Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Dan Evans Scheduling Drama
Brace yourselves, tennis fans! The drama on the court seems to have spilled over into the scheduling department. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has taken his frustration with the ATP to a whole new level and posted a rather heated Instagram story about his early match start time. But, of course, Dan Evans wasn’t about to stay quiet. Cue the eye-rolls and passive-aggressive Instagram stories because, honestly, this is the kind of off-court match we live for.
What’s the Deal with the Scheduling Complaint?
Davidovich Fokina is NOT happy about being forced to play his match at 11 am in Toronto while all other matches conveniently start at the luxe time of 12:30 pm. And hey, when you’re ranked #19 in the world and staying an hour away from the club? That early wake-up call is no joke. Here’s the kicker though, according to Alejandro, his team tried to get the time adjusted but was hit with a resounding “NO” from the organizers because, guess what?! TV rights and ticket sales trump all. Oh, the glamour of professional tennis.
On his Instagram story, he vented, “The ATP always promises they’ll fix things, but nothing changes.” Expanding his critique, he added that it’s not the first time they’ve pulled some scheduling sorcery and, apparently, the players’ well-being ranks somewhere below getting court-side VIP seats sold out. Burn.
Fokina is not the first player who has complained about scheduling. Iga Swiatek started this trend last season, and Carlos Alcaraz followed it at the end of last season. The Spaniard said that the ATP were prepared to ‘kill him’ with the schedule on the table. Now, it’s Fokina, who knows what the future holds?
Dan Evans Claps Back
Enter Dan Evans, who clearly had a cup of black coffee (sans sugar) the morning of Alejandro’s post. Evans took to his Instagram stories with ironclad bluntness, replying, “Wake up and play. The world wakes up and works 9-5 even 8-6 pathetic.”
Remember when tennis used to be just about hitting the ball over the net? Well, apparently, it now includes throwing shade at your peers. Evans essentially slammed Fokina for being a little too fragile for his liking, pulling out the “people have it harder than you” argument.
And folks, this isn’t breaking kayfabe for Evans. Earlier this year, he gave a similar “you’re paid to play tennis, stop whining” interview. He even pointed out that players could simply take weeks off if they didn’t like the schedule. Subtle, Dan. Very subtle.
The Bigger Problem with ATP Scheduling
It’s clear that scheduling isn’t just Fokina’s gripe. We’ve seen other players get heated about the ATP prioritizing, well, everything that isn’t them. From matches being structured awkwardly for TV time zones to demanding players travel across continents on back-to-back weekends, the struggles of professional tennis go way beyond “hitting balls for millions.”
But then again, as Evans so eloquently puts it, these pros are paid absurd amounts of money to wake up “early.”
Is there a solution here? Maybe. Could ATP at least pretend to listen to players’ feedback instead of robotically defaulting to corporate deals (looking at you, TV contracts)? Possibly. Meanwhile, the cynic in me knows nothing will change, and fans like us will be left enjoying Instagram battles instead of more stunning forehands.
At the End of the Day, Just Play Tennis
Whether you’re Team Fokina, Team Evans, or Team Stay-Out-of-This-Petty-Drama, one thing is for sure. Tennis scheduling arguments may not matter much in the grand scheme of things, but they make for a delightful sideshow. Who even needs Netflix documentaries when the ATP doubles down on all this juicy chaos?
ATP, if you’re reading this (which you’re definitely not), maybe consider leveling up the scheduling game before the next player’s rant goes viral. Or don’t—we clearly love the entertainment value.
