I saw Rafael Nadal beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Monte-Carlo on TV and dreamed of being there 1 day: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was only a teenager when Rafael Nadal beat Albert Ramos Vinolas in the final of the 2017 Monte-Carlo Masters to win a 10th title at the event. Like most aspiring tennis players from Spain, the World No. 46 drew inspiration from watching the 21-time Grand Slam champion reign supreme on the French Riviera.

Davidovich Fokina continued his wonderful run at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, defeating 10th seed Taylor Fritz on Friday to reach his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal. He will square off against Grigor Dimitrov in the last four.

During his post-match press conference, the Spaniard expressed his love for Monte-Carlo. The 22-year-old proclaimed that ever since he watched top players duel it out here as a child, he knew he wanted to do the same in front of a packed crowd as well.

"Last year, I made it to the quarterfinals and I had to retire with no crowd, no nothing, it was so sad. This year I had my first match on center court already with a full crowd. You know, it's different," Alejandro Davidovich Fokina said. "For me, it's different to play here from the rest of tournaments, because I was watching TV every year, Rafael Nadal when he beat [Albert] Ramos [Vinolas], and I thought I wanted to be there one day playing with the top players too."

An overjoyed Davidovich Fokina remarked that he was just "so happy" to finally have the opportunity to take on the crème de la crème of the ATP tour under optimum conditions.

"I had a lot of emotions playing here because since I was a kid, I was watching this tournament. It's just enjoyable and I'm so happy to be here and beating the strongest guys on tour right now, it's like, "Wow, I can be there too,"" he said.

"After beating Novak Djokovic, I took a lot of confidence, you don't win every day against the World No. 1" - Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina admitted that beating Novak Djokovic earlier on gave him a lot of confidence

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's dream run at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters was fuelled by his victory over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Taking on the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the second round, the Spaniard prevailed in a hard-fought three-setter to notch up his maiden victory over a top-5 opponent.

Speaking at the press conference, the 22-year-old asserted that the win was instrumental in giving him the confidence he needed for his next two wins -- against David Goffin in the third round and Fritz in the fourth.

"After beating Novak Djokovic, I took a lot of confidence in myself. You don't win every day against the World No. 1. After that match, you have to manage the feelings and the emotions well," Alejandro Davidovich Fokina said. "It's not easy to play against David [Goffin] otherwise. He was playing very well. He won last week in Marrakech."

The former World No. 32 added that he felt physically and mentally stronger than last week, when he fell in the first round of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina attributed this to his renewed confidence, noting that he was "enjoying every moment" in Monte-Carlo.

"I just keep pushing my game to the limit, you know, and physically and mentally I'm stronger than I was last week," he said. "You know then that I'm with a lot of confidence and enjoying every moment."