overcome Team World 13-11 in Berlin.

Now a staple of the tennis calendar, Roger Federer and his team created the Laver Cup back in 2017 with fans unsure of how successful the event would be.

Since then, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios have all participated in the three-day annual tournament.

However, it was a debutant wonderkid that even the legendary 20-time Grand Slam Champion couldn’t attract to Berlin this year.

Roger Federer turned down by Joao Fonseca… twice
18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca may be yet to break into the world’s top 100 but for someone of his talent, it certainly seems to be a matter of when not if, the Rio native takes that step.

His talent is so evident that Roger Federer signed the Brazilian to his clothing company – On. Fonseca joined American star Ben Shelton and WTA number one Iga Swiatek as athletes representing the brand earlier this year.

Despite the evident link between Fonseca and the 20-time Grand Slam winner, the 18-year-old turned down the opportunity to be a part of Federer’s management agency, Team8, instead leaving his parents in the role for the time being.

This wasn’t the only time that Fonseca said no to Roger Federer this year.

Approached to act as an Alternate and hitting partner for the Laver Cup, Fonseca’s team declined the offer from Federer citing that the proposal came too late for them to squeeze the event into the Brazilian’s busy schedule.

There aren’t many who would have the confidence to turn down Federer and an opportunity as big as the Laver Cup, but with the talent that Fonseca possesses, it seems more than likely that he’ll find his way back to the event before too long.

How much potential does Fonseca have?
Fonseca made waves this summer with his performances in the Davis Cup.

Overcoming former top 30-star Botic Van de Zandschulp was a statement win for the young Brazilian, whilst a competitive defeat to 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini saw the youngster receive serious plaudits.

Speaking post-match after his victory over Fonseca at this year’s Davis Cup in Bologna, Berrettini had nothing but praise for the 18-year-old.

“The guy’s really good, at his age I didn’t even have one ATP Point.

“I’m sure he’s going to get better and better, he has a bright future ahead.”

It’s not just Berrettini who has been impressed by Fonseca, as the youngster has already amassed over 100,000 followers on social media, with fans excited over the Brazilians’ potential.