Mubadala Citi DC Open finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina wasn’t too happy with the scheduling of the National Bank Open in Toronto this week.
In a post on social media shared in both English and Spanish, Davidovich Fokina expressed his disappointment and his frustration with the ATP Tour for scheduling his Round of 32 match with Jakub Mensik for 11 a.m. local time, while every other ATP match on Friday is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. local time, or later.
His comments landed him in the crosshairs of UK standout Dan Evans, who reposted Davidovich Fokina’s post on his Instagram Story along with the caption:
“Wake up an play. The wrorld wakes up an works 9-5 even 8-6 pathetic.”
A screenshot of his Instagram story post can be seen below:
Dan Evans claps back at Alejandro Davidovich Fokina following recent post.
So far, it doesn’t appear as though Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has responded, as the ATP Live Ranking No. 18 puts the finishing touches on his preparations for today’s match against Mensik.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Wasn’t The Only Player to Criticize the National Bank Open Scheduling
Although the ATP side of the National Bank Open is played in Toronto, and the WTA side is played in Montreal, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina wasn’t the only player to criticize the scheduling of the tournament.
Following her big win over Anna Kalinskaya in the finals of the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Sunday, Canadian standout Leylah Fernandez was told that she would play her opening match in Montreal during the night session to give her extra time to recover.
Instead, Fernandez wound up playing earlier in the day, falling to Maya Joint in just over an hour while struggling to find her serve.
Following the loss, ESPN quoted Fernandez as saying that there were quote, “a lot of promises,” made regarding the possibility of playing the night session.
“I did not receive that. That hurt me because I was very looking forward to be playing at night, but I guess it’s a little bit political issues at that point.”
National Bank Open tournament director Valerie Tetreault indicated that she told Fernandez that she would, quote, “fight so that she could have the time she wanted,” however, instead, she admitted that she didn’t win that fight.
Daniil Medvedev Walks Off Court Without Bag Following Late-Night Loss to Alexei Popyrin
On Thursday, a battle between former National Bank Open champs Daniil Medvedev and Alexei Popyrin headlined Center Court.
While the two were initially set to take the court much earlier in the day, their two-hour 30-minute match wound up ending well past midnight, just before 1 a.m. local time.
Following the loss, Medvedev immediately shook Popyrin’s hand before promptly exiting the court, leaving behind his racquets as well as his bag, with the Tennis TV commentary team noting the late finish to the match.
As Davidovich Fokina noted in his post, however, it seems as though players face an uphill battle in their attempts to work with the ATP on scheduling.
While some cities have curfew that prevents players from competing well past midnight, that won’t be the case over the next few weeks as players head to New York for the 2025 US Open.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Slammed By Dan Evans For Recent Post