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João Pedro Coelho Marinho de Sousa , known as João Sousa , is a Portuguese professional tennis player, who is ranked 69th in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals , as of 1 July 2019. A top-100 player since July 2013 and with three ATP World Tour singles titles, Sousa is regarded as the best Portuguese tennis player of all time. He is nicknamed Conquistador for sharing his birthplace with Afonso I of Portugal, the country's first king. Sousa is coached by former player Frederico Marques and practices at the BTT Tennis Academy in Barcelona.

Sousa began playing tennis at the age of seven. After winning national youth titles, he decided at the age of fifteen to invest in his career by moving to Barcelona. After an unimpressive junior career, Sousa turned professional in 2008 and won his first singles tournament in 2009. He started playing in the ATP Challenger Tour in 2008, winning his first tournament at this level in 2011. Sousa debuted in the top-level ATP World Tour in 2008, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Malaysian Open, where he became the first Portuguese player to win a World Tour-level singles tournament.Sousa holds several Portuguese men's tennis records. In October 2013, he ranked 49th in the world after his victory at the Malaysian Open, becoming the first Portuguese player to break into the singles top 50. In November 2015, Sousa reached a career-high and Portuguese-best ranking of world No. 33, following his second ATP World Tour singles title at the Valencia Open. In May 2016, he improved his personal ranking best, becoming the first Portuguese player to enter the top 30, as a result of reaching his first Masters 1000 quarter-finals in Madrid. In 2014, he was the first Portuguese player to compete exclusively at the ATP World Tour in a single season; the first to be seeded in a Grand Slam tournament ; and the second to reach the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event . Sousa is the fourth Portuguese player to reach the singles top 100, and the second to do so in both singles and doubles rankings, after Nuno Marques. He is also the Portuguese player with the largest career prize money, and the most wins at Grand Slam singles tournaments. Wikipedia  

✵ 30. March 1989
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João Sousa: 5   quotes 0   likes

Famous João Sousa Quotes

“Thanks to all these results, people in Portugal are starting know and become more interested in our sport. Tennis is more and more popular in Portugal and we don't talk about only football anymore. I am glad to help in that process.”

João Sousa

On tennis' rising popularity in Portugal, during the same interview.
Source: Intervista esclusiva a Joao Sousa: “Sono d’accordo con Simon, i top player guadagnano troppo” [Exclusive interview to Joao Sousa - 'I agree with Simon, the top players earn too much' http://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2015/11/02/intervista-esclusiva-a-joao-sousa-sono-daccordo-con-simon-i-top-player-guadagnano-troppo/,, Ubitennis.com, Italian, 4 November 2015]

“You can have news that (Cristiano) Ronaldo went to the toilet three times a day, and that's the news. I make semi-finals and nothing.”

João Sousa

On tennis' lack of public visibility in Portugal when compared with football, during 2015 ATP Dubai tournament.
Source: From Novak Djokovic to Joao Sousa: ATP Dubai quotes of the week, Sport 360, 2 November 2015 http://sport360.com/article/dubai-tennis-championship/33436/novak-djokovic-joao-sousa-atp-dubai-quotes-week,

“I feel that I am respected. The other top players now realize what I am capable of. There is mutual respect among player at this ATP level, everyone knows the required quality one needs to have to be part of the elite.”

João Sousa

On the feedback received from other ATP World Tour players.
Source: João Sousa: "Partilho com o Nadal o gosto pelo Real Madrid" [Joao Sousa - 'I share with Nadal the fondness for Real Madrid' http://desporto.sapo.pt/mais_modalidades/tenis/artigo/2015/11/07/partilho-com-o-nadal-o-gosto-pelo-real-madrid,, SAPO, Portuguese, 9 November 2015]

“There are not many people training in Portugal, the ones available were older like Frederico Gil and Rui Machado and in the north region there was no one like in Lisbon, so I had to go for other solutions”

João Sousa

On his decision to relocate from Portugal to Barcelona when we was 15, during 2012 Rio de Janeiro Challenger.
Source: Português cansado de ser confundido com o Souza brasileiro: 'É ridículo' [Portuguese tired of being mistaken with the Brazilian Souza - "It's ridiculous" http://tenisnews.band.uol.com.br/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=50284,, Band, 2 November 2015]

“Well, I agree with him [Gilles Simon]. All those that play within the tennis world know how hard it is to enter the top-100 and there is a huge difference between the top players and all the others, or at least those who are a bit ‘lower in the rankings, so yes, I agree”

João Sousa

On how prize money is distributed on the ATP Tour, during a 2015 November interview for an Italian tennis news website.
Source: Exclusive: Joao Sousa criticises the distribution of prize money on the ATP Tour, Ubitennis.com, 4 November 2015 http://www.ubitennis.com/eng/blog/2015/11/04/exclusive-joao-sousa-criticises-the-distribution-of-prize-money-on-the-atp-tour/,

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