Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Says Washington Open Final Loss Only Makes Him 'Want to Go For More'

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina reached his third tour-level final at the Washington Open but lost the title to Alex de Minaur in three sets. The Spaniard was disappointed after the defeat and was consoled by the Australian star. He has now opened up that the loss has made him hungry for more titles and achievements on the court.

Injury kept Davidovich Fokina from being at the forefront of the tennis world last year despite his talent. But since the start of this season, his performances have been up to the mark. He kicked off the year as World No.68 but has climbed into the top 20 for the first time in his career. His surge began at the Australian Open, where he reached the fourth round.

After that, he went on to reach back-to-back finals at the Delray Beach Open and Acapulco. He lost to Miomir Kecmanovic in the first final before falling to Tomas Machac in straight sets in the other tournament. He also enjoyed an amazing run at the Monte Carlo Masters, reaching the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

At last week’s Washington Open final, Fokina was close to winning the title after saving three championship points at the ATP 500 event. But he failed to convert one and de Minaur was quick enough to claim the win 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3). The World No.19 is still chasing his first ATP career title at 26.

During an interview with ATP, he revealed that despite the defeat to Alex de Minaur, he’s still happy with his consistent results this season. The Spaniard added that the loss in the final has given him more confidence on the court:

I’m happy but I’m not thinking about Top 20. It wasn’t the first goal from the beginning. But now that I’m in the Top 20, obviously I’m happy. But I want more and I want to go for more. I think it gave me a lot of confidence for myself to play on court. To be consistent, to be just happy, enjoying. I know the level I can create on court and I think now the people can see that I am [playing] with confidence, power.

Davidovich Fokina opened his Canadian Open campaign on Wednesday (July 30) in Toronto and produced another masterclass performance to beat Corentin Moutet in straight sets. Moutet had arrived at the tournament after reaching the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Washington for the first time in his career.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina aims to compete against the top 10 this season

In the men’s circuit this season, Carlos Alcaraz leads with the highest number of victories (48). His closest competitor is Alexander Zverev with 35 wins, while Taylor Fritz sits in third with 32, sharing the position with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Alex de Minaur. That shows how much Fokina has grown on the court this season.