ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2025

Alexander Bublik

Press Conference

J. SINNER/A. Bublik

6-1, 7-5, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Sascha, tough luck today, but how do you look back at the last two weeks in Roland Garros and your best-ever result here?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: It's been not easy weeks physically, mentally. Having the best round of my life at the slam, going into the quarterfinal, it means a lot to me. It's an achievement. It's a new milestone that I opened.

I have won 250s, 500s, been in second week, but never been to the quarterfinals. Yeah, that's a very positive week, but every fairytale comes to an end. I have to take it like this. I have a couple of weeks to relax before going on to the grass.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Could you put into words how difficult it is to play Jannik right now? He's obviously reached the semis without dropping a set. It just seems very difficult.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Yeah, obviously it's not easy. He's playing fast. He's playing smart. You know, he's basically playing every match under two hours, so physically he's very at a top level, so it's not easy, as you can see. It's not only me who got bageled.

Yeah, I wish him all the luck. He deserves to be where he is. We are all going to wait for the final we all wanted.

Q. Was there anything that surprised you by the way that you played or what you achieved on court in the last two weeks or in the entirety of the clay season that you didn't see coming from you?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: As I have mentioned this many times, I just changed the approach to the game itself. So I came to clay with no expectations but with expectations. I'm not coming to lose in the first round of the tournament, because I played how many events? I played six events.

So definitely it's the best clay court season I ever had, and it's a positive impact on my rankings. I'm back in the top 50, I think where I belong. I do believe that this is just the start to try to climb back, you know, to the top 20 maybe.

Q. I think you have now played Jannik on all the surfaces. Is there any difference with him? Clay, hard court, grass?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: I honestly don't remember. Because we played on grass in Halle two years ago, and I played him first time in Dubai or Miami quarters in 2021. He's been improving since then, reaching a lot of heights in his career.

Yeah, he deserves No. 1.

Q. I'm wondering if this new relationship with clay would make you experience the Latin American Golden Swing in February? Good weather, nice food.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: We have to see the offers, eh? I'm not going there on my free will. I'm sorry, but I don't think this tournament is for me, because I don't spend much time home (smiling).

If I sacrifice the European indoors, that means I'm going to be three weeks in Australia, three weeks in South America. Then it is Indian Wells and Miami, so I'm not going to be home that much. As I said, it depends on what's on the table.

But in the reality, I'm not looking to play that, because it takes weeks off from me as being a father and a husband, which is also important for me.

Q. I remember that in Miami you finished your match against Sinner, and you told him, You're not human. Did he become more human now or even less? Because today you had two breakpoints which were already better than what Zverev got in the Australian Open Finals, because he didn't get not even one breakpoint. How did you find him different, I mean, in this time? He has changed, in your opinion, a bit or became even more solid or more human or dis-human?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: No, that was a joke back then. He was so young and already so focused on playing so well. He reached the final that year in 2021 Miami. Now he's an established top two players of the world right now. He deserves No. 1. He's a multiple Grand Slam champion.

That's something, you know, that probably few people can touch in general. So for me, I believe as I have said many times, he's in another dimension with all the aspects of the game.

Being able to face him another time, it's really nice for the experience, and you try to get something from it, you know, some positives. You see what I was doing was harming him a bit in the second set, so that means I have a little hope in the next times when I'm gonna face similar players, similar like top players that I'm capable of damaging them.

So this is what was important for me, but on his side, I think his tennis already proved everything, you know, and he's going to be for years, years to come.

Q. Do you think that this journey here at Roland Garros might change your approach for the Grand Slams in the future? For instance, Wimbledon is coming. Grass is good for your game. Do you think that you reach maybe this level that allows you to think good Grand Slam now for me is Week 2?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: It's not like I always had a different mindset before. It's just this week I had some luck. First round I had James Duckworth. Was quite one-sided. Then I had upset of Alex, and then I had again a guy outside of top 100. I don't think I got many of these draws. To be able to come through the top-10 player on a slam is not easy.

So especially when you're not seeded. Even if you're seeded. Like, I have been seeded for three years straight, and I haven't reached past the third round. For me, slams is a bit more, is a lot about the draw, in my opinion.

It's a lot about who you play, because I'm going to be like, what, 40 in the world now? I may face the first round, I may go an Alcaraz or Sinner. It's not easy. Or you can have them in second round.

So for me it's to win matches that I supposed to win. When I have the chance, I have to take it, as I mentioned against Jack. If, in Wimbledon, I'm gonna have a chance, I'll do my best to take the chance, but if not, I just go on with another week.

That's how I approach the game always, and I will continue with that, because that's the only way that keeps me healthy.

Q. You have been around a while, but this is still a first for you, reaching the quarterfinals of a major. When you leave here and you reflect on what you have achieved, would you consider changing things or just continue the way it is, or will there be a different approach overall on and off the court?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Why change it if things are working? This is very simple for me. I never had the goals to be a Grand Slam champion. I never had this. I don't think I ever had a thought that that's like -- it's not like about possible or impossible. I never wanted that.

Tennis for me is a journey. Tennis for me is a part of life, an important part of life, but quarterfinal here, it's like achievements on the wall, like a 250 won, 500 won, different surfaces. That's another tick in the box.

If, by the end of my career, I would have -- let's say, now I have one quarterfinal. I have three to go. That will be fun, but if not, it's okay, I have four rounds.

I have this little steps that I would like to achieve, like maybe a Masters win or Masters final, to have these kind of things. So when I'm gonna look back in the 15 or 20 years that I have spent on tour, I'm going to say, Okay, with what I have done with my body, with my tennis, what did I achieve? This is how I'm going to approach that.

As long as things are working, and if, for the next 10 years I will be a top-50, -60 player in the world, that's totally fine for me.