Davidovich Fokina Slams ATP For Scheduling Decision, Evans Angrily Responds
NewsFriday, 01 August 2025 at 16:52
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina outlined why he thought the 2025 Canadian Open schedule was unfair to him, but a colleague on the ATP Tour furiously slammed him for complaining.
The Spaniard swiftly returned to action after reaching the final of the 2025 Citi Open in Washington. He held match points to defeat Alex de Minaur, but ultimately fell heartbreakingly short in a deciding set tiebreak.
Davidovich Fokina responded well by defeating Corentin Moutet in Toronto three days later to set up a meeting with Jakub Mensik. However, the time of his match with the Czech left the 26-year-old seething and feeling unfairly treated.
In a statement released on social media, Davidovich Fokina criticized his match with Mensik being scheduled for 11 a.m., at least 90 minutes before any other contests on the same day, and noted he would have to get up very early in the morning.
"Today 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."
"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. Today it happened to others, tomorrow it’s me, and from the day after, all matches return to 12:30. There are plenty of available courts, yet we’re the only ones playing at 11:00."
"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 realise it’s not as great as it looks from the outside."
Daniel Evans, known for being one of the most honest players in the sport, expressed his disdain for Davidovich Fokina's complaints in an Instagram story, brutally criticizing them as pathetic.
"Wake up and play. The world wakes up 9-5 even 8-6. Pathetic."
Evans's irritation with Davidovich Fokina is consistent with his previous comments about the calendar. Many players, such as Taylor Fritz, think the season should be shorter, and there is not enough time to rest.
In an interview during this year's grass-court swing, Evans said players need to be careful about complaining too much since many people worldwide work very hard for much lower earnings than those in the ATP Top 100 after waking up early.
Some frustrations with the calendar and match times at tournaments are understandable. For example, Alexander Zverev and Jenson Brooksby had reason to feel aggrieved that their 2022 Mexican Open contest finished at 4:55 a.m.
However, Evans's opinion about Davidovich Fokina's statement was shared by many fans. Starting a match at 11 a.m., which is standard practice at tournaments across the year, seems like a small thing to feel aggrieved about.
Playing at that time is not a case of managing adversity. Coco Gauff's winning her opening-round match at the Canadian Open against Danielle Collins despite hitting 23 double faults was an example of triumphing against the odds.
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