Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has revealed that his coach, Mariano Puerta, abruptly quit via text message during the French Open and then ghosted him, flying to Miami without further communication.
The 21st seed said Puerta, a former French Open finalist, sent a long text after his first-round win over Damir Dzumhur, stating he would not continue. Davidovich Fokina claimed Puerta blocked him and his wife on social media and left the team without warning.
Davidovich Fokina lost his second-round match to unseeded Thiago Agustin Tirante in four sets on Wednesday, without a coach. He insisted there was no argument before the departure, despite some reports of a heated practice court exchange.
“After the match against Dzumhur, we had lunch... he texted me a message that he will not continue... He didn't say nothing to anybody to the team, he just took the flight and flew to Miami,” Davidovich Fokina said in a press conference.
The Spaniard added that he later learned Puerta had done this before with other players. “I thought that he was a very good person and after that I discovered he did this a couple times before... it was my fault to hire him,” he said.
Puerta, who previously coached Christian Garin and Brandon Nakashima, posted an Instagram story of himself on a plane with the caption: “There aren't any coaches, trainers, or physios on the tour with half the guts I have. Back to Miami.”
