Alexander Bublik is known for his crazy on-court personality. The world No. 33 brings an unorthodox approach to the sport, often smashing rackets and hitting underarm serves.
The Kazakh previously claimed he “hated tennis” with all his heart. And he still admits he “doesn’t want to work” hard on his game.
But Bublik revealed that he was soft at heart, opening up about what made him cry and how often he became emotional away from the court.
The Bublik show was in full swing on Wednesday at the Paris Masters. The 27-year-old lost to Holger Rune in the second round but not before he brought out his old tricks.
The four-time title winner tried two underarm serves back-to-back, winning the point on the second attempt. He obliterated a racket, giving the remains to a fan. And he chatted with courtside spectators during the changeovers.
After suffering a 6-4 6-2 defeat in his last singles match of the year, Bublik appeared on Tennis Channel for a revealing interview. The world No. 33 gave an insight into his life away from the court, admitting he often cried over the smallest things involving his family.
Discussing his eventual retirement, the 27-year-old replied: “Yes I will cry. I’m very emotional. I’m crying all the time. So much.”
Prakash Amritraj was surprised by Bublik’s revelation, asking when he last cried. The tennis star thought long and hard before sharing a touching answer. “When my son told me he loves me,” he said.
“Not a cry but you know, I got emotional. I get emotional to many things. Every occasion you tell me, every big moment in my life, I was always breaking down.”
Bublik went on to list the other occasions that left him in tears, adding: “So every birthday of my son, I’m crying. My coach knows when I’m going to start crying. New Year last year, me and my coach cried for no reason. We were talking about something. I don’t even know. Of course we were having some buzz.
“My wife put my son to bed, she came back, we were crying in the middle of an apartment. She’s like, ‘What’s up?’ It’s like, ‘Oh we touched some soul.’ We were crying about something.
“And then my wife’s birthday, my mum’s birthday. So I’m always like that. My wedding.”
Even looking at photos makes the Kazakh emotional, as he continued: “Yesterday we were watching pictures with my wife, we’ve been seven years together. We saw when our son was born and then yeah, it’s like this. But that’s what life is about, if you’re not emotional I think it’s not worth it.”
It’s a surprising revelation given his approach to tennis. “I don’t like pushing myself. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t want to work,” he confessed.
“You know what my team calls me? Everyone has their spirit animals. They call me Garfield., You know that fat cat that eats and sleeps all day? That’s me and I’m so proud of it and that’s what I’m sticking to be.”
For now, Bublik has one last job to do before heading into the off-season. He’s still alive in the Paris Masters doubles draw with Karen Khachanov. The duo will face the French pairing of Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard later on Wednesday.
