PARIS – A perfect morning in Alexander Bublik ’s routine goes like this: his alarm rings at 10 a.m., he gets up slowly, enjoys a coffee, talks with his family, and plays with his son. With some luck, by noon he leaves his house or hotel to train, prepare for a match, or do something else.
With that ideal of a slow morning, being scheduled to play the first match at a Grand Slam at 11 a.m. is a tragedy for the Kazakh.
“I was a bit sleepy in the first two sets. I’m not the kind of guy who wakes up at the same time every day and does his things,” he told the media at Roland Garros.
The 27-year-old player beat Australian Alex de Minaur in a match few imagined he could win, especially after losing the first two sets.
Bublik is one of those necessary characters in tennis. Not only because he was able to force a fifth set with a between-the-legs shot when he could have just gone for a forehand. But also because he speaks with remarkable honesty, without a rehearsed speech, without fear of being judged.
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“I was already checking the plane tickets in my head. I didn’t really care, in a way. I was like, I’ll accept the loss. I’ve won 12 or 13 matches on clay this year, so being in the second round here is already an achievement. I’ve never won that many matches on clay before, so I was a bit tired. For me, losing in three sets would’ve been totally fine. My team knew that,” he admitted.
“I told them: if I do something exceptional, great. If not, I’ll be home in Mónaco by 9 p.m. But then I said, okay, I’ll stay, I’ll hit the ball. And if I get a chance — I know I’m capable of beating these guys — I’ll take it.”
The world No. 62 woke up just in time to turn the match around and stun De Minaur 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 after nearly three hours of battle. He will face Portugal’s Henrique Rocha for a spot in the French Open’s round of 16.
