Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is far more than a Spaniard who specializes on clay. Though he has experienced his best results on the surface, his performances on grass and hard courts throughout the 2022 season were almost as respectable as his win over Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo, after which he made the final of the Masters 1000.
He employs an aggressive, physical brand of tennis but does not lack for finesse, having one of the most respectable drop shots on ATP.
Let’s take a look at the racquet he employs on the tour.
- Endorsed Racquet: Head Auxetic Extreme MP
- Actual Racquet: Head Pro Stock PT 333.2 – Special Layup in the newer Graphene Extreme Pro mold and string pattern
- Strings: Head Lynx Tour mains and Head Hawk Rough crosses around 24 kilos1
Next Gen Head?
Alejandro endorses the Extreme MP line from Head, currently on its “Auxetic” technology. While he uses something similar underneath the new paint, it’s not something we could have ever acquired from a retail shelf. It’s a PT 332.2 pro stock from Head.
The “PT” designates a special graphite layup only available to professionals and constructed in the Kennelbach, Austria factory. The 332.2 corresponds to the newest Extreme Pro mold with the same geometry as the MP but a denser 16×19 pattern that provides more control.
This frame has a good amount of power and spin available which is great for Alejandro throughout the course of long matches, especially on clay where he can more easily get the ball deep through the court and above the shoulders of his opponents.
Specs
Alejandro uses a fairly light spec, but this keeps with the trend of Next Gen players using lighter racquets and lower swingweights. They’ve been reported as:
- Strung mass: 340g
- Strung balance: 32 cm
- Strung swingweight: 330
He has quite a low balance for such a modest mass and swingweight figure as well. This yields a maneuverable racquet that is easy to use on defense and throughout the length of Fokina’s long, grinding matches.
Strings
Davidovich Fokina is yet another Head-sponsored player mixing two of their poly strings. He’s using the stiff, controlled Lynx Tour in the mains and Hawk Rough in the crosses.
Lynx tour is phenomenal for control and spin while the roughened surface of Hawk Rough likely provides a bit of softness to the stringbed. Lorenzo Musetti tested this at one time too, so Head might just be onto something here.
Alejandro uses 24 kilos as his tension which provides a good compromise between power and control in his already powerful frame.
Conclusion
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina uses a racquet well-suited for his game. It provides easy power, enough maneuverability on defense, and does not fatigue him as much as a heavier racquet might over the course of the long matches he plays.
Assuming he stays with Head, I don’t see him changing anything after a successful year, and hopefully more to come!
If you’re interested in other ATP players’ racquets, I listed all the top 100 players’ racquets in this post.