Alexander Bublik Claims Failed Singles Players Compete in Doubles: “It’s Not Tennis”

Alexander Bublik is not someone who minces his words. During his interview with The Guardian, Bublik called social media fake because, according to him, people pretend to be someone they are not on these platforms.

Bublik also thinks there’s no wrong in releasing emotions occasionally because tennis is a stressful sport. But he made the most controversial statement when he said doubles players are failed singles players.

Doubles is not tennis. It’s half tennis. If you can’t play singles, you play doubles. If you can’t play doubles, you play paddle. Very simple.

Well, Bublik is a Grand Slam finalist in the doubles. Back in 2021, he and Andrey Golubev lost the French Open final to Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. He also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open doubles back in 2020.

Bublik was last seen in action at the Italian Open, where he lost to Learner Tien in the third round. He is next set to play the Geneva Open as the second seed. Defending champion Novak Djokovic, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the final last year, will not be playing. He was last seen in action in Rome, losing in the opening round.

Bublik has won one title this year. It was at the Hong Kong Open where he defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets.

Alexander Bublik on his ranking improvement

Earlier in 2025, Alexander Bublik saw himself drop out of the top 80. He sat in the 82nd spot in March, and it was the first time in seven years that Bublik fell out of the top 80.

Bublik had to compete in a Challenger tour in Turin in May and won it by defeating Yunchaokete Bu. After an opening-round exit in Hamburg, Bublik bounced back at the French Open, losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.

Then, during the grass swing, after defeating the four-time Grand Slam champion in the second round, the Kazakh ace went past Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Halle Open. Bublik went on to clinch the Swiss Open against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and the Austrian Open Kitzbuhel against Arthur Cazaux. He next clinched the Hangzhou Open by defeating Valentin Royer.

Nobody wants to be 80th in the world. It was the first time in seven years that I dropped out of the top 50. It was a blow for me… I understood that success meant seeing my career as a job and applying myself every day. I started to really enjoy tennis.

Alexander Bublik said during his interview with The Guardian

The 28-year-old reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 this January. At present, he sits in the No.11th spot. Bublik also did not shy away from talking about money and tennis as a business.

You quickly realize, when you start making money playing tennis, that this is a big business. It’s great to win trophies and play in big stadiums, but at the end of the day, you have to pay yourself. That was my first motivation when I turned pro.

Alexander Bublik added

After the Geneva Open, Bublik will be gearing up for the French Open, which kicks off on May 24th. The French Open is the only Grand Slam event where Bublik has played the quarterfinals (2025). In the remaining three Majors, Bublik has never made it past the fourth round.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won’t be playing in Paris because of a wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open. His arch-rival, Jannik Sinner, will be aiming to complete the Career Grand Slam. Alcaraz overcame a two-set deficit and saved three match points against the World No.1 and defended his title last year.

Also read: Daniil Medvedev Keeps it Real on Potentially Playing like a Top-3 Player After Italian Open Loss