Alexander Bublik wasn’t enjoying tennis.
Last year, after a mediocre performance at Wimbledon, he thought about quitting the game. The months went by, and more losses piled up. His ranking sank as low as 82 in March this year after a career-high 17 in May of 2024.
Now the 28-year-old Kazakhstani is on a roll that seems to surprise even him and it’s happening as the tennis world again converges on Wimbledon, which starts June 30. Once again, he’s confounding expectations about a player who has delighted crowds with talent, showmanship and an arsenal of trick shots but also disappointed some fans because of a perception that, at times, tennis wasn’t a top priority for him.
On Sunday, after winning the Halle grass court tournament, a tune-up for this year’s Wimbledon, Bublik celebrated in a typically ebullient style, dueling with opponent Daniil Medvedev in a champagne fight that left both players drenched. Such antics might be the norm on race car podiums, but they don’t happen much in the tradition-heavy sport of tennis.
If Bublik is pushing the limits of tennis etiquette, few people object right now. They would rather gush about his recent accomplishments. Early this month, he reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, his best performance in a major tournament, before falling to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. He beat Sinner in the round of 16 on the way to the Terra Wortmann Open title in Halle, Germany, and his 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Medvedev in the final was his first win in seven meetings with the Russian.
Bublik’s ranking rises to no. 30 on Monday.
“It’s tough to speak. I had such tough months since last Wimbledon to probably this summer,” Bublik said in an on-court interview after the final. “I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon, because I was not enjoying it anymore.
“I promised my coach that I would stay there and keep practising, and after Wimbledon we will make a decision about whether I need to take a couple of months off before trying to come back. Now this is happening. I don’t know. Quarters at the French, winner here. I have no words.”
Things were so grim earlier this year that Bublik’s coach, Artem Suprunov, suggested they take a road trip to Las Vegas ahead of a Phoenix challenger, a tournament on the lower rung of professional tennis. The break somehow helped the struggling player, who made it to the final in Phoenix before gaining momentum heading into the summer.
Bublik, who also won the Halle tournament in 2023, was born in Russia and became a citizen of Kazakhstan in 2016 after promises of support from the tennis federation there. He has said he hates clay but then had that spectacular run at the French Open. He said he is relaxed about diet and ate a kebab before the final on Sunday.
The plan now is to “stay human” and balanced and prepare for the next weeks of competition, said Bublik, who is married with a young son.
“I cannot just take only good emotions and just, you know, fly in the clouds.”
