“It feels amazing to have the first title after five (previous) finals,” said world No.23 Davidovich Fokina. “Today was a very tough battle, he played amazing. In the tie-break, I was pushing myself. In the end I knew that this one has to be mine, in Spain, at home, the first one. It should be mine and I pushed a lot.
“The crowd was amazing. I felt the love. One hundred per cent the title is for them, for the Spanish people that supported me and all the journey last year and this year. It was a tough, very tough year, but a very, very good year. I don’t have any words to describe this feeling right now.”
The Wimbledon No.22 seed begins his campaign in south-west London against Juan Manuel Cerundolo today.