Davidovich and a tough confession after his injury: "I struggled mentally"

Alejandro Davidovich is one of the big names of the week at the ATP Shanghai 2026. The man from Málaga remains unbeaten in China after the easiest match of the week: despite being in the quarter-finals, the physical condition of his opponent, Arthur Gea, called it quits with just 22 minutes on the clock, an ideal matchup for a Foki who had just won two consecutive matches in the tiebreak of the third set.

It was just what Alejandro needed: even more time to recover a body that is still not at 100%... and the satisfaction and pride of returning, a year and a half later, to the semifinals of a Masters 1000. The wait has been arduous for a Foki who doubted himself this summer when back issues forced him to withdraw from the North American tour: recalling those moments at a press conference, the Spaniard bared his soul and confessed how he faced his return to competition, with an eye on, even, being part of the Davis Cup squad for the Finals in Bologna.

Davidovich's keys to returning to this level, analyzed after his victory over Gea

On a strange match that will be good for recovering his fitness

"I feel bad for him, for Arthur. I was playing well, I wanted to play a great match against him to see what level I am at. That said, it’s nice to have a match like this here, because I come from two grueling matches. I’m very happy to have reached another semifinals, to be able to enjoy this moment, both my whole team and I. Now I’m going to take advantage of that day off to disconnect and enjoy."

On the level and freedom he is playing with in China: he won in Chengdu and now these semifinals

"I had a lot of free time when I was at home, up to two months. I was thinking about how to improve on the court and within matches. Together with my wife and my team, we were going over everything, to see if I have ten more years available in my career, considering what I want to achieve from myself and what I want to show the rest. It wasn’t an easy decision, but now I want to express myself on the court, how I want to play, what version of myself I want to show the world about who I am."

The strange development of a match that lasted 22 minutes

"I didn’t realize anything. He called for the physio, I don’t remember if it was at 3-2 or 3-1. I saw that he asked for it and knew something was wrong, but you never know what is happening. I myself have called the physio twice this week, although it had to do with creams; maybe he also had to ask for something like that. However, on the first point and in the first game after that treatment, he hit an aggressive forehand into the net and I thought something was really wrong, that I had to make him play and see how he reacted to running. In the end, I felt really bad for him, although I’m also happy to move on to the next round."

On whether he is concerned that, with two days off and one with barely 22 minutes of play, he will arrive short on rhythm for the semifinals

"Do you think I need more tennis after Tiafoe and Hurkacz? I don’t believe so (laughs). I’m fine in terms of tennis. I don’t need more rhythm. My body needs to recover, I’ve been off the courts for a long time and this type of match, after all, helps my body recover better, because I didn’t like the rhythm of this type of matches. I’m happy to have two more days to recover my body."

It has been a few years since his last Masters 1000 final, what does it mean for him to return to such a round?

"I’m always happy to reach this situation, to be in the latter rounds of a Masters 1000, as not many players can be there. Very grateful, and very happy to return to this round here. My last matches in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 were in Monte Carlo against Carlos (Alcaraz), now I know a little more about what it means to step into a Masters 1000 semifinal."

Davidovich and a harsh reflection on his time off the courts

The man from Málaga opened up about two months that have taken a significant toll mentally (remember he didn't play a single match during the North American hard court swing): "This is a long story. After my first match at Wimbledon, I felt problems in my back. I kept playing at Wimbledon, but I shouldn't have. I was in very good form, I couldn’t give up. Then, I had an MRI and had a protrusion, almost a hernia, so I rested a bit. I played in Umag and it didn’t sit well with my back: that’s when we decided to stop, to recover properly.

I thought I would play Cincinnati and the US Open, but my body, after three weeks without tennis, without doing core, abs, due to the back issue... when I returned to play it was very difficult to be at 100%. I didn’t want to go to Cincinnati at 50%: I wanted to come back in full form, as has been the case since Chengdu. Mentally it’s very tough, because I wanted to play, I always enjoy the North American swing, but my back wasn’t ready every time I got into rallies.

Mentally it was very hard to see how others reached final rounds while you stayed watching from home. After all, it’s a process, many players have gone through this, I know these feelings. I knew how to deal with them, how to stay calm. Being at home with my wife wasn’t so bad, as we spent a lot of time at home. It was two months with her, with my dog, with the team, it wasn’t so bad, but I wanted to play."

Analysis of his energy levels today and before the semifinals

"Perhaps today I used only 15% or 20% of my energy. As I said before, after my last two matches I don’t need more tennis. My team knows that I need more recovery for my body, to save as much energy as I can. That’s what I need, mentally and physically. I don’t want to expend energy tomorrow, unnecessary energy, I want to be at 100% in the semifinals."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Davidovich y una dura confesión tras su lesión: "Lo pasé mal a nivel mental"