Alejandro Davidovich Fokina told he’s ‘not a top-10 guy’ despite winning the Shanghai Masters

Picking up his first Masters 1000 title, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina jumped up to 13th in the ATP rankings, his career-high. The Spaniard is three places and 445 points off a top-10 debut, but is he really a ‘top-10 guy’? Former American ATP star Sam Querrey doesn’t think so.

Sam Querrey believes Alejandro Davidovich Fokina could reach top 10 but doesn’t consider him a ‘top-10 guy’

“I think this is his potential; we just saw his potential. No, he’s like a 12 guy. But he might get in the top 10. Anyone can get in the top 10 these days; if you sneak into the top 10 and you’re ranked nine for like three weeks, and the entire rest of your career, you’re out of the top 10. Are you, like, a top-10 guy? His potential is to reach the top 10; he’s not a top 10 guy,” said Querrey during the latest episode of ‘Nothing Major‘.

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Querrey won 10 ATP titles and reached a Grand Slam semi-final during his ATP Tour career, but never broke into the top 10. Perhaps that is why he doesn’t believe Davidovich Fokina, who only won his first title earlier this year, is a ‘top-10 guy’.

ATP Rankings

John Isner, a former top-10 player, was also keen to share his thoughts on Davidovich Fokina. He argued that the Spaniard is a potential top-10 player and predicted what could happen to him over the next four or five years.

“He got comfortable after he won his first title, once you get that first title, that pressure, that weight is lifted off your shoulders. We all know how talented he is, and the high level he can play at. He’s had a lot of brutal losses in finals. The one that comes to mind is last year’s final in Washington DC. It took him a long time to get over that, but once he got his first, it seems like he is off to the races now,” he said.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s record in ATP finals (3-5)

• 2022 Monte Carlo Masters [LOSS] vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, 3-6, 6-7
• 2025 Delray Beach Open [LOSS] vs Miomir Kecmanovic, 6-3, 1-6, 5-7
• 2025 Mexican Open [LOSS] vs Tomas Machac, 6-7, 2-6
• 2025 Washington Open [LOSS] vs Alex de Minaur, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7
• 2025 Swiss Indoors [LOSS] vs Joao Fonseca, 3-6, 4-6
• 2026 Mallorca Open [WIN] vs Ethan Quinn, 7-6, 6-3
• 2026 Chengdu Open [WIN] vs Hubert Hurkacz, 6-4, 7-6
• 2026 Shanghai Masters [WIN] vs 1-6, 7-6, 6-4

“He could be a guy who could be winning two titles a year going forward for the next four or five years; he’s that good. I’m not going to say he’s retiring with five 1,000 crowns or anything like that, but he’s playing at a very high level.”

Isner and Querrey then commented on Davidovich Fokina’s controversial split from Mariano Puerta earlier this year. The Americans discussed whether the split contributed to Davidovich Fokina’s recent success.

“He had that sort of infamous split with his coach earlier this year; it didn’t seem like a mutual split. I think that also kind of levelled everything out for him, washed everything away. It was kind of a new start. I’m not saying his coach was in the wrong or whatever, but that was a good way for him to reset mentally, and it’s certainly helped him a lot. He’s fighting for a spot in the World Tour Finals after that Masters 1000 crown in Shanghai,” said Isner.

“I have no clue if he needed it; it was funny, though! Remember Puerta got on the flight with a little glass of champagne and was like, ‘Basically, I can’t deal with you anymore.’ Now it’s Davidovich Fokina with the last laugh!” added Querrey.

“Is there anybody on the ground more than Davidovich Fokina? He’s always sliding into balls, getting up on his back; he’s a shot maker! He’s so athletic, diving around. Phenomenal comeback from him; a lot of times you see that when a player has a big win, like when he beat [Alexander] Zverev, the next win is the toughest one. For him to come through it and take this title is massive, and now he’s got himself in the running for Turin.”

As Querrey rightly pointed out, Davidovich Fokina is in contention for a place in the 2026 ATP Finals, but what else must he do to book his ticket to Turin?

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is 649 points away from an ATP Finals place

Davidovich Fokina currently sits 14th in the ‘Race to Turin’. With Jannik Sinner out injured, ninth place will qualify. Jodar is ninth with 3,159 points, 649 more than Davidovich Fokina.

The Spaniard won’t earn any more points this week, but could add another 500 when he returns to action in Basel. Davidovich Fokina was a losing finalist at the Swiss Indoors last year, and will be keen to go a step further in 2026.

Then, Davidovich Fokina will travel to France for the Paris Masters. A title in Paris would surely secure his place in the Finals, but that’s easier said than done. Since 2020, only two players have won consecutive Masters 1000 titles: Sinner and Novak Djokovic.

Davidovich Fokina’s record in Paris also leaves a lot to be desired. The 27-year-old is 5-5 in Paris, and has never been past the third round. Whether he can improve upon that result remains to be seen.

After Paris, he is expected to head to Sweden for the Stockholm Open, where another 250 ranking points will be on offer. Then, if he qualifies, Davidovich Fokina will play the ATP Finals, which begin on Sunday, November 15.

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