Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the biggest title of his career when he lifted the Shanghai Masters trophy and his wife, Paloma Amatiste, penned an emotional post on social media to describe “how lucky I am to be able to walk next to you”.
Having finished runner-up in his first five ATP Tour singles finals, the 2026 season is turning into a dream campaign for Davidovich Fokina as he won his maiden title at the Mallorca Open in June and followed it up with the Chengdu Open in September.
But bigger and better things were to come in Shanghai as he won his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy as he overcame a poor start to defeat fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
And no one was happier to see him lift the trophy than Paloma, who had been by his side for most of his heartbreaking moments in ATP finals.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina News
Davidovich Fokina finished runner-up at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, 2025 Delray Beach Open, 2025 Mexican Open, 2025 Washington DC Open and 2025 Swiss Indoors before his big breakthrough came in Mallorca this year.
Following his latest win in Shanghai, Paloma paid tribute to her husband on Instagram, writing: “The biggest dreams are also built on the hardest times. Behind this first Masters 1000 is a lot of work, sacrifices, disappointments and the strength to keep going, even when it’s not easy.
“When the road gets twisted, the results you expected don’t come and you have to make peace with frustration, recognize your limits not as barriers but as opportunities and keep believing that your time will come.
“And on that road, how important it is not to be alone. Have a team that believes in you and accompanies you through every challenge and shares every step of the way. The affection of a family that reminds you what really matters and friends who, with their loyalty and that ability to make you smile even on the toughest of days, make everything easier.
“Today, all that effort has its reward. How lucky am I to be able to walk next to you. May you never run out of dreams to fulfill, strength to pursue them and people to share them with.”
Davidovich Fokina, who climbed to a new career-high No 13 in the ATP Rankings with his title, replied: “You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Words can’t show you all the love I have for you.
“After so much suffering, so many struggles it has been worth being where we are and without you it would have been IMPOSSIBLE. But we have also had an incredible time this whole journey we have enjoyed a lot and laughed a lot, having you by my side has made me open my eyes and enjoy this road more. We love you to infinity.”
Their love story will no doubt grow from strength to strength, but where did it all start?
Who Is Paloma Amatiste?
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Paloma Amatiste – both born in 1997 – knew each other for years before they started dating, as the Spaniard was acquainted with Amatiste’s brother through tennis.
Amatiste was born in Rome, Italy, but she grew up in the Spanish resort city of Marbella and they moved in similar circles due to close friendships.
The Italian-born Amatiste is a fashion designer and has worked for big Spanish brands Zara and Mango as well as Hangzhou Sunhong Imp & Exp Co Ltd and Paramount Trading Company.
Their Relationship…
The pair first went public in March 2023 when Davidovich Fokina introduced Paloma in an Instagram post following a trip to Dubai as he wrote: “All the feels.”
Two months later, things got serious when the Spaniard shared an image of the pair kissing with the caption: “To more craziness, travels, experiences, new foods, laughter.., right by your side. TEAMO.”
Paloma became a regular on his Instagram posts and stories and the couple announced their engagement in January 2024 as the tennis star went down on one knee in front of the famous Trevi Fountain after they tossed coins into the fountain.
And they tied the knot on 14 June 2025 as Davidovich Fokina wrote “Per sempre (forever)” after they got married at the Trocadero Sotogrande in Marbella, Spain.
French star Arthur Fils was one of several tennis players in attendance and Davidovich Fokina explained to Express Sport: “Arthur was my witness. I have very good relationship with him and he was there till three days before the wedding, and we spent a lot of time together and everything then. We created a very good friendship.”
Just over a year later, just days after their first wedding anniversary, the couple had a double celebration as Davidovich Fokina won his maiden ATP title at the Mallorca Championships.
And that was only the start of the Spanish star’s title-winning journey as five months later he won the Shanghai Masters trophy.
