Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s coach Mariano Puerta abruptly quit during the French Open by sending a text message saying he would not continue and then flying to Miami without informing the team [1, 2, 3]. Puerta left shortly after Davidovich Fokina’s five-set first-round victory over Damir Dzumhur, following what was reportedly a heated discussion between the player and his coach [1, 3].
Davidovich Fokina, the tournament’s 21st seed, denied there was any fight or tension with Puerta. "Everything was normal," he said, adding that Puerta told him he was feeling bad and would go to the hotel after they had lunch. "He didn’t say anything to anybody, to the team, he just took the flight and flew to Miami without saying a word to us," he told reporters [1, 2, 3].
Puerta, 45, blocked the phone numbers of Davidovich Fokina, 26, and his wife after the abrupt departure [1, 3]. The Argentine coach had been hired by Davidovich Fokina in January after the player split with his previous coach Felix Mantilla [2]. Puerta previously coached other players like Christian Garin and Brandon Nakashima and reportedly quit abruptly with other players before [1, 3].
After the coach’s departure, Davidovich Fokina lost his second-round match to Thiago Agustin Tirante in four sets at the French Open without his coach’s guidance [1, 2, 3].
The player said he was not dwelling on Puerta’s decision. "I heard he did this a couple of times before with other players, so it seems normal for him," Davidovich Fokina said. "It’s not my problem, he’s an adult who made his own choices. If he acts like this at 45 years old, well, that’s his decisions," he said [1, 2, 3].
Puerta’s abrupt quitting came just hours after the first-round match on May 24, when Puerta said he felt unwell and went to the hotel, then sent his final message and left the tournament without telling the team [1, 2, 3]. Davidovich Fokina was scheduled to play the next rounds of the French Open, but is now continuing without Puerta’s coaching presence.
