Alexander Bublik bizarrely calls Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray ‘bald and old’ as he thinks their retirement was ‘a circus’
World No. 33 Alexander Bublik doesn't want to attempt to prolong his career like Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.
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Andy Murray, Alexander Bublik, Rafael Nadal (Images via X)
Alexander Bublik wants to take retirement from tennis when he’s at his peak unlike Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, both of whom tried to prolong their career but in the end, were forced to retire after succumbing to injuries.
Last year in November, Nadal, who never fully gained fitness after suffering a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open, bade his farewell at the Davis Cup, marking an end to an incredible career that saw him lift 92 career titles, including 22 Grand Slam trophies.
Murray too dealt with a career-threatening hip injury which eventually forced him to call time on his career at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And this is why Bublik doesn’t want a similar fate. Although he used to get stunned watching the two legends, what happened to them toward the end of their career is a ‘disgrace’, as per him.
It is clear that I am not Rafa, my legacy will be much smaller if you can call it that. What happened to Andy Murray and Rafa is a circus. I can’t call it anything else. These people achieved everything, even we, tennis players, looked at them with our mouths open in the locker room, and then the bald and old. It is clear that he is not the same and will never be the same.
Alexander Bublik told Match TV
Bublik, since turning professional in 2016, has won four ATP titles. The 27-year-old has never reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event as his best performance came at the 2023 Wimbledon when he reached the fourth round.
Alexander Bublik thinks Andy Murray joining Novak Djokovic’s team is a problem
Nearly four months after retirement, Andy Murray started his career as a coach by joining Novak Djokovic‘s team. Although the partnership has been praised by fans and pundits, Alexander Bublik thinks the three-time Grand Slam champion is only clinging to the past.
These are attempts to cling to something that no longer exists, to some echoes of the past. I think this is a problem. I hope that it will not be like that for me, but I can’t say for sure. Maybe at 36, I will go to the Challenger in Bangkok, but I still hope that I will leave with a calm soul.
Alexander Bublik told Match TV
The Kazakh ace will kick start his campaign for the 2025 season at the Adelaide International, where he will face Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round. Djokovic played his first tournament at the Brisbane International but lost both his singles and doubles before reaching the quarterfinals. Murray wasn’t in the Serb’s box during his matches but will be in Melbourne where Djokovic will be chasing his 25th Major.
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Gouri Das
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