(Video) Alexander Bublik Tells His Team to ‘F**k Off’ During Tense Paris Masters Clash with Taylor Fritz

Alexander Bublik is bidding to win his first Masters 1000 title and will play Alex de Minaur next.

(Video) Alexander Bublik Tells His Team to ‘F**k Off’ During Tense Paris Masters Clash with Taylor Fritz

Alexander Bublik yelled at his team during his match against Taylor Fritz (Image via X/AllAboutHQ, ESPN, edgeAI)

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Alexander Bublik lost his cool at his team upon being given instructions while he was clashing with Taylor Fritz in the Paris Masters round of 16. In his previous two matches, he did not win without causing some controversy.

The Kazakh ace ignored Alexei Popyrin during the customary handshake during the first round because the Aussie did not apologize after winning a point off the net cord. Then he sent Corentin Moutet packing before writing “on your way home” on the camera and explaining later that he had to punish the Frenchman for a comment he made before the match.

This time, it wasn’t the opponent who got under his skin. It was actually his team members who started to urge him to hit backhand winners against the American ace. Bublik won a tough first set and was leading 3-2 in the second when he decided to give it back to his team.

If I hit every backhand winner, I’m going to win a Slam, but I don’t want to win a Slam; I want to have a retirement… Guys, f**k off!

Alexander Bublik shouted

The match eventually ended in Bublik’s favor with a 7-6(5), 6-2 scoreline. The defeat ended Fritz’s chance of winning a Masters 1000 title this season.

Bublik grabbed a spot in the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time since 2021. He, in fact, will be playing the last eight of a Masters 1000 for the third time in his career, following the 2021 Miami Open and 2021 Madrid Open. Bublik has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at this level.

Alexander Bublik wants to play the ATP Finals

Alexander Bublik still has a chance to secure a spot in the ATP Finals. At present, he is in the 13th spot in the ATP Live Race to Turin. He will only qualify for the ATP Finals if he ends the Paris Masters in his favor. Bublik, following his match against Taylor Fritz, joked that preparing for the ATP Finals is more important for the World No.4 than beating him.

Alexander Bublik
Alexander Bublik (Image via X/ESPN Tenis)

We are in different positions now, he’s going to Turin, I’m still fighting maybe to be an alternate, so maybe the mindset changed a bit, I guess, I’m not saying 100%, but he was not as clutch as he usually is, so I had a bit of freedom, which he took from me in the past three meetings, when he actually killed me all the time. And the slow court probably didn’t favor him.

Alexander Bublik said during the on-court interview

Fritz, in fact, was the runner-up in last year’s ATP Finals, losing the final to World No.2 Jannik Sinner. The win has helped Bublik take a 4-3 head-to-head edge over the 2024 US Open runner-up.

I felt great today. I was hitting the spots, I used my chances, and then he was not being 100 percent, because he has a very important tournament to go to, it’s way more important than beating me here.

Alexander Bublik added

Fritz was chasing his third title of the season following his wins at the Stuttgart Open and the Eastbourne International. He also reached the China Open final but failed to go past World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Bublik will next be locking horns with Alex de Minaur. The 26-year-old has met Bublik four times, winning three matches. But they will be meeting for the first time at an indoor hardcourt event. De Minaur first secured a tough three-set win over Gabriel Diallo before he breezed past Karen Khachanov. He has reached the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters for the third consecutive time.

Also read: Alexander Zverev Shares His Thoughts on the New Venue of the Paris Masters After His Opening Match Win