Davidovich out of Paris: player change brings no refund

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew from the Rolex Paris Masters before his opening match, and Portugal’s Nuno Borges took his place against Moïse Kouame. For ticket holders, the practical answer is straightforward: a player change does not, by itself, create an automatic right to a refund. The tournament’s terms treat a ticket as admission to a date and session, not as a guarantee that a particular player will appear.

There are still alternatives for people who no longer wish to attend. Depending on the purchase channel, the buyer may transfer the ticket to another person free of charge or try to sell it through the official resale service. A resale produces a payment only if another customer buys the listed lot.

Who replaced Davidovich

The withdrawal was reported on November 3, 2026, only hours before Davidovich was due to make his tournament debut that Tuesday. According to the EFE report published by ABC Color, Davidovich had a back problem. The available report gives neither a prognosis nor a return date.

Borges entered the draw to play Frenchman Moïse Kouame in the first round. The original matchup had paired Kouame with Davidovich, as the French Tennis Federation reported after the draw. Kouame had received a late invitation following another change to the draw.

The ticket therefore remained tied to the tournament session even though one competitor’s identity changed.

Does a player change qualify for a refund?

Not automatically. The Rolex Paris Masters terms of sale say a ticket is valid for the date and session printed on it and, as a rule, is neither exchangeable nor refundable. The document also says changes to the allocation of matches between day and night sessions do not lead to an exchange, refund or other compensation.

Davidovich’s withdrawal and Borges’s entry consequently do not amount to cancellation of the ticket. The purchase grants access to a session rather than a contractual guarantee of seeing the Spanish player.

For sessions containing several matches, the exceptional refund provision in the terms depends on all covered matches being cancelled consecutively before any begins. A substitution in the draw does not meet that condition. Terms and procedures can change, so ticket holders should check the current official document and confirm the exact sales channel used for their order.

Is there a cooling-off right?

The terms state that the French statutory right of withdrawal does not apply to paid tickets for leisure services scheduled for a specific date or period. Deciding not to attend after buying a ticket therefore does not, on its own, establish a right to repayment.

A standard ticket, a package purchased through the Travel portal and an order placed by an organisation or intermediary may not be governed by identical arrangements. Specific contracts can contain their own provisions. Buyers should inspect their confirmation, identify the seller and consult the applicable rules instead of assuming that every product follows the same operational process.

The ticket can be transferred

Under the general terms, the buyer may transfer the ticket free of charge to another individual until it is scanned at the arena entrance. The original buyer must make the transfer, after which the bearer’s name appears on the ticket.

This is not a private resale. Paid transfers outside the authorised methods are prohibited by the terms. If the purpose is simply to let someone else use the seat, the stated route is a free transfer through the buyer’s account. That option ends once the ticket has been scanned.

How official resale works

The official resale service is limited to tickets originally purchased from the official website. Tickets are listed by session and may be offered in lots; a new buyer must purchase the complete lot.

If a customer buys it, the seller receives 90% of the ticket’s face value. Listing does not guarantee a sale: if no one buys the lot, there is no reimbursement and the holder may still use the ticket. The page says resale remains available during the tournament until doors open each day, while its instructions also advise listing before the relevant session begins. Given those two references, the safest approach is to check the deadline displayed in the account for the specific ticket.

Payment for a successful resale is processed after the tournament and before the end of December, according to the official page. The new customer pays the original price plus a 20% fee. A ticket bought through the resale service cannot be listed again.

The tournament runs through November 8

The official 2026 schedule has play continuing at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre through Sunday, November 8. The singles round of 16 is scheduled for November 5, the quarterfinals for November 6, the semifinals for November 7 and the singles final for November 8 at 3 p.m. French time.

The organiser labels the schedule provisional. Anyone planning to use, transfer or resell a ticket should confirm the session and current information directly on the official website.