The 2022 season has been disputed three Masters 1,000 tournaments and the three have harbored Spanish participation in the final: Rafa Nadal, in Indian Wells; Carlos Alcaraz, in Miami; and Alejandro Davidovich, this Sunday in Montecarlo. The Masters 1,000, as you know, are the second step in tennis, only behind the four Grand Slams, of which one has already been held, the Australian Open, also with a Spanish presence: that of the eternal Nadal. Manacor’s genius always appears in any tennis list that compiles successes, but the exceptionality of these data is that they confirm life beyond Rafa. There are other approaches that reinforce the thesis. Spain has already added eight men’s titles this year with five different playersthree from Nadal, two from Alcaraz and one from Roberto Bautista, Albert Ramos and Pedro Martínez, as well as another female from Paula Badosa. There are ten Spaniards in the top-100 of the ATP, a record only surpassed by the 12 of the United States, but in his case he has two in the top-20, for four here. Whichever way you look at it, Spain is a power.
Davidovich Fokina, a 22-year-old from Malaga, follows the same path. Pure tradition. Foki promised since he won the junior Wimbledon in 2017, but he was missing the most important step, feel like a winner on a big stage and against great rivals. His win over Novak Djokovic has flipped that switch. From Tuesday, Davidovich lives a magical week that will culminate in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, the defender of the crown. The Andalusian is already the 11th Spanish finalist in the Principality, and could make the jump to the sixth champion and to the 18th title. More native muscle. Tsitsipas, the best on clay in the absence of Nadal and Djokovic, is his greatest challenge, but Davidovich is on a roll and, above all, has convinced himself in recent days that he can compete in these major leagues.