In a recent interview for L’Equipe, Alexander Bublik stated that he “hates tennis with all his heart.” The Kazakh explains that he plays only for the money and has not earned yet. “If I had enough (money), I would have already retired.”
French tennis players Gilles Simon was asked to comment on Bublik’s statement. The Frenchman said that he doesn’t believe it and “it doesn’t stick with his character.” Almost all Alexander Bublik does on and off the court is filled with contradictions. Does the Kazakh really hate the sport?
He is often compared to Nick Kyrgios as there are many common points between the two, especially in their behavior. The Australian has also said multiple times that he doesn’t really like the sport. Both players share the tendency to go for too much flashiness and can often appear disinterested or unmotivated when behind.
Bublik and Kyrgios usually don’t want to engage in longer rallies, and often resort to very unorthodox tactics like underhand serves or full speed second serves. The Kazakh hit a 211 kmh ace against Shapovalov and he’s known for playing “two first serves” on quite a regular basis. Another thing that Kyrgios and Bublik share is the love for trick shots, tweeners, and other things usually seen only on the practice courts.
Alexander Bublik: In for the thrill
While that seems to fit perfectly with Bublik’s comments for L’Equipe, the Kazakh (Kyrgios too) definitely loves the thrill of the competition. Bublik has that kind of personality that allows him to pump himself up for the biggest matches and you can often see his huge competitive drive on the biggest stages. In the win against Shapovalov, Bublik got extremely pumped up towards the end of the sets and his celebrations tell us the most about how much satisfaction this game gives him.
Classy or arrogant?
Bublik’s demeanour in regards to other people can also be very different in just a couple of minutes. In his match against Denis Shapovalov in Marseille, Bublik complained to the umpire about the ball boys chaotically rolling the balls to one another. But just about fifteen minutes earlier, he invited the boy who brought him onto the court to sit with him on the bench and was very supportive towards the kid, who was probably overwhelmed by the big arena. During a five-minute break as one of the spectators fainted in the crowd, Bublik appeared very arrogant as he was extremely angry that something had stopped play.
Asked whether he had fun on court today against Shapovalov, Bublik replied: “Yes, definitely. Not last match, to be honest with you (against Benoit Paire), but this one, yeah.”
The reality is a huge percent of people hate their jobs. It is believed, though, that sportsmen are extremely lucky to earn money for what many love doing in their free time. But what if for them it’s only a way of survival and setting themselves up for the future?
Whether Alexander Bublik loves tennis or not is not a matter of extreme importance. Whatever the answer to this question is, the Kazakh is surely one of the most exciting and colorful characters to follow on the tennis circuit. He’s also someone worth paying money to see (at least 90% of the time), as there are few moments of boredom when Bublik steps onto the court.
Main Photo from Getty.
