The unprecedented circumstances of the 2020 US Open have opened the door for a number of young players on tour to have a shot at making their big break. Of the 20 players in the men's singles draw making their US Open debut, Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has emerged as the last man standing in that group, making it all the way to the Round of 16 in only his third main draw appearance at a major.
The 21-year-old has flown under the radar for most of the first week in Flushing Meadows, but his road to the final 16 has been anything but a cakewalk. The Spaniard battled his way past Dennis Novak in five sets in Round 1, then edged out No. 24 seed Hubert Hurkacz and Cameron Norrie each in four sets.
As he enters the second week of the US Open, he'll be under the radar no more, taking center stage against No. 5 seed Alexander Zverev for a place in the quarterfinals Here's more on the world No. 99 who is playing in the biggest match of his young career on Sunday.
One year into his time on Tour, he's off to a winning start at the majors.
Davidovich Fokina's newfound success in Flushing Meadows has turned his Grand Slam record around from 2-4 to 5-4. His first major win at this year's Australian Open was a five-setter over Norbert Gombos, snapping a 10-match Tour-level losing streak that stretched all the way back to 2019 Estoril.
WATCH: Davidovich-Fokina Round 2 Highlights
He made the most of tennis' time off by learning from the best.
During tennis' temporary suspension, Davidovich Fokina got the chance to practice with No. 1 Novak Djokovic while he was quarantined in Marbella, Spain.
"It was a great experience," the Spaniard said of his time with the 17-time Grand Slam champion. "He made everything very easy for me, it was very comfortable training with him. You learn a lot, as you train hard for two hours and hit every ball where it has to be. Mentally he is unbelievable. Training with him, it really rubbed off on me and helped me see where my game was."
His spontaneity in shot selection makes him fun to watch.
Davidovich Fokina has reached the fourth round with an aggressive game and an occasional unorthodox shot selection that takes his opponents by surprise. Just ask his second-round opponent Hurkacz. When Davidovich Fokina served for the first set against the No. 24, he snuck in an underhand serve to change up the rhythm and won the point to secure the set. It's a shot the Spaniard said he has practiced since he first pulled it off at a Challenger event in Marbella last year.
He won't be offended if you call him crazy. He already knows it.
"I consider myself a very aggressive player, although now I try to be more consistent and not as frantic as before," he said. "I'm not as excitable. I have my crazy side of course, but we're working to calm that down on court."
Even fellow players on Tour can also attest that Davidovich Fokina can be "a little crazy," as friend and countryman Pablo Carreno Busta has said, but that's what makes him a dangerous opponent. "That craziness makes him aggressive at challenging times. It's very important to be courageous in tennis," Carreno Busta said. "I'm sure he'll reach the third round of a Grand Slam many times."
