By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Photo credit: Tennis TV Screen Shot
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina wasn’t sleeping on the job today—he was too busy delivering nap time celebration after a job well done.
Annoyed by the loud cheering of French fans during his 7-6(5), 6-4 win over French wild card Arthur Cazaux, Davidovich Fokina put French fans in a sleeper hold with his nighty-night celebration expression.
Watch Davidovich Fokina—not once but twice—deliver the mocking sleeper hold move to French fans after his victory. First the Spaniard plays the sleeper right after winning match point, then following the post-match handshake, he returns to the center of the court to hit French fans with a double dose of doze, bellowing “Come on!” for good measure.
Bonne nuit, Paris 😴@alexdavidovich1 finishes off Cazaux 7-6 6-4 at #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/7uIxBcEBIq
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 29, 2025
It was as if Basel finalist Davidovich Fokina’s dozy denouement was his way of saying: “Hey French fans, go sleep on this tonight.”
Needless to say, the French crowd on Court 2 didn’t take the Spaniard’s slight in stride as some responded with jeers.
Asked his reaction to the sleeping gesture, Cazaux said the victor earned his right to celebration, but suggested French fans may be even more fiercely against the Spaniard in his next match.
“There is a great atmosphere here in La Defense [Arena]. It was great,” Cazaux said. “I enjoyed that
atmosphere with the public, but that’s it. That’s the game.
“He made his little celebration at the end. Everybody reacts their own way. It’s never easy to have the public against you. That’s the way he reacted.
“I don’t know whether I would have reacted in the same way, but all I can do is shut up, because he played his match. He was better than I was. All I can say is bravo. It won’t be my fault if there is not very many French people behind him in the next rounds.”
It was Davidovich Fokina’s second straight victory over a French foe following his opening-round win over lucky loser Valentin Royer.
No time for nap time for Davidovich Fokina. Next up for the 15th-seeded Spaniard is defending champion Alexander Zverev.
