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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina talks to the chair umpire to complain about the behaviour of four fans shown in the picture who behaved unacceptably in the stands. REUTERS Australian Open Spanish ace blasts ‘ignorant drunks’ after court-side incident at Australian OpenDavidovich complained to the umpire about the behaviour of some fans who were cheering opponent and even gave him the middle finger as he advanced to the third round
Málaga
Wednesday, 21 January 2026, 17:14 | Updated 17:21h.
Tennis ace Alejandro Davidovich Fokina exploded at a gang of "ignorant drunks" after they targeted him with abuse and obscene gestures during a five-set thriller in Melbourne.
The Malaga-born star was pushed to the limit in his Australian Open clash against American giant Reilly Opelka - but his biggest battle wasn't just against the 6ft 11in server, but a group of boozed-up yobs in the stands.
Fokina, known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, was forced to call in the umpire after the rowdy group began hurling abuse and even gave him the middle finger as he fought for a place in the third round.
The drama kicked off in the second set tie-break when the hecklers, believed to be Americans, tried to get inside the Spaniard's head. When one fan started chanting "USA! USA!", a furious Davidovich snapped back: "What are you saying about USA, you idiot?"
Things got even hotter at the start of the fourth set when the Spaniard found himself a break down. He summoned the chair umpire to intervene as the group continued their tirade from the front rows.
Speaking after his epic 3-hour 50-minute victory, Davidovich didn't hold back.
"They were four ignorant drunks," he raged. "We don’t know if they were betting or what. There are respectful people who can cheer, but there are always four who don't show respect."
Despite the chaos, Davidovich had the last laugh. He overcame Opelka’s rocket serves - including 37 aces - to seal a 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 win.
"A guy who is three metres tall and serves his first and second balls at 220kmh... there is little you can do," he told Eurosport. "But I proved that if they want to beat me, they have to earn it!"
Davidovich will now face another American, 19th seed Tommy Paul, on Friday.