There has often been a disparity between singles and doubles players, with several solo stars taking aim at the extended format.
John McEnroe famously said “doubles tennis players are not as good as the singles players” while on The Jimmy Kimmel Show despite winning several Grand Slams in the format.
Reilly Opelka also said that doubles is for ‘failed singles stars’ and they’ve been backed up by an outspoken top 20 player.
Alexander Bublik has also slammed doubles despite reaching the Roland Garros doubles final back in 2021.
Alexander Bublik’s controversial thoughts on doubles
Bublik is one of the most forthright players on the ATP Tour and he often lets fans know what he thinks while on the court.
His outbursts have become one of the more entertaining aspects of ATP Tour life in 2025, as he’s climbed from World No. 83 to the cusp of the top 10 this season.
Earlier this year, the eight-time ATP champion took aim at doubles, despite his history playing in the format.
Speaking to Ben Rothenberg, Bublik said: “Sometimes doubles is boring, because in a way it’s not real tennis. It’s for those who can’t play singles: they play doubles and then move on to padel or pickleball.
“The [doubles] guys that are sitting there and pretending like they’re tennis players? No. That’s why a lot of singles players are mocking them and laugh, because this is just a joke.”
Bublik teamed with Andrey Golubev at the 2021 Roland Garros and they defeated reputable doubles teams Hugo Nys and Tim Putz and Filip Polášek and Ivan Dodig.
The pair were beaten in three sets in the French Open final by Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.
Alexander Bublik’s record in doubles
For someone who has criticised the doubles format, Bublik has played an incredible amount of matches in his career.
The star has not won any doubles titles despite playing 132 matches, but he did crack the top 50 of the rankings.
Bublik has won 43 matches in doubles and tasted defeat 89 times, with a number of different partners throughout the years.
He has previously teamed with Elena Rybakina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Natela Dzalamidze in mixed doubles.
The star also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open alongside his compatriot Mikhail Kukushkin in 2020.
