Following “dream come true” in Monte-Carlo, Davidovich Fokina aims for Barcelona success

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina may have fallen just short of the title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but his 6-3, 7-6(3) loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s championship match did nothing to put a damper on an otherwise incredible tournament for the 22-year-old.

Davidovich Fokina’s path to his first-ever ATP final included an upset of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in round two. The Spaniard also survived three-setters against Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals and against Grigor Dimitrov in the semis.

“Yeah, for sure,” Davidovich Fokina said when asked if it was the best week of his career. “I cannot say no.(It) was (an) amazing experience. I enjoyed every day here, winning big, big (matches)…beating Djoko…. (It) was a tough week; lot of emotions. My body now is going down; maybe I need a beer or something.

“But, you know, for me this week with my team was amazing. (It) was a dream come true to play here in Monte-Carlo (with a) full crowd. You know, to hear the people supporting (me) was amazing. I was at the bench thinking, ‘wow, what a moment.'”

Barcelona next for Davidovich Fokina

Last year’s clay-court swing marked a breakthrough performance for Davidovich Fokina. The current world No. 46 reached the Monte-Carlo quarters, the Estoril semis, the Rome third round as a qualifier and the last eight at Roland-Garros. Based on his showing in Monte-Carlo this past week, 2022 could be even better for him.

Next up his schedule is the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Two weeks after that there is the Mutua Madrid Open. That means he has two tournaments coming up in front of the home crowd in Spaniard.

“For sure I will play Barcelona,” Davidovich Fokina responded when asked about it at his press conference. “You know, we have two tournaments in Spain…in front of my friends, in front of all my people. I will go with more confidence and with a lot more emotions than here.

“How I managed this week, beating these guys and how much confidence I have now…I will be focused like this week every point, every game. Doesn’t matter who (the opponent) is. I will enjoy every moment now. Doesn’t matter if I lose or if I win. I’m like so happy with myself (and) what I am doing, and just [will try to stay] in that line.”

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