World No. 75, Alexander Bublik, shared his thoughts after defeating fellow player Andrey Rublev in the third round of the Madrid Masters. The Kazakhstani athlete overcame the defending champion with a scoreline of 6/4, 0/6, 6/4, thereby successfully defending his ranking points for reaching the fourth round.
Asked about the key skill that helped him win, Bