João Sousa

João Pedro Coelho Marinho de Sousa, known as João Sousa, is a Portuguese professional tennis player, who is ranked 77th in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), as of 28 September 2020. 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.