Kazakhstani tennis player Alexander Bublik shared his thoughts after losing to Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros with a score of 1/6, 5/7, 0/6.
Interviewer: Alexander, can you describe how difficult it is to play against Jannik right now? He has reached the semi-finals without dropping a set. It seems almost unreal.
Alexander Bublik: Yes, difficult is definitely an understatement. He plays fast, and he plays smartly. He finishes almost every match in less than two hours, which means physically he`s on a phenomenal level. Everyone can see this, and I wasn`t the only one he served a bagel to.
I wish him good luck; he absolutely deserves to be in his current position. We`re all anticipating the final that everyone is eager to watch.
Interviewer: Was there anything about your performance over the past two weeks, or even throughout the entire clay season, that surprised you? Something you didn`t quite expect from yourself?
Alexander Bublik: As I`ve mentioned multiple times, I simply changed my approach to the game. I came into the clay season without significant expectations, but with clear ambitions. I wasn`t planning to exit in the first round. How many tournaments did I play? I believe it was six.
This is undeniably my best clay season to date. Additionally, it positively impacted my ranking – I`m back in the Top 50, which I feel is where I belong. And I genuinely believe this is just the beginning of my effort to climb back up, potentially into the Top 20.
Interviewer: It seems you`ve played Jannik on all surfaces. Is there a noticeable difference in his game on clay, hard court, or grass?
Alexander Bublik: Honestly, I don`t recall all the specific details. We played on grass in Halle a couple of years ago, and I think our first meeting was in Dubai or Miami in the quarter-finals back in 2021. Since then, he has made remarkable progress and reached significant career milestones.
Yes, he truly deserves to hold the World No. 1 ranking, Bublik concluded during the press conference.
