Bublik credits Las Vegas bender after securing French Open last 16 berth
Alexander Bublik credited a trip to Las Vegas with helping him overcome burn-out as the Kazakh advanced to the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.
Russian-born Bublik eased past Portugal's Henrique Rocha 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the final 16 in Paris for the first time on his seventh attempt, and next meets British fifth seed Jack Draper.
Bublik reached a career-high of 17 in the rankings last year but had dropped as low as 82 by March 2025, blaming burn-out for his slump down the rankings.
"Like right now everybody is like robots, and they're just crazy, crazy performance guys," the 27-year-old told journalists.
"Unfortunately, to be honest, my fall was not linked with lack of attitude and lack of practicing. It was the exact opposite. I just burned out because I was waiting for the results to come.
"You know, I never thought I could make it to the top 20. I made it to 17. Then, you know, I'm, like, okay, I have to do this and that, I have to practice harder.
"I mean, work on my diet, stop drinking, stop partying. Have to be a more professional soldier, I would say, as we are in a game."
Bublik said a trip to Las Vegas was suggested after his coach said something drastic needed to be done.
"He's like, 'Man, if you play like this, we're just going to be out of tennis, of the conversation by Wimbledon'.
"I said, 'Okay, let's go to Vegas'. We enjoy. We change the racquet. We did many things. I said, 'Okay, if it goes, it goes. If not, thank you very much, tennis'.
"And it worked!"
Asked if it was a training trip to Vegas, world number 62, Bublik replied: "No, Vegas, Vegas, like a Hangover-thing Vegas, yeah.
"So it was a good three days in Vegas."
Bublik said he eventually got his confidence back playing a few Challenger events, winning in Turin last March.
In Paris, the Kazakh rallied from two sets down in the second round to dispatch ninth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday.
The Monaco-based player next plays world number five Draper who has won their two previous meetings in Adelaide last year and Queens in 2021.
"Jack for me is insane. I mean, last year the guy is 40 in the world," said Bublik.
"This year he is top 4, top 5 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."
ea/nf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Switched-on Alcaraz in French Open final after Musetti retires
Mumbai: There is a switch in the Carlos Alcaraz arsenal that he seems to turn on at will. Just when you feel you have him beat, or you are at par with the world No.2, he will turn on that switch and suddenly the afterburners ignite. Suddenly there's a spring in his step and he's chasing down everything thrown at him. Suddenly he's serving bigger, hitting the ball harder. Suddenly, he's turned the match around. On Friday, against the odds, Lorenzo Musetti looked the better of the two players in the early stages as he competed with Alcaraz in the semi-final of the French Open. The Italian won the opening set and refused to let the Spaniard surge ahead in the second. But Alcaraz managed to win the second-set tiebreaker. That was the cue for him to let loose. Musetti could not hang on and was forced to retire early in the fourth set. A match that started with great promise was left incomplete, with Alcaraz going through 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0. The Spaniard, all of 22 years and 20 days, is now the fourth youngest men's singles player to reach the final of a Grand Slam in four consecutive years in the Open Era - with only Mats Wilander, Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal being younger. Alcaraz, who has never lost in the final of a Grand Slam, is now three sets away from a fifth major. He played for two hours and 26 minutes against Musetti, but he is already raring to go for Sunday. 'I feel great, I feel that I am playing great tennis, I feel confident,' he said in his on-court interview after the semi-final. 'I've been doing great things in this tournament, and now it's time to give my 100% and go for the final on Sunday.' That's an early warning from the Spaniard, who overcame a two sets to one deficit to beat Alexander Zverev in the final last year for his first French Open title. He has been the overwhelming favourite this term as well. For starters, Alcaraz had, arguably, a more favourable draw given that the biggest contenders for the title - Zverev, world No.1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic were placed in the other half of the draw. Coming up against Musetti, Alcaraz was to play an opponent he had beaten five out of six times. And it was Alcaraz who made the first big moves in the match, challenging Musetti's serve. The Italian, No.7 in the world, managed to hold his serve though. And he turned the tables on Alcaraz at the most crucial moment in the first set. With the Spaniard serving to stay in the set, Musetti found the break to clinch the opener in 49 minutes. It wasn't that Alcaraz was faltering much. It was more that Musetti had employed tactics to keep the man from Murcia at bay. Musetti played with topspin, switched to flat strokes, sliced with relish with his one-handed backhand, and tossed in moonballs (he played 10 lobbed shots in each of the first two sets). He offered no rhythm to Alcaraz. The tactics worked and Alcaraz looked a touch rattled. But in the crunch moments of the tiebreaker, Alcaraz managed to get on top. And then he switched gears. 'The first two sets were really tough. I had chances to break his serve to be up, but I couldn't make the most of it. He was playing great tennis,' Alcaraz said. 'When I won the second set, I was a bit relieved. And then in the third set I knew what I had to do - just push him to the limit, try to be aggressive, not let him dominate. Just be myself. I was more calm. I could see more clearly and I could play great tennis at the beginning of the third.' In the third set, Alcaraz hit his forehand with much more power than he had throughout the match. His serve too started to give him more inroads into rallies - he dropped just one point on serve in the entire set. But while Alcaraz moved to a higher level, Musetti started to struggle with a hamstring issue. Down 5-0 in the third, a physio was called on court to try helping the 23-year-old recover. But about 10 minutes later, Musetti decided to retire from the match. Acknowledging the quality with which his opponent played, Alcaraz applauded Musetti and urged the crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier to do the same as the Italian walked towards the exit. This was Musetti's best performance at the French Open. Now Alcaraz, the defending champion, has a chance to match his own best in Paris.
