Alexander Bublik said he didn’t want to win a Grand Slam during his match with Taylor Fritz at the Paris Masters, and now he’s revealed what he meant by the claim.
Bublik is not afraid to speak his mind, and a conversation he had with his team was picked up during his straight sets win against Fritz in Paris.
The star ranted to his team and was heard saying, ‘I don’t want to win a Slam’ during a heated moment of the match.
After confirming his place in the quarter-final of the Masters tournament, Bublik has shared what he meant by the claim.
Alexander Bublik hilariously shares what he meant with his Grand Slam claim
Bublik has claimed his Grand Slam claim was ‘irony’ and he made the comment because of Fritz’s high level at the Paris Masters.
“So, I was hitting amazing shots and I could not break Taylor,” Bublik revealed in an interview with the Tennis Channel.
“And then I lost another game with having, I think, four backhand winners and I still lost the game on his serve. And then I come to my coach and he said continue. I said like why would I continue?”
“If I hit the backhands like this, I will win a slam. But I don’t want that,” he added. “Give me a mistake or retirement. Give me something. That’s what I meant in that way.”
“Like if I hit like this, of course I’m going to because if I make every backhand a winner, then you win a slam. That’s theoretically possible I guess, but in reality, just make a mistake, hit a double fault, be a man.”
Bublik still has an outside chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals, but he needs to win the Paris Masters. He plays Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals.
Alexander Bublik’s incredible record since Roland Garros
Bublik is up to World No. 13 in the ATP live rankings, which is the highest ranking the Russian-Kazakhstani has ever held.
The star has been in supreme form since Roland Garros in May, having only lost four times since the Grand Slam.
The only players to defeat Bublik since Roland Garros are Jaume Munar, Jannik Sinner, Adrian Mannarino, and Valentin Vacherot.
Bublik has likely left it too late to qualify for the ATP Finals, but if he continues this form, there’s every chance he will crack the top 10 in 2026.
