Alejandro Davidovich Fokina slammed the ATP after it blatantly refused to delay the start of the Spaniard’s upcoming third-round match against Jakub Mensik at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto. Davidovich Fokina and Mensik’s clash is scheduled for an 11:00 AM local time start on Friday, August 1. However, all other early matches of the day are set to be played from 12:30 PM.
The Spaniard, the No. 20 seed in the men’s singles main draw in Toronto, took to X (formerly Twitter) and explained his situation. According to Davidovich Fokina, he and his team members are staying at a place that’s an hour away from the Sobeys Stadium. This would require him to wake up much earlier than usual to reach the venue in proper shape for the match against Mensik.
“I want to share my disappointment and frustration with the ATP. Tomorrow every match starts at 12:30, except ours, which has been scheduled at 11:00. We’re staying one hour away from the club, which means we have to wake up extremely early to arrive in good condition,” he wrote.
Trending
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also claimed that he and his team requested the ATP to push the match back to a 12:30 start, but were told it's not possible to do so because all logistical arrangements had been made for an 11:00 start.
"We've asked for a change, but the answer was that everything has already been sold, tickets, TV rights, etc. Once again, it's clear that players are not taken into consideration," the Spaniard added.
Later, the World No. 19 bemoaned the ATP's unfulfilled "promises" to correct scheduling conflicts before signing off.
"The ATP always promises they'll fix things, but nothing ever changes. This isn't the first time it happens, and when you're inside, you realize it's not as great as it looks from the outside," Davidovich Fokina concluded.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina came into Canadian Open after Citi DC Open final heartbreak; began ATP Masters 1000 campaign in style with win over crafty Frenchman
In the men's singles final of the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina put himself in pole position to win his maiden ATP Tour-level singles title by winning the first set 7-5 against Alex de Minaur. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his Australian opponent roared back into the contest and clinched the title after winning the second and third sets 6-1 and 7-6(3) respectively.
Davidovich Fokina couldn't contain his tears in the aftermath of the result, with de Minaur doing his best to console the Spaniard. After a short turnaround, Davidovich Fokina arrived in Toronto for his 2025 National Bank Open campaign and kickstarted it with a solid 6-4, 6-3 victory against the crafty Corentin Moutet.
The Spaniard should be confident going into his third-round match in Toronto against Jakub Mensik. They have played each other on four previous occasions, with the three most recent matches going in Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's favor.
