WATCH: Bizarre scenes as Alexander Bublik gets ‘underarm fever’ before random retirement
ATP maverick Alexander Bublik has followed up his notable reaction to defeating Stan Wawrinka with an even stranger match against Pablo Carreno Busta.
The Kazakhstani downed Wawrinka on the Swiss’ ATP tour return before making headlines with his creative self-descriptions and honest “hatred” of clay.
Now, Bublik will surely stir up more reaction after strangely retiring against the Spanish 13th seed in Monte Carlo.
The world number 36 went a break up immediately in the match before reeling off three successive underarm serves early on.
He later served for the match up 6-4, 5-4 but failed to convert before Carreno Busta levelled the match in a tiebreak.
After double faulting to go down 4-3 in the decider, Bublik abruptly approached the chair umpire and conceded the match.
The trainer had not been called to court at any point and the 24-year-old showed no apparent signs of injury before gifting his opponent the 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 4-3 ret. win.
Once again ? this time Alexander Bublik retired after hitting a doublefault vs Pablo Carreño Busta in 3rd set. No physio requested https://t.co/2oZi1iV1SU pic.twitter.com/XK4TGoDRtd
— NoFirstName claycourtdal (@SMSTNS) April 13, 2022
Carreno Busta will face the victor of Federico Delbonis and Alexander Zverev next as the German gets his Monte Carlo campaign underway.
The Spaniard has a losing record against both men including an 0-2 record against Zverev, though both those battles came on hard courts.
Monte Carlo is the only Masters level tournament on clay that the world number three is yet to win, having claimed titles in Rome in 2017 and Madrid in 2018 and 2021.
Photo credit Ray Giubilo
? Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
? Social >> Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
? Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
? Watch >> How to enjoy ATP/WTA/Slam tennis on TV
? Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner
? Gambling >> Betway tennis odds