PARIS — Following a intense five-set victory in the opening round of the French Open, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was caught off guard when his coach made the abrupt decision to leave Paris.
After enjoying a meal with his coach, former Roland Garros finalist Mariano Puerta, the Spanish athlete took some time to rest ahead of his upcoming match. Puerta expressed that he was feeling under the weather and decided to return to his hotel.
“A couple of hours later, he sent me a message saying he wouldn’t be continuing,” Davidovich Fokina revealed after facing Thiago Agustín Tirante, succumbing to a score of 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-3 in the second round.
The 23rd-ranked Spaniard mentioned that Puerta did not inform the rest of the coaching team before departing for Miami.
“I heard he has done this a few times with other players,” Davidovich Fokina remarked during his post-match press briefing. “It seems to be a pattern for him.”
Puerta is a polarizing figure in the world of tennis. As a player, the Argentine faced suspensions due to doping violations on two occasions.
Just four months after reaching the pinnacle of his career by competing in the 2005 French Open final, Puerta tested positive for etilefrine, a banned stimulant, leading to an eight-year suspension. In 2020, he admitted to lying to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to shorten his ban to two years, as reported by La Nacion newspaper.
Puerta claimed he ingested etilefrine after drinking from a glass used by his then-wife, who took a medication containing the substance. Years later, he revealed that the true source was actually ginseng and caffeine pills provided by a friend of his fitness coach.
Having tested positive in 2003 for an anabolic steroid, Puerta retired from professional tennis in 2009.
“I always thought he was a genuinely good person,” Davidovich Fokina said. “It was my mistake to bring him on board.”
As of now, Puerta has not responded publicly to Davidovich Fokina’s remarks.
