Coach 'abandoned and blocked' Davidovich Fokina in the middle of French Open

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/davidovich-fokina-alejandro/0zQXLfz4/"]Davidovich Fokina[/a], 26, had just beaten Bosnian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dzumhur-damir/hMrlbuuQ/"]Damir Dzumhur[/a] in five sets in the first round when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/puerta-mariano/pYI1XJSd/"]Puerta[/a] suddenly broke all ties with the Spaniard.[/p][p]Rumours circulated that Davidovich Fokina had fired Puerta after a fight in training, but the 23rd-ranked Spaniard denied that in an interview with [a href="https://www.marca.com/tenis/roland-garros/2026/05/27/alejandro-davidovich-rompe-mariano-puerta-paris-queda-pepo-clavet.html"][i][b]Marca[/b][/i][/a] following his second-round defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tirante-thiago-agustin/jBkGDj34/"]Thiago Agustin Tirante[/a].[/p][p][b]"There was no fight with Puerta. After my match against Dzumhur, he told me he was going back to the hotel. Two hours later, I received a very long message from him saying he was leaving for good," [/b]Davidovich Fokina revealed.[/p][image alt="Mariano Puerta" id="1027e887-6a84-431c-80f9-3341624b1d2b" credit-line="MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP / Profimedia" guid="c4f67413-6a7d-4dd6-be82-a61f2d1db515" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]Puerta had previously worked with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nakashima-brandon/ETGnbrpH/"]Brandon Nakashima[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djere-laslo/4GGnypTh/"]Laslo Djere[/a], from whom Davidovich Fokina had heard similar stories after the fact.[/p][p][b]"He then took a flight to Miami without informing the rest of the team. Later, I heard he'd done the same thing to a couple of players before. It seems like this is normal for him. He's let us down as a person, and I'm not going to chase after him. He was the one who decided not to continue, at least until the end of the tournament. It's not my problem; he's an adult and can make his own decisions," [/b]the Spaniard continued.[/p][p][b]"We had a very good relationship. He has blocked both my wife and me. I considered him a good person until now. I don't wish him any harm, but I hope future players are careful when working with him."[/b][/p][h2]Eight-year doping ban[/h2][p]Puerta reached the final of the French Open in 2005, but lost in four sets to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nadal-rafael/xUwlUnRK/"]Rafael Nadal[/a].[/p][p]Four months after the tournament, Puerta received an 8-year doping ban after testing positive for etilefrine, a banned cardiorespiratory stimulant. It was the second time he'd been caught after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 2003.[/p][p]Puerta's sentence was reduced to two years after the Argentine appealed to the CAS, but later admitted that he lied in his case defence.[/p]