“He’s always been like a father to me” – Davidovich Fokina on coach who has been with him since he was 11

The Spaniard recently sat down with Alize Lim on the Match Points show to talk about the two men who have been instrumental to getting him to where he is today

Davidovich Fokina_Monte-Carlo_2022 Image Credit: Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

April 16, 2022

Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina credited his coach Jorge Aguire for supporting and guiding him throughout their decade-plus association, calling him a father figure in his life.

The 22-yeear-old Fokina, who stunned world No 1 Novak Djokovic earlier this week and upset American Taylor Fritz on Friday to reach his first-ever Masters Series semi-final in Monte-Carlo today, recently sat down with Alize Lim on the Match Points show to talk about his journey to becoming a tennis professional.

During the chat, Fokina spoke about his long association with Aguire and his mental coach Antonia De Dias Gonzalez, both of whom also hail from Spain.

“My coach’s name is Jorge Aguire. He is from Spain. I started working with him when I was 11. He’s always been like a father to me. He has been guiding me since I was 11 years old. He always knew me better than I know myself. When I am looking for answers, he’s always two steps ahead of me. To be fair, I owe him everything. He has helped me in so many ways. He has been a pillar in my life. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” the Federer fan recalled.

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On the show, Davidovich Fokina, who is a former junior Wimbledon singles champion, also spoke about his mental coach Antonia De Dias Gonzalez, with whom he has also been working for more than a decade.

“I started working with him at the same time as my coach at 11. He travels with me sometimes. I started with him when I started with my coach, when I was 11. When you are a kid, you don’t want to listen to anyone because you think it is pointless. But when you grow up, you realise you have to listen more because you know that person wants to help you.”

Davidovich Fokina recalled how Gonzalez also supported him when he realised he couldn’t make it by doing everything on his own.

“I was a kid who wanted to do everything by himself. Three years ago, I realised I couldn’t do everything alone and I needed help. He (Gonzalez) was always there for me while growing up and helping me become stronger.”