Pink Villa
an hour ago
- Pink Villa
David Beckham to Receive Knighthood as Part of in King Charles' Birthday Honor List; Find Out What Wife Victoria Will Be Called
David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, are set to be honored in King Charles' birthday list. The former soccer star will receive the knighthood, while his wife will be titled as Lady Beckham. According to the reports of the BBC and The Times, the father of four will be honored for his contribution to football and British society. Beckham 's big honor comes a decade after the athlete was nominated for the title in 2011, when he was actively playing for Manchester United. David Beckham's big honors over the years Apart from contributing in sports, Beckham is also known for his charitable work with underprivileged children. T he former Manchester United star has also been the ambassador of UNICEF since 2005. He took up an important role in the Olympic games of 2012. Moreover, Beckham was also signed as an ambassador for King's foundation in 2024. The English native showed his gratitude for the honor in his statement release. Beckham mentioned, "I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work.' He further added, "I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the Foundation's education programs and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature." Meanwhile, Beckham's nomination for knighthood comes amid his ongoing feud with his son Brooklyn Beckham and his wife, Nicola Peltz. The family rift came into the spotlight after the eldest of the Beckham siblings skipped his father's 50th birthday.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz bounces back against injured Musetti to return to final
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had luck on his side Friday as he advanced to the final of the 2025 French Open. In a match lasting two hours and 25 minutes, Alcaraz emerged victorious after Lorenzo Musetti retired midway through the fourth set due to injury. The score at the time was 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0 in favour of has now become the fifth-youngest player to reach five Grand Slam finals in the Open Era. The Spaniard is also the third active male player to achieve the milestone, joining the legendary Novak Djokovic (37) and Daniil Medvedev (6) in the elite Open 2025 semifinals Updates Alcaraz played better tennis for the majority of the first set, making Musetti work hard for every point by forcing him to cover the entire length of the court. But Musetti somehow managed to hold and didn't let Alcaraz run away with the set. Alcaraz tried to use drop shots to good effect, but Musetti was equal to the task. At 5-4, Musetti drew first blood, gained two break points, and converted the first to claim the would have heaved a sigh of relief after earning his first service break of the match to go 2-1 up in the second set. But his joy was short-lived, as Musetti broke back immediately in the very next game. Alcaraz had a break point opportunity in the ninth game, but Musetti held firm and denied however, earned a second break to go 6-5 up and was just a service hold away from claiming the set. But Musetti had other ideas—he broke back for a third time to force a tie-break. There, Alcaraz brought out his A-game, racing to a 3-0 lead before closing out the set of victory for Carlos Alcaraz but no dance for us #RolandGarros Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2025The third set was a completely one-sided affair as Alcaraz finished it in a mere 22 minutes. Alcaraz, who had to fight out of his skin to earn a single break in the opening set, delivered a bagel with three breaks of serve. During the latter half of the set, Musetti looked in a bit of discomfort and asked for after conceding an early break in the fourth set, Musetti decided he couldn't continue. As he walked off the court, Alcaraz was seen applauding his Italian opponent. The two shared a hug as Musetti's campaign came to a heartbreaking far as Alcaraz is concerned, he will next face the winner of the other semi-final between 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and World No.1 Jannik Sinner. Must Watch
