Fokina finished as runner-up in all four ATP Tour finals, becoming the most tragic player of the 2025 season.

It is well known that the ATP Tour ranks among the most significant tennis events. Therefore, making it to the final stages is quite challenging. Yet, in 2025, one player has reached the final round four times. Regrettably, he failed to win any of those finals, earning a reputation as a sorrowful hero. Who is this player? Which tournaments did he reach the finals in? And who defeated him in those finals? Let this article guide you through the story.

This player is Spanish athlete Fokina. Back in 2022, he defeated Serbian star Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters. Since then, Fokina has been on the rise, making it to his first ATP Tour final. Sadly, he lost in straight sets to Greek star Tsitsipas, settling for the runner-up spot. Over two years later, Fokina has achieved several career breakthroughs, including reaching his first hard-court Masters 1000 semifinal at the 2023 Rogers Cup.

In early February 2025, Fokina entered the ATP 250 Delray Beach Open as the eighth seed. In the first round, he defeated lucky loser Japanese player Daniel Taro in straight sets to advance. In the second round, facing wildcard American McDonald, Fokina was pushed to a tough three-set battle before prevailing to reach the quarterfinals. There, he beat top seed American Fritz in two tiebreak sets, marking his first ATP Tour semifinal of the 2025 season.

In the semifinals, Fokina convincingly defeated fourth seed Italian Arnaldi to reach the final. His opponent in the final was Serbian player Kecmanovic. Fokina took the first set 6-3, gaining an early advantage. However, Kecmanovic forced a second-set tiebreak, pushing the match to a deciding set. Fokina reached match point, but an incredible comeback by Kecmanovic leveled the score and then overtook him to win the match, claiming his first ATP Tour title of 2025 by overturning the deficit.

At the end of February, Fokina competed in the ATP 500 Acapulco Open. After dropping the first set in the opening round, he mounted a comeback to defeat lucky loser Italian Berrettini. In the second round, Fokina battled through three sets to beat American Tiafoe, a former Grand Slam semifinalist, advancing with difficulty. In the quarterfinals, he dominated wildcard Mexican Pacheco to reach the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Fokina won two tiebreaks against Canadian Shapovalov, reaching his first ATP 500 final. In the championship match, his opponent was Czech player Machac. Machac defeated Fokina in straight sets to claim his first career ATP Tour title, leaving Fokina to face the bitter reality of missing out on another championship.

At the end of July, as a seeded player, Fokina received a first-round bye at the ATP 500 Washington Open. He then defeated Spanish Munar, Americans Liner-Chan and Fritz, as well as Shelton, advancing to his third ATP Tour final of the 2025 season. In the final, his opponent was Australian player De Minaur.

Fokina won the first set; in the second, De Minaur forced a deciding set by saving a set point. In the final set, Fokina again reached match point, but De Minaur refused to give up, breaking serve at the critical moment and winning consecutive points to force a tiebreak. De Minaur then completed a comeback to win the tiebreak, handing Fokina his third runner-up finish of the season.

Last week, Fokina entered the ATP 500 Basel Open as the eighth seed. He advanced past the first round with a straight-sets victory over an Italian opponent. In the second round, Fokina fought through three sets to defeat American Brooksby, moving forward with difficulty. In the quarterfinals, after winning the first set in a tiebreak, Norwegian player Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, retired from the match.

In the semifinals, Fokina faced French player Humbert. The first set was decided by a tiebreak, which Fokina won. Trailing badly in the second set, Humbert retired. Thus, Fokina reached his fourth ATP Tour final of the 2025 season.

Unfortunately, in the final, Fokina was soundly defeated by Brazilian player Fonseca. With this victory, Fonseca claimed his first ATP 500 title. Although Fokina failed to win any of his four finals in 2025, his repeated appearances in championship matches still demonstrate his strong capability. That concludes today’s tennis story; stay tuned for more tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)