Davidovich's Chess Notes Weren't a Feud — Clavet Helped Change His Tennis
GOATIFYAlejandro Davidovich Fokina's Shanghai trophy is already in the record books. What emerged after the final may explain more about his transformation than the scoreline. The Spaniard has described a calmer relationship with tennis under coach Pepo Clavet, a demanding fitness reset after months disrupted by injuries, and an unlikely off-court habit: long games of chess with the people around him.
On October 19, the day after beating Rafael Jodar 1–6, 7–6(5), 6–4 for his first Masters 1000 title, Davidovich opened up about how his new coaching environment changed the way he handles pressure. This was not a player suddenly discovering a forehand. He had reached major finals before. The difference was learning how to stay present when the next point looked impossible.
His 2026 numbers make the shift hard to ignore. After losing his first five ATP finals, the 27-year-old has won three titles in four months: Mallorca in June, Chengdu in September and Shanghai in October. A back problem kept him away for roughly two months before his China comeback. His ranking has climbed to a career-high No. 13. The new interviews put the coach, the conditioning work and the chessboard at the center of that rise.
Clavet Replaced the Noise With Calm — and the Final Looked Different
At the French Open in May, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's coaching arrangement with Mariano Puerta ended abruptly. Davidovich later explained that the separation left him searching for a more stable team environment. He began working with Pepo Clavet, whose calmer approach has become central to the player's description of his improved results.
Clavet's brother Francisco, known as Pato, also contributes to the support team. Davidovich says the partnership has brought a more relaxed atmosphere to everyday training. The change matters because the Spaniard has always had the speed and attacking variety to challenge leading players. His difficulty was often maintaining that level in the most important moments. He lost his first five tour-level finals, including four in 2025.
Shanghai offered a vivid example of his new approach. Rafael Jodar raced through the opening set 6–1 and broke for 3–2 in the second. Rather than rushing to force a solution, Davidovich recovered the break and survived several difficult service games. He won the second-set tiebreak and eventually completed the comeback 1–6, 7–6(5), 6–4.
After the final, Davidovich explained that seeing Clavet in his coaching box helped him stay confident even when Jodar was controlling the rallies. The result cannot be attributed to coaching alone: fitness, tactics and the opponent's performance also shaped the match. But the player's own explanation is significant. He believes a calmer environment has made it easier to compete through pressure rather than react to every setback.
The Back Injury Became a Five-Week Physical and Mental Rebuild
Davidovich worked on his fitness before returning to the tour.
He completed several weeks of conditioning before the Asian swing. The work gave him more confidence in long rallies and demanding matches.
He treated the time away as a concentrated pre-season, not merely a break from competition. His wider support group includes physiotherapist David Visco and conditioning coach Drago Kladarin, while the Clavet brothers contribute different kinds of guidance: Pepo brings calm, and Pato adds demanding day-to-day work. For a player returning from a back problem, the practical test is more than being fit enough to start a match. It is trusting the body to chase difficult balls, absorb repeated changes of direction and keep making clear decisions deep into a deciding set.
His first event back was Chengdu in late September. He beat Hubert Hurkacz in the final, earning his second ATP singles title after the breakthrough on grass in Mallorca.
Chengdu was not an isolated result. The Spaniard carried that momentum into Shanghai, where he repeatedly found a way through close matches against elite opposition.
He saved a match point against Frances Tiafoe, then overcame difficult stretches against Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev. Against Jodar, he had to recover from a set and a break down.
The final lasted about two hours and 28 minutes. Davidovich's ability to keep moving and competing late into the match became increasingly important as the rallies changed and Jodar struggled to maintain his early level.
Davidovich has emphasized that fitness and composure are connected for him. When he trusts his preparation, he can accept an opponent's strong start without feeling that the entire match is slipping away.
That does not make future results automatic. A strong month is no guarantee of another title. But the rise from No. 26 to a career-high No. 13 demonstrates how quickly sustained performances can change a season.
The striking change is not just the number of trophies. After five unsuccessful finals, Davidovich has now won three championship matches in succession. His next challenge is to sustain that standard.
The Sicilian Defence Was a Private Chess Joke, Not a Public Message
Davidovich's camera messages became an unexpected talking point during the Shanghai run. After victories, he wrote chess references that some viewers tried to interpret as comments about Spain's Davis Cup team.
His explanation was much simpler. He and Pepo Clavet had been playing chess during their weeks in China, and the phrases were inside jokes about their games rather than public statements.
The references included the Sicilian Defence and the Spanish Opening. Another message concerned waiting, a theme that had become a running joke because Clavet favored a cautious style on the chessboard.
That clarification matters because the camera is a public stage, yet not every message is intended for the wider tennis world. Sometimes a champion is simply sharing a joke with the people who helped him through a long month.
Chess also gave Davidovich and his team a break from the constant cycle of practice, match preparation and results. He has described the value of spending time together without discussing tennis every hour of the day.
It is tempting to turn that into a grand theory of tennis tactics. The more credible benefit is emotional: having a shared activity that does not depend on winning a point can help create a healthier rhythm between matches.
For Davidovich, the shared routine helped make tournament life more enjoyable. He credited the team atmosphere as one reason he was able to approach matches with greater patience.
That patience became relevant when Jodar dominated the first set of the final. Davidovich had to keep serving, returning and changing the shape of rallies while waiting for a realistic opening.
The chessboard offered a way to unwind. On court, his improvement still depended on footwork, serving and tactical decisions.
The camera messages now read less like a secret code and more like evidence of a close-knit team. They captured the lighter side of a demanding month on the road.
After Shanghai, he preferred to enjoy the moment instead of predicting his next title. The indoor season will test whether the approach remains effective.
The Sicilian Defence is a response to an opening move in chess, while the Spanish Opening begins a different kind of contest. Davidovich's references were playful labels, not a claim that tennis and chess use identical strategies.
He also made clear that the messages were not a criticism of Spain's Davis Cup plans. The distinction is important: the online interpretation of a celebration can differ substantially from the player's actual intention.
For a player who has endured a series of close final defeats, that lighter routine may matter as much as a new drill. It allows the competitive work to remain intense without making every conversation another match analysis.
The next challenge is to carry this steadier approach into the indoor swing, where fresh draws and rested opponents will not care about Shanghai's storybook ending. Davidovich has entered the top 15 and may have a chance to push higher, but the race for year-end positions remains competitive. A run of three titles is a breakthrough, not a permanent guarantee.
What changed after Shanghai was the detail available to explain the results. The player described an abrupt coaching rupture, a calmer partnership with the Clavet brothers, a substantial physical rebuild during injury recovery and chess games that gave the team a break from constant tennis talk. None of those ingredients alone won a Masters 1000 title. Together, they help explain why a talented player who once seemed stuck at the final hurdle has finally learned to finish.
The trophy belongs to October 18. The more interesting question, raised by Davidovich's October 19 reflections, is whether the habits behind it can travel with him into the next season.
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