Davidovich's suffering today at Roland Garros: "I couldn't breathe, I thought about retiring"

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The first 5-set marathon at Roland Garros 2026 starred Alejandro Davidovich, who needed over four hours and five sets to overcome Damir Dzumhur. The Malaga-born player suffered the effects of the lengthy match and the tough conditions, including high heat. 

During a press conference, Foki mentioned he was close to retiring as he could barely breathe due to the intense heat in Paris today, combined with the intensity of a match that ended four hours after it began. A physical grind that Davidovich hopes will not affect him in the next round, knowing he now has three days of rest before his next match.

Davidovich and a match under very difficult conditions

It was a very tough match for me because I wasn't feeling well physically, struggling a lot with the heat. There were moments when it was hard to even breathe, which ultimately forced me to change my game plan a bit. I did have the opportunity to close it out in four sets, but in that game, I thought, "Let's see what happens," to see if he makes mistakes or gets them right. I saw that game and then I dug in, and in the end, it changed a match like that. 

In the end, it's a bit of luck, a bit of self-belief, knowing I had two days of rest ahead. And accepting the conditions, knowing it was incredibly hot. And that's it, in the end, very happy to have pulled off this five-set match. I'm not proud of winning in five sets; obviously, I would prefer to win more easily, but you have to accept whatever comes your way.

Expectations for this year in Paris

I'm not coming in with expectations, having played hardly any matches on clay. So, I will accept whatever comes my way. I could have gone home in the first round, and I had to accept that. I'm not thinking about what I can achieve; these conditions are challenging for everyone in the end. I come with the desire to keep trying, fighting, and see how far I can go.

Upcoming match against Tirante

Obviously, Tirante is a clay-court player. And now I have two days, which is plenty of time to recover my body. Right now, I'm tired, but I have enough time to recuperate. In two days, I'll be back feeling 100%.

Intense heat today at Roland Garros

My body didn't feel good, and I had to accept that the conditions today were very hot, and I wasn't at my best. So, in the middle of the second set, I needed to make some adjustments... well, a small part of my game. I know he's very solid from the baseline, and I needed to hit three or four shots at most because, as I said, I wasn't feeling very well. 

No injury

I came from Hamburg, where it was 10 degrees, so I didn't have a chance to adapt to these conditions. It's 22 degrees warmer here, and facing such a solid player who makes you play every ball. But, as I said, I accepted it and simply changed my game to play more aggressively. I wasn't feeling well, and that's the key, accepting it and pushing yourself forward. I was thinking about retiring, but I told myself, "It's the first round; I don't want to give up," and let's see what happens. You know, maybe he starts cramping or something. So the key was to not give up and keep fighting until the end.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El sufrimiento de Davidovich hoy en Roland Garros: "No se podía respirar, pensé en retirarme"