He was back in action just three days later, taking down Corentin Moutet in the second round of the Canadian Open 6-4, 6-3.

On the WTA Tour, Leylah Fernandez won her first title of the year in Washington, defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final, 6-1, 6-2.

Unlike Davidovich Fokina, she couldn’t pick up the win on her return to action, as Fernandez lost to Maya Joint in her Montreal opener two days later.

Both players subsequently complained about the scheduling, but were they right to do so?

Why Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Leylah Fernandez were right to complain

After losing to Joint in the second round, Fernandez shared her thoughts on the scheduling during her post-match press conference.

“The short turnaround. I mean, we got promises, oh, man,” she said.

“I received a lot of promises from scheduling about giving me maybe the night match, and I did not receive that.

“That kind of hurt me because I was very much looking forward to playing at night, but you know, I guess it’s a little bit of political issues at that point.”

Davidovich Fokina’s complaints were slightly different, as he took to Instagram to highlight his ‘disappointment’ with the scheduling of his third-round match.

“Today I want to share the disappointment and frustration with the ATP,” he said.

“Tomorrow, every match starts at 12:30, except ours [Alejandro Davidovich Fokina v Jakub Mensik], which has been scheduled at 11:00.

“We’re staying one hour away from the club, which means we have to wake up extremely early to arrive in good condition.

“We’ve asked for a change, but the answer was that everything has already been sold, tickets, TV rights, etc. Once again, it’s clear that players are not taken into consideration.

“Today it happened to others, tomorrow it’s me, and from the day after, all matches will return to 12:30. There are plenty of available courts, yet we’re the only ones playing at 11:00.

“The ATP always promises they’ll fix things, but nothing ever changes. This isn’t the first time it happens, and when you’re inside, you realize it’s not as great as it looks from the outside.”

His complaints weren’t well received by everyone, however, as British star Dan Evans responded to the Spaniard’s post, calling him ‘pathetic’, reminding Davidovich Fokina that the rest of the world works ‘9-5’.

While Evans isn’t wrong, that’s not necessarily a fair rebuttal, as the impacts of scheduling on players’ health have been well-documented over recent years.

With Fernandez and Davidovich Fokina playing their finals in Washington on Sunday, every minute and every hour of rest is crucial for their recovery, reducing the risk of injury.

In Fernandez’s case, being promised an evening match on her return would likely have provided the Canadian with some comfort, giving her more time to prepare after a long week in DC.

Failing to deliver on that promise, the Canadian Open let Fernandez down, as their home-favorite suffered a straight-sets defeat to the woman she comfortably beat a week ago.

• 21 July (Washington Open) – Leylah Fernandez defeated Maya Joint, 6-3, 6-3
• 29 July (Canadian Open) – Maya Joint defeated Leylah Fernandez, 6-4, 6-1

Davidovich Fokina is also right to complain, as scheduling last week’s Washington Open finalist as first on in round three seems a bizarre decision.

The tournament organizers have come under fire for their decision-making at this year’s Canadian Open, and the criticisms will likely continue if the Spaniard loses to Jakub Mensik in round three.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Jakub Mensik’s head-to-head record

Davidovich Fokina may not be 100% for his third-round clash with the Czech youngster, but he will take some confidence from his head-to-head record with Mensik.

After losing their first encounter in Doha last year, Davidovich Fokina has won their last three, including a five-set victory over Mensik at the 2025 Australian Open.

Only time will tell if he can extend his winning streak over Mensik to four in a row, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.

Mensik and Davidovich Fokina will battle it out for a place in the fourth round of the 2025 Canadian Open on Friday, August 1.