Jack Draper's ‘UFC' regiment that has Alexander Bublik at a loss on how to beat him
Alexander Bublik doesn't know how he will be able to overcome Jack Draper after admitting intimidation at the British No 1's fighter-like training regiment.
Draper has put the tennis world on notice across the past 12 months and will soon go to fourth in the world rankings, having surged up the charts from 40th this time last year.
He claimed his first ATP Masters title at Indian Wells earlier this year and has continued in fine stead at the French Open, taking Roland Garros by storm.
On his way to the fourth round, he has convincingly dispatched Mattia Bellucci and Joao Fonseca as well as putting on arguably the match of the tournament so far with home favourite and eternal entertainer Gael Monfils.
And Bublik, who will be the next to try and derail Draper, has become the latest to hail his rise ahead of their clash on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
"Jack, for me, is insane," said Bublik. "I saw him first day here. I'm like, are you getting ready for UFC?
'I mean, last year the guy is 40 in the world. This year he is top five in the world. That's a crazy achievement. He doesn't seem to stop, so I mean, what do I have to do to beat him? I don't know.
"I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing, and we all know what I'm capable of doing on court and then we see how it goes.
'This is the approach I have now, and Jack is a great sportsman, great person.'
Draper is looking to go even better than his best Grand Slam performance to date, which came last year at the US Open where he reached the semi-finals. There, he was beaten by eventual champion and World No 1 Jannik Sinner.
This will be the third time Draper and Bublik, ranked 62nd in the world, will face off, with the Brit coming out victorious in both previous meetings at Queen's Club in 2021 and in Adelaide in 2024.
"I know him since I played him in the qualifiers of Queen's in 2018 or something (a three-set win for Bublik in 2019). He was a little kid," Bublik added.
"Then when he beat me in Queen's, and he told me 'I finally got you'. I said 'let's speak when you're in the top 50', because he was like 300 in the world, and now he's top five.
"So now I have to have some courage to play, and we'll see how it goes."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gossip: Reds preparing move for Barcola
Liverpool are set to swoop for Paris St-Germain's 22-year-old France forward Bradley Barcola - even after completing a deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Germany attacker Florian Wirtz, 22. (Sun), externalBayer Leverkusen are considering a move for Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, 22. (Athletic - subscription required), externalUruguay striker Darwin Nunez is likely to leave Liverpool this summer, with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal making contact about the 25-year-old this week. (Talksport), externalNunez, though, is understood to favour staying in Europe, with a move to Spain or Italy his preference. (Mirror), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Mayor and LTA partner to make tennis accessible for Londoners
A three-year partnership has been launched to open tennis up to more people across Sir Sadiq Khan and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have begun a collaboration, with a £500,000 investment, called Rally Together London - a programme which will train 250 people from underrepresented backgrounds to join the tennis workforce and facilitate sessions for local programme aims to help at least 5,500 more young people to play the sport - with a minimum of 50% to be wider partnership will see the mayor and the LTA work on various initiatives and campaigns to promote women's tennis and women's sport across the capital. 'Inspiring next generation' Rally Together London plans to recruit, train and deploy 200 tennis activators to deliver the sport and help grow the LTA's Barclays Free Park Tennis programme - which offers weekly sessions with equipment provided on public park courts - and LTA SERVES, which takes tennis into local communities for young announcement comes as a women's tennis tournament returned this week to the Queen's Club for the first time in more than 50 years, with the HSBC Championships 2025 running until 15 capital is also set to host the Women's Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham Stadium, as well as football, basketball, rugby league, hockey, cricket, netball, athletics and Sadiq said: "The really exciting aspect of this partnership is that we will be reaching young people across the capital, and specifically young women, as we create new opportunities for them to play tennis, train as coaches and get jobs in the industry."LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said: "We know that London is a tennis city, with iconic events like the HSBC Championships engaging and inspiring the next generation to pick up a racket and play on accessible community facilities, including park courts in every London borough."Naomi, an LTA SERVES activator from Badu Sports based in east London, said: "Tennis is an amazing sport, and I've seen the impact that it can deliver for young people in London first hand, helping them get active, developing skills and confidence."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
See the stunning pics of Matildas star Ellie Carpenter's French wedding as she marries her soccer player girlfriend
Matildas star Ellie Carpenter has tied the knot with her teammate Daniëlle van de Donk in a breathtaking ceremony that came almost 18 months after they got engaged. The 25-year-old met the love of her life as they both played for top French side Lyon and the Aussie revealed their nuptials in a post to Instagram on Wednesday night. Carpenter treated her followers to two photos of the wedding, which was held at a mansion in France, along with the caption 'I choose you. I will always choose you.' The post drew heartfelt messages from her Matildas teammates Emily van Egmond, Emily Gielnik, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Steph Catley and Charli Grant. Another Matildas star, Teagan Micah, was part of the wedding party. Van de donk's gown was made by leading bridal brand Pronovias, while Carpenter's gown - which featured a veil - was created by Collingwood-based custom dress maker Mia Ateliers, with the soccer star describing it as 'the dress of my dreams'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ellie Carpenter (@elliecarpenterr) The ceremony - which was the centrepiece of three days of celebrations - was held at the Château Hermitage de Combas in southern France's Servian region. 'The setting is so lush and green, it's beautiful,' Carpenter told Vogue. 'It's got this unique, elegant vibe but still feels grounded in love and who we are as a couple. Intimate, natural, and full of heart.' The couple met while playing internationally and really got to know each other when van de Donk joined Lyon in 2021. They first went public with their romance in 2023 and announced their engagement on New Year's Day last year. The Matildas defender shared the news to Instagram alongside a loved-up photo of the couple taken in front of a stunning ocean vista in the Maldives. In the image, Ellie is seen embracing her fiancée as she flashes her stunning engagement ring. Danielle captioned the touching frame with some tender words. 'My person for life,' she wrote, adding a red love heart and ring emoji. That announcement came after Carpenter spoke out about the cruel abuse she received from online trolls following the Matildas' loss to England in the Women's World Cup semi-final on home soil. She was forced to turn off the comments on her Instagram account after an unfortunate mistake in the 71st minute of the match that proved costly in Australia's eventual 3-1 defeat. Carpenter was given time off by the Matildas for her nuptials and was not in camp when the side's new coach Joe Montemurro addressed the squad for the first time late last month.
