Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title after beating Rafael Jodar at the Shanghai Masters.
Davidovich Fokina was left speechless after defeating Jodar, winning their all-Spanish battle in China 1-6, 7-6(7-5), 6-4. The new Shanghai Masters champion came from behind to beat his compatriot after two hours and 28 minutes of high-quality action.
After losing his first five ATP finals, Davidovich Fokina has now won three in a row following his title runs in Mallorca and Chengdu earlier this year. And the Spaniard has reacted to his latest success now that the dust has settled, pinpointing the key to defeating Jodar.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina pinpoints ‘key’ to Shanghai Masters final win
Speaking to the media afterwards, Davidovich Fokina was asked if he approaches finals differently now given his track record. He replied: “Yeah, of course. Today I was more tight, more nervous. He started very good. The first set, I was not seeing any holes to make a winner. He was everywhere. He was serving very good, returning very good.
“I was, like, trying my best, no. In the second set, he had a break up, but I just kept believing in myself, no, to see what I can do to break him. It’s not easy, his first final, Masters 1000, I knew that it’s not going to be easy for him either. He’s going to be nervous, maybe he’s going to do a couple of mistakes that he didn’t do before.
“So I just needed to be there, and on every ball keep believing in myself and try to let him run, no, because at the end in the third set you can see that he physically can start cramping. That was my strong key today was to be physical in the match, that was my only chance today.”
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2026 | 3 | ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (Outdoor/Hard) Chengdu (Outdoor/Hard) Mallorca (Outdoor/Grass) |
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina eager to soak up Shanghai Masters success
It’s been a remarkable period for Davidovich Fokina, who before Chengdu had served two months on the sidelines because of a back injury. Discussing his mood entering the Asian Swing and the conversations he was having with his team post-injury, he said: “Of course, this is private things, so I will not say what they are saying to me.
“The mentality that I need to be after these two months out, of course this is a private conversation, so I’m not going to say anything to you. The mood was like, during the preseason in November, doing five, six hours, seven hours per day, like giving everything, no, to be physically, mentally as best as I can, that was the motivation.”
And sharing his goals for the rest of the 2026 season, he commented: “Yeah, of course, the season is not ended, but right now I don’t want to think about next week. I just want to celebrate with my team this victory, enjoy this moment.
“In two hours we are taking the plane, so I’m arriving at home tomorrow, after one month here, not seeing my family, not seeing my wife. So, I don’t want to think about tennis for next two, three days, just to enjoy, no. And I will go to Basel and we will see what is happening there, but now I don’t want to think about it.”
It’s certainly the right attitude from the 27-year-old, who deserves to celebrate this moment for as long as possible. The ATP 500 Basel returns later this month, while the Shanghai Masters champion could also play team tennis between now and the end of the season. Davidovich Fokina is seemingly eager to play at the Davis Cup Finals in November, for which Spain have qualified.