Alexander Bublik after surprising the tennis world, spoke with candor on reaching the Roland-Garros quarterfinals for the first time.
By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Monday, June 2, 2025
Photo Source: Roland-Garros Facebook
The mercurial, crowd-pleasing talents of Alexander Bublik has now earned him worldwide attention after his shock four-set upset win over No. 5 seed Jack Draper to reach the Roland-Garros quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
Bublik, 27, celebrated his unexpected 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory with tears in his eyes as he became the first Kazakhstani man to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in history.
"Sometimes in life there's only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine, and I couldn't let it slip," Bublik said in an on-court interview, after an extended standing ovation from the Court Suzanne-Lenglen crowd. "Standing here, it's the best moment of my life, period."
The final game of the match proved pivotal in more ways than one. Draper, still down a service break at 5-4, forced Rublev to serve for the match. Draper battled and held two break points, only to lose out on both. Rublev eventually closed out the game, and the match.
But Rublev admitted later on TNT Sports, if he had lost that game, he would likely have lost the motivation to try and win the match from there.
“I said to myself, if I'm losing that break, it's 7-5 6-2 max (in favor of Draper)," Bublik said. "I'm not gonna fight, because if you have this chance to make your first ever quarterfinal and you blow it. It's your fault. That's how I see it.”
Bublik, known for his unorthodox playing style, including underhand serves and trick shots, and rather cavalier personality, both on and off the court was not expected to be in the mix this fortnight in Paris. Though he’s reached a career high World No. 17, he’s currently ranked at No. 62.
Despite winning four ATP Tour titles in his career, 2025 has been a rough season so far. Before Paris, Bublik was 7-13 on the year.
Yet Bublik must have felt something good was coming for him in Paris after he earned a two sets from behind victory over No. 9 seed Alex de Minaur earlier in the second round. Bublik admitted he contemplated quitting tennis earlier this season after falling to the low 80s ranking wise.
While he previously complained about the clay court swing being too long, this year, he realized he needed to make an effort on the dirt to boost his ranking.
“I was eighty in the world. I was talking to my coach I want to quit tennis because I’m eighty in the world. It feels disgraceful for me,” Bublik said. “So I just said to myself, you have a gift, you gotta use your chances. If I have one, I'm gonna use it.
"I'm just gonna fight. I'm gonna try to play on clay and see how it goes and it worked like this, Because I had no room, you know, to cry. Because if you have room to cry, I always would take the cry, you know.”
Bublik added, “But when you have no options then it's that's how it works.”
Many tennis observers have questioned Bublik’s efforts on-court and off court throughout his career.
While Bublik confirmed he works hard off the court, he’s the first to admit that he prefers a “work/life” balance that includes his family. He can only speak for himself when it comes to determining what’s best for his life and career.
“There is no way around hard work. Don't get me wrong,” Bublik said in his post-match press conference. “I work hard, but on my terms, you know. I do what I'm capable of doing with my body, but I will not push through a knee injury in order to have, you know, a certain chance to win a certain match. So for me, there is no way around hard work. I have been working very hard, and I do work very hard."
Bublik, a proud father, added on TNT he tries to put tennis into perspective
“Tennis is fifty percent of my life, you know I have other part of being a dad, being a friend, which is have the same importance for me as being a tennis player," Bublik said. "So in this percent that I have as a professional athlete, I have to do maximum what my body is capable of.
"I'm not going to put my health on the line. I'm not going to be fighting through injuries. You know, if I have pain, I resign. I say thank you very much. I'm not going there.
"Because I prioritize my health a lot. And if you tell me, Sasha, you gonna win a Slam. But you can't walk at forty. I'm not going to take this. So then I have to work with the tools I have.”
Bublik next faces World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.
