Alejandro Davidovich Fokina reveals he knew ‘something was wrong’ before Arthur Gea’s Shanghai retirement

Richie Mills 15 Oct 2026 11:09 AM

lejandro Davidovich Fokina shakes hands with the injured Arthur Gea

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina said he knew “something was wrong” with Arthur Gea shortly before his retirement at the Shanghai Masters.

The 25th seed swept into the semi-finals of the Chinese tournament on Thursday after Gea retired at 4-1 and 40-0 down in the first set, with just 22 minutes played.

The Frenchman took a medical timeout at 4-1 for what appeared to be an issue with his right quad and around his hip. And the 21-year-old lasted just a few more points before calling it quits.

After two gruelling three-setters with Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz in the previous two rounds, the 27-year-old was relieved to have a much shorter workout in this quarter-final.

Davidovich Fokina – who is now up to 18th in the rankings – wished the youngster well and admitted he feels “sorry” for Gea, who is now up to a career-high ranking of 44.

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He told reporters after the match, “Yeah, I would say I feel sorry for him, for Arthur. I was playing good; I wanted to play a good match against him, to see where I am.

“And yeah, of course it’s pleasing, no, to have this kind of match here, because I had two matches that were very tough ones. So, yeah, I’m very happy to be in another semi-final, to enjoy this moment, and for everyone around my team. Now I’m going to take my day off today to enjoy myself.”

Former world No 14 Davidovich Fokina is enjoying a rich vein of form at the Asian Swing after winning the Chengdu Open for his second ATP Tour title of the year in September.

After losing five finals in a row, the Spanish star broke his duck at the Mallorca Open in June and then he backed that up in Chengdu after a two-month injury layoff.

As he prepares to face either top seed Alexander Zverev or ninth seed Alex De Minaur in the last four, Davidovich Fokina was quick to express his sympathy for Gea.

When asked what he saw of Gea’s injury, the Spaniard replied, “Well, I didn’t see anything. He asked for the physio, and I don’t remember now, in the 3-2 or 3-1, I don’t remember.

“I saw him that he asked for the physio, so I knew something was wrong, but you never know what is happening. I called the physio two times this week, but it was something for cold cream, maybe he was asking for that or whatever.

“But in the first game, or in the first shot that he did after the physio, something like he put aggressive forehand to the net, and I said, something is wrong, make him play and let’s see how he is running and we will see if it’s something seriously or not. And, yeah, at the end I feel sorry for him, but at the end I’m happy to be in the next round.”