This week at Roland Garros, a very odd twist of the tournament happened in a hotel room and over a text message. Spanish world No. 23 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was left stunned after his coach, former French Open finalist Mariano Puerta, abruptly quit, blocked the player’s family, and fled to Miami right in the middle of the tournament. The fallout has been swift and public.
Coach Mariano Puerta’s Sudden Text Exit Leaves Davidovich Fokina Stunned
Davidovich Fokina’s partnership with Puerta was very brief, lasting less than six months. The Spaniard hired Puerta at the beginning of the 2026 season, hoping the Argentine’s veteran experience (and history as a Roland Garros finalist) would help him win his first ATP Tour-level title.
While Davidovich Fokina has reached several finals throughout his career, as well as the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2021, the pairing with Puerta was not as effective as they had hoped. Heading into the French Open, Davidovich Fokina had failed to move beyond the Round of 16 in the last few tournaments.
On Sunday, after Davidovich Fokina secured a five-set, four-hour victory over Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in the opening round, there were no visible signs of tension. The player and coach shared a standard post-match lunch. Following the meal, Puerta told the team he was feeling unwell and was going back to the hotel to rest. According to Davidovich Fokina, that was the last time he saw his coach.
“After the match against Dzumhur, he told me he was going to the hotel, and two hours later I received a very long message from him,” Davidovich Fokina revealed during his post-match press conference. “He told me he was leaving for good and took a flight to Miami without notifying the rest of the team.”
The sudden abandonment forced the 21st-seeded Spaniard to navigate the rest of his Roland Garros campaign without a coach. Just yesterday, he lost to Thiago Tirante in the second round in four sets.
Davidovich Fokina also insisted there was no argument that triggered the exit, directly denying French media reports of a massive training-ground fight. “We had a very good relationship. He has blocked both my wife and me,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I don’t wish him ill, I considered him a good person until now. I hope that the next players he has go carefully with him.”
The 26-year-old Spaniard also noted that this strange exit strategy appears to be a pattern. After the ghosting, Davidovich Fokina learned from others on the tour that Puerta had pulled similar stunts. Puerta previously worked with Cristian Garin and Brandon Nakashima.
“I heard that he did that a couple of times before with other players,” Davidovich Fokina said during his post-match press conference. “It seems normal for him. That’s when I understood that maybe the mistake was mine for hiring him,” he admitted.
While the Spaniard was dealing with the media fallout in Paris, Puerta was busy posting on social media. With a glass of champagne in hand and a direct jab at his now-former player, Puerta wrote on his Instagram Story:
“There aren’t any coaches, trainers, or physios on the circuit with half the balls I have. Back to Miami.”
Puerta’s acting erratically might not come as a total shock to many. The Argentine has been a highly controversial figure in the sport for two decades. He served two separate doping bans during his playing career.
In 2003, he tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid. Following his appearance in the 2005 Roland Garros final, Puerta tested positive for a banned cardiorespiratory stimulant and was later given an eight-year ban. He successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to get his ban reduced to two years by claiming he accidentally drank from a glass his wife used for medication. However, in 2020, Puerta shockingly admitted in a newspaper interview that he had completely fabricated the defense, and that the banned substance actually came from pills prepared by a friend of his fitness coach.
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Meanwhile, Davidovich Fokina isn’t entirely a stranger to drama either. Known on tour for his fiery temper, the Spaniard has a reputation for burning through coaches. After splitting with his childhood coach Jorge Aguirre in 2024, he cycled through Fernando Verdasco, Félix Mantilla, and David Sánchez in rapid succession before landing on Puerta.
Davidovich Fokina has already tapped his compatriot José Manuel Clavet to take over coaching duties, as he hopes to come back from the setbacks this year so far.
