ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS

October 15, 2026

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Mixed Zone

A. DAVIDOVICH FOKINA/A. Gea

4-1, [Ret.]

Q. Unfortunate end to the match, but considering you played two very tough matches before, is it good to be finished?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Yeah, I would say I feel sorry for him, for Arthur. I was playing good, I wanted to play a good match against him, to see what where I am.

And yeah, of course it's pleasing, no, to have this kind of match here, because I had two matches that was very tough ones. So, yeah, I'm very happy to be in another semifinals, to enjoy this moment, and for everyone around my team. Now I'm going to take my day off today to enjoy myself.

Q. You're into the semifinals. Your play in China looks very free, and you seem to have a lot of fun. What part of the experience are you most pleased with?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Well, I have a lot of time, no, when I was back at home, two months. So I was thinking about to how to improve myself on the match court.

I was thinking a lot about it with my wife and with my team, to see if I have 10 more years in my career, what I want to show to myself and what I want to show to the other ones.

So, yeah, it was not easy decision, but now I want to express myself, how I want to play, who I want to show to the world who I am.

Q. You only spent 22 minutes on court, can you share from us where did you see things going wrong on your opponent's part?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Well, I didn't see anything. He asked for the physio, and I don't remember now, in the 3-2 or 3-1, I don't remember. I saw him that he asked for the physio, so I knew something was wrong, but you never know what is happening. I called the physio two times this week, but it was something for cold cream, maybe he was asking for that or whatever.

But in the first game, or in the first shot that he did after the physio, something like he put aggressive forehand to the net, and I said, something is wrong, make him play and let's see how he is running and we will see if it's something seriously or not. And, yeah, at the end I feel sorry for him, but at the end I'm happy to be in the next round.

Q. Have you been in a situation maybe in a Grand Slam before where you're going to go three days without not much tennis? Has that happened before, have you had a walkover, and how do you not have that affect your rhythm going forward?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Three days?

Q. Well, you didn't play yesterday, didn't play a whole lot today, and then won't play tomorrow, so not a lot of tennis. Are you concerned it might interfere with your rhythm?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Do you think I need tennis after Tiafoe and Hurkacz? I don't think so (laughing). I'm good enough about tennis.

So, yeah, I don't need any more rhythm. My body needs to recover. I've been out a lot of time, and these kind of matches at the end, my body has to recover better, because I was not liking the rhythm to these kind of matches. So, now I'm blessed that I have two days more to recover better my body.

Q. You had past years from your last finals in Masters 1000, semifinals in Canada. I would like to know, until today, in general what have these results represented for you in these years?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Well, it's always happy to be in this kind of situation, to be in the last rounds in the Masters 1000 at the end, not many players can be there. So, yeah, I'm very grateful, I'm very happy to be in another time in this kind of situation.

Yeah, from the last matches that I have in 2025 against Carlos, so I know a little bit more how to be on court in the semifinals of a Masters 1000.

Q. You talked about being injured. Can you reflect on these two months, how did you handle it mentally to come back like you're doing right now?

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Well, that's a long story to say here. After Wimbledon, in the first match on Wimbledon, I had problems with my back. I continued Wimbledon, but I shouldn't. I was playing very good, so I couldn't quit.

After that, I did MRI and everything, and so I have a protrusion, almost hernia, so I take a little bit. After I play Umag, didn't go well for my back. After that we decide to stop, to recover good my back.

I thought I am going to, was going to play Cincinnati and US Open, but my body, you know, I took off three weeks without tennis, without just doing core, abdominals, as I said, for the back. And, you know, to start again playing tennis, it's not easy to be a hundred percent. I don't want to go to Cincinnati at 50 percent. So I wanted to be, when I come back, I wanted to be at a hundred percent, as I did from Chengdu.

So, mentally it was very tough, because I wanted to play, of course, this American swing, I always enjoy it. My back was not ready when I was playing points.

And, yeah, mentally it was very tough, no, to see how the others are going in the last rounds and you are home now watching. But at the end it's kind of process, no. A lot of players have similar things. So, for example, one friend of mine this kind of problem, so I know these feelings.

So, I know how to handle, how to be calm. To be with my wife at home at the end was not that bad, because we don't spend a lot of time at home. To spend two months at home was very good, no, with my wife, with the dog, with the team, so it was not that bad, but of course I wanted to play.

Q. Compared to a practice day or a normal match day, how much energy do you feel you spent today? Because you have to compete for the time spent on court, you have to come here, make the usual warmup, so mentally you go there and you play, you are there for a normal match, that time. So I would like to know, the amount of energy you feel you spent today, between a practice and a normal day, where you feel.

ALEJANDRO DAVIDOVICH FOKINA: Well, I would say, I don't know, maybe I spent today 15, 20 percent of my energy. So, but as I said before, after last two matches that I spent on court, I don't need more tennis. My team knows that I needed more recovery to my body, and to save the energy, no.

Today, for example, I would save my energy for the semifinals. In the end, it is what I need mentally and physically.

As I said, I don't want to spend tomorrow energy, I don't want to spend like unnecessary energy, no, to be in the semifinals at a hundred percent.