Alex de Minaur had all the reasons to celebrate hard his epic Washington win but the Australian stayed classy and made sure to comfort Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after seeing how crushed his rival felt.
De Minaur, who was seeded at No. 7, had his back turned against the wall when he fell 2-5 down in the third set of the Washington final. However, the Australian refused to quit as he got the break back in the ninth game - also saved three match points in the 10th game - before forcing a tie-break, where he stepped up and completed a 5-7 6-1 7-6 (3) comeback win.
Moments after the loss, Davidovich Fokina looked absolutely heartbroken and devastated. And it was pretty understandable, considering that the 26-year-old is now 0-4 in his ATP finals - only this year, he has lost three finals. The Spaniard, who is enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 19 in the world, is widely considered one of the best players in the game without a title.
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As the Spanish tennis player sat crushed on the bench, de Minaur came and sat right next to console him but also offer some encouraging words.
De Minaur's message to Davidovich Fokina: I got lucky... One is coming for you, surely
I want to start with Alejandro, as I told you and your team, youre way too good to not have one of these. Its coming for sure. You deserved it today. I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor and player. No one on the tour wants to play you. This is not the end. Its only going up for you," the Australian told the 26-year-old.
In February, Davidovich Fokina lost back-to-back finals in Delray Beach and Acapulco. In the past, he also fell short in the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters final.
