Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s Racket & String Set-Up

How Does Davidovich Fokina’s Racket And String Contribute To His Exciting Game Style?  

‘Ale’ plays a very expressive and athletic brand of tennis. He is a natural athlete with a flair for the unusual and his racket, a Head Extreme model, compliments his tendency to hit blistering forehands and the most subtle of drop-shots within the same point. 

Here we dive into Ale’s racket and game to see what takeaways we can apply to your game.  

Alejandro Fokina’s Racket

As most Spaniards do, Ale grew up playing clay-court tennis, and akin to Rafael Nadal, Davidovich Fokina developed a muscular, high-spin game. And while Rafa has always been the poster boy for Babaolat’s spin-centric Pure Aero series, Davidovich Fokina adopted the equivalent model manufactured by Head – a type of racket that ideally suits aggressive players.

The exact frame used by Ale is actually a pro-stock version of Head’s retail offering, an older version with certain specifications favored by the Spaniard, one that is not available from Head’s current range of over-the-counter models. 

The man from Malaga uses what is referred to as the PT 333.2 pro-stock frame which tells us this is the ‘Graphene Extreme Touch’ model made in Austria rather than Head’s facility in China. We can also discern that this frame has a relatively soft RA (stiffness rating of around 61) which is the standout difference between retail versions which have RA ratings between 63-66 depending upon the model.    

Nonetheless, Ale’s racket and Head’s retail version share the same spin-friendly, power-focused DNA, and his personal specifications are as follows:

Racket Specs  

Head: 100sq inch (645cm)

Weight: 335-grams (strung) 

Balance: 6-Points Head Light

Swing-weight: 340 approx. 

String pattern: 16×19

Why does Davidovich Fokina use this frame? 

‘Ale’ is a fascinating character and as often in tennis, a player’s game reflects their personality. 

On his forearm,’ Ale’ has a tattoo that says ‘Where I’m Going, I’m going to Destroy’ and yet he also created an adoption program in Spain that helps unwanted animals find loving homes. And this capacity for extremes is reflected in his tennis and very apt choice of racket. 

To facilitate the more aggressive side of Ale’s game he leans on his racket’s 6-points head-light balance which makes generating whip and speed easy. Furthermore, the muscular and aerodynamic beam profile (circa 23mm, 26mm, 21mm) enhances the kind of velocity generated by the Spaniard. 

Conversely, we know that Davidovich Fokina possesses a gentler side to his personality and this is reflected on-court in the guise of sublime drop-shots – in fact, he is considered one of the game’s finest exponents of these shots.    

Here is where the soft RA (stiffness rating) helps by promoting feel and taking a little ‘heat’ off the ball. Meanwhile, an open 16×19 string bed helps by adding the kind of spin that kills a drop shot on the first bounce. 

Alejandro Fokina’s String Set-Up

The one area of Ale’s racket set-up that remains a mystery is his string choice. We know that he has previously played with Technifbire’s Black Code string but more recent photographs show that he has since moved on. 

From studying close-up photographs it does appear that he is using a hybrid configuration and the consensus here is that it is likely to be a mix between Head’s Lynx Tour and their Hawk Rough string – a choice that makes sense for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.  

The Lynx Tour string is a shaped copy-poly that naturally accentuates spin but with a side of control thanks to a stiff construction. Whereas Heads Hawk Rough offering is a textured co-poly that places real emphasis on control thanks to it being an ultra low-powered string.  

A ‘poly/poly’ hybrid is somewhat unusual but Davidovich Fokina has power on tap and can easily get the most from such a setup. In fact. Given his athleticism, we feel the traditional and more popular ‘poly/gut’ combination would rob Ale of control and he would have to temper his natural tendency to hit out with absolute freedom. 

Conclusion

We love the synchronicity between the man, the player, and his racket. ‘Ale’ is a unique character with a big personality. Likewise, his game is both expressive and diverse. The man from Malaga even grew up on Spanish clay but claims Wimbledon is his favorite tournament, notably winning the junior Championship at SW19 in 2017.

Yes, he has some rough edges to his game, but having beaten players such as Djokovic (Monaco in 2022) we can see his potential and believe that he could have a banner career with a little refinement. But right now we love to watch him play and enjoy that his racket reflects his game and character.   

What Is the Take-Away for Your Game?

Alejandro Fokina says that his idol is Roger Federer but being honest, and to Ale’s credit, we fail to see that in his game or his equipment.

We wonder how many players adore a certain professional and are understandably inspired to buy their rackets and strings, despite their own character and game being at odds with that player’s style and capabilities? Instead, it is better to look in the mirror first and understand how your own character influences your game, and how your game style should inform your choice of frame and string. 

In studying Davidovich Fokina’s game and equipment the biggest takeaway for us at Tennis Bros is how everything seems to be a natural fit. 

Yes, Ale loves Roger Federer but playing with a Wilson RF97 and a gut/poly hybrid string would completely ruin his game. And for us all, we should borrow inspiration from our idols but look inwardly to discover what is uniquely right for our game.         

And if you would like a little help on your journey of self-discovery and what it means in terms of finding the right frame and string, our excellent  custom fitting service will undoubtedly help you along the way!