Five Things to Know: Davidovich Fokina & his clay-court run

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is only 21 years old but he’s already a disrupter on the ATP Tour. In Monte Carlo last month, he scored his biggest career victory with a second-round upset win over eighth-seeded Matteo Berrettini.

This week in Rome, the qualifier stunned former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets his main-draw opening round, consolidating it with a comprehensive victory over Cameron Norrie to make an appointment with Novak Djokovic.

1

Masters 1000 Clay-Court Milestone

Before the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, he had yet to win a clay-court match at a Masters 1000 clay-court event. Since then, he’s 10-2.

2

First Masters 100 quarterfinal

Last month, he reached his first career quarterfinal at a Masters 1000 event. He was forced to retire in the middle of the match against eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas due to a left quadricep injury.

3

Ranking Rise

In April, Davidovich Fokina reached a career-high of No. 48, where he currently sits. This time last year, he was the world No. 131.

4

Trained by Marathon Legend

This season, the young player added fellow Spaniard and marathon legend Martin Fiz—a former World and European Champion marathon runner—to his team.

“I’m the link between his psychologist and his fitness coach. But fundamentally, I focus on the psychological side because I come from a tough sport where you have to work hard, where there are ups and downs, and that’s what I try to transmit to Alex,” Fiz said.

5

Mental Calmness

He has worked on his mental fitness to help him win matches.

“Before, I used to be a much more hyperactive and anxious person,” the Spaniard said. “I wanted to finish every point in three shots, but when you evolve as a player you realise that tennis is not about winning in three shots. It’s about staying mentally calm and feeling stable

“You have to take advantage of your opportunities, but also acknowledge that there may be more opportunities to come if you can’t.”