Alejandro Davidovich did not need a press conference to send a message. All he needed was a marker pen and a camera. Two words. “I’m here,” he wrote on the camera lens on Tuesday after beating Frances Tiafoe in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters 1000. And on Thursday, one more word: “Waiting.”
The Spanish player is making the most of his impressive week in Shanghai to put himself forward for the Davis Cup. Although he did not explicitly explain the meaning behind his messages, the implication seems fairly clear: David Ferrer has a decision to make, and Davidovich wants the Spanish captain to know he is still there.
Dos firmas. 𝐃𝐨𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬.
🖊️📺 Davidovich, ¿qué quieres decirnos?
#LaPistaDelTenis https://t.co/ZKbPeURedV
— Movistar Plus Deportes (@MPlusDeportes) October 15, 2026
Davidovich’s timing is no coincidence. The world No. 24 has reached the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 tournament for the fourth time in his career in China, following an Asian Swing in which he won the Chengdu title. In short, he is rediscovering much of the confidence and form he had lost because of his physical problems.
At 27, the Spaniard is enjoying one of the best periods of his career and hopes to compete in the Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in Bologna from 24 to 29 November. The problem is that his relationship with the Spanish team carries a history that goes far beyond his current form.
A year ago, Ferrer named an initial squad of four players for the 2025 Davis Cup Finals, leaving Davidovich out. The captain did not completely close the door on him and called him personally to say he had a strong chance of being the fifth player.
“But he told me that if he wasn’t included in the initial squad, I shouldn’t count on him. He ruled himself out,” Ferrer said at the time in an interview with Cadena Cope.
Davidovich, who was then Spain’s No. 2 player, reacted angrily.
“I’m at my highest ranking, world No. 18, and I’m the Spanish No. 2. I feel very proud of the work my team and I have done this year,” he said.
He also insisted that he respected the captain’s decision, although he made it clear that he would have loved to represent Spain.
The disagreement proved more enduring than it initially appeared. Ferrer explained that he had tried to re-establish contact with the player and was willing to speak to him after the Finals.
“I don’t hold grudges,” he said at the time.
He also stressed that his responsibility was to make decisions in the team’s best interests and avoid Spain once again being left with only four available players, as had happened during the 2025 tie against Denmark after Davidovich withdrew at the last minute, citing physical and mental exhaustion.
A year later, the situation is different. Davidovich enters the final stretch of the season with two ATP titles to his name, in Mallorca and Chengdu, and a sporting case for selection that is difficult to ignore. But the controversy has resurfaced just as the captain must decide who will fill the five places in his squad.
In September, after eliminating Chile, Ferrer had already tried to play down the competition for places.
“It’s a nice problem to have. The more good players I have to choose from, the better. That’s always a good thing. My job is to make decisions. It’s not a problem, nor is it difficult. Besides, these are purely sporting decisions. It’s nothing personal.”
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Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Jódar are certain to take the singles spots. Ferrer also has no intention of changing the doubles partnership of Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez. That leaves one place available, the fifth spot, which Davidovich is theoretically competing for with Jaume Munar and Daniel Mérida.
With all those factors in play, Ferrer announced on Thursday that he will step down as Spain’s captain at the end of the season, giving up the final year of his contract. His last assignment will be the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, where he will attempt to end his tenure by lifting the trophy.
November’s squad selection could therefore become the final chapter in a relationship that has never quite found its footing. Davidovich has made it clear, through both his messages and his tennis, that he wants to be there. Ferrer has the final say and maintains that his decisions will be based on sporting considerations. Between them lies a history of absences, conflicting explanations and an opportunity for a fresh start.
The messages “I’m here” and “Waiting” neither confirm a reconciliation nor guarantee a call-up. But they once again raise a question that has followed Spanish tennis for the past year: can Davidovich return to the Davis Cup before Ferrer steps down as captain?
