"Every player has a screw loose" - Alejandro Davidovich Fokina reflects on his volatile on-court nature

Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has been known to give in to his fiery temperament during and after matches, but the tennis star has admitted he needs to minimize these outbursts on the court.

The World No.30 is currently competing at the 2025 Barcelona Open, where he will take on fourth seed Andrey Rublev in the round of 16. Davidovich Fokina has had a strong start to the European clay court season, losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters last week.

Following his opening round victory over Stan Wawrinka, Davidovich Fokina took some time to discuss his new mindset, which has seen him reign in his emotions as he continues to improve on court.

"I have that consistency in the game that perhaps I didn't have before, but that confidence comes from winning matches every week, which also gives you peace of mind that you are doing things right," said the Spaniard. "I am calm with the team I have now, they give me a lot of strength, we had a great preseason reinforcing many things, and in Australia, the results were seen practically from the beginning.
"Making it to the fourth round in Australia, saving match points, made me think that those opportunities will always come. Many things have changed, but above all, I am calmer on the court.

"Every player has a screw loose, it's essential to have that touch of madness or character, it's important not to lose that facet. Ultimately, what wins you matches is staying calm, not getting frustrated, being there every point.
"Sure, you can get frustrated, you can get angry for twenty seconds, but in the next point, you have to be there. That's the key, being mentally prepared for the next point, no matter what happened."