Monte Carlo finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is committed to play the Hamburg European Open 2022. The 22-year-old rising star announced early that he wants to compete in Germany’s biggest tennis tournament (July 16 to 24) in the Hanseatic City. “The Hamburg European Open is a legendary clay court tournament with a famous center court. Spanish players have had a lot of success here in the past, and I will try my best to make a deep run in the tournament,” said the world number 29, who recently made headlines with his appearance in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Along the way, the man from Malaga defeated, among others, the Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic (6:3, 6:7, 6:1). He was ultimately beaten in the final by Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece 3:6, 6:7.

Nicknamed “Foki,” the fair-haired son of a Swedish-Russian boxer and a Russian mother started playing tennis at the age of two and a half. He went on to become one of the world’s best juniors – winning the junior title at Wimbledon in 2017. His eventual push to the top of the men’s game came in 2021 when he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, where he was beaten in three sets by Alexander Zverev. “Foki” already enjoys cult status among tennis fans: The hard-running battler, who always gives his all and prefers to play on grass, is known for his diving shots – even from behind the baseline. On YouTube and Twitter, spirited best-of videos of his numerous falls have been circulating. The avid Real Madrid fan is also known for his delicate drop shots, his underhanded serves, and his tattoos. These include a tsunami ocean wave and the name of his dog, “Racket.” Davidovich Fokina is a passionate animal lover. His home country of Spain has the highest number of abandoned animals in Europe, which is why he launched the pet adoption platform adoptas.org in 2021.  

“Alejandro is an incredibly exciting player and an easy-going, fun guy who delights tennis fans. I am very happy that he will be playing at the 2022 Hamburg European Open,” said tournament director Sandra Reichel. This will be Davidovich Fokina’s second appearance in Hamburg after 2019, when the then 19-year-old was eliminated in the first round as a “lucky loser.” “I played there once as a very young player and I am happy to return this year. I have heard that the stadium was modernized and that the tournament has developed into a combined event. This is great news! We need more cool cities with big tournaments,” said “Foki.”