A Changed Man?

Can the ATP Mallorca 250 Champion stay cool in a final now?

I'm sure we all remember how it used to be whenever Fokina played a final. You could lay him pre-match... or even better, just wait until he is in some kind of advantageous position LIVE, since he would always find a way to lose it. It did take a few heartbreaking finals in 2025 (like Washington against De Minaur), but he finally got his title against Quinn at home in Spain this year. He hasn't played a final (or many matches) since then, so it'll be interesting to see whether he's improved in this regard, which makes sense. Hurkacz has been the opposite... he tends to play really well in Finals; he barely has a bad loss at all for several years. When you look at their playstyles, it kind of makes sense. The Pole can rely on his huge serve and solid baseline play, while Fokina needs to play with energy and intensity to make things happen. ADF's issue has been that, due to nerves, he misses shots by miles while "going for it".

While both players have played well the entire week, it does feel like this final match favours Hurkacz a bit. Fokina has looked fine so far, but it's still a comeback. As I mentioned earlier, I trust Hurkacz's playstyle a bit more tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, the matchup is not bad for Fokina by any means (as can also be seen in the H2H). He is a really good returner; he can speed things up and impose himself, not letting Hurkacz get comfortable on the baseline...