BASEL — Joao Fonseca has ended his 2026 season and will not defend his Swiss Indoors title in Basel, confirming on Saturday via Instagram that he does not feel ready to compete at his previous level after an injury-hit year. The Brazilian, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to win the ATP 500 trophy last October — still the biggest title of his career — said he is now prioritising his health and focusing on 2027.
“Hey everyone, just here with an update,” Fonseca said in Portuguese in a video posted to his Instagram account. “As you’ve seen, I stayed out of the Asian swing to focus on my recovery. My plan was to come back in Europe, but after talking with my team, I don’t feel 100% ready to compete at the level I was at, and I don’t want to rush things. So I decided to prioritize my health and focus on 2027. Thank you so much for your support and your affection, as always. See you on the courts soon.”
Fonseca’s summer was disrupted by a series of withdrawals. He pulled out of Cincinnati before his third-round match, then missed the US Open with an abdominal injury. In September he announced he would skip the Asian swing, including the ATP 500 in Tokyo and the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, writing at the time: “2026 has been a very challenging year for me,” and that he had chosen to “listen to my body.”
The season still delivered career milestones before the setbacks. Fonseca reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Monte-Carlo and then his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros, holding a 20-13 record when he announced he would miss Asia. His career-high ranking remains No 24, reached last season. His absence leaves Basel without its defending champion as Novak Djokovic returns to Basel on a wild card after 15 years.