Alexander Bublik stops hating tennis after winning consecutive titles

Alexander Bublik after winning the Hangzhou Open title, at the Olympic Expo Center, Hangzhou, China on Sept. 23, 2025. Photo by Reuters

Russian-Kazakh player Bublik, 28, claimed the Hangzhou Open title with a victory over France’s Valentin Royer on Sept. 23. The win marked the eighth ATP title of Bublik’s career and made him only the second player this year, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, to claim victories on all three courts: hard, grass and clay.

This year alone, Bublik has secured four titles, including ATP Tour events at the Swiss Open, Austrian Open and Hangzhou Open. His impressive streak has propelled him to a career-high world ranking of number 16. In the ATP Finals standings, he is currently 11th with 2,370 points, just 775 points behind Alex De Minaur, who is at eighth.

Bublik's rise comes despite his previously controversial reputation. He spoke multiple times about his dislike of tennis.

"I hate tennis with all my heart," Bublik told L’Equipe in 2020. "To be honest, I don't see anything positive about being a tennis player at all. I only play for money, if there was no money, I would immediately stop playing tennis but so far I haven't earned enough."

However, his perspective has shifted. Over time, he acknowledged that he became more passionate about the sport.

"I do enjoy playing tennis now because I realized that this is what I wanted to do when I was a kid," Bublik said, as quoted by Tennis Buzz. "When I was growing up, I was standing in front of the mirror wearing Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer clothes and dreaming of playing in arenas."

By combining professionalism with his signature spontaneous playing style, Bublik is winning over fans and earning greater respect on the ATP Tour.

Fans can watch Bublik continue his run at the China Open, which begins on Thursday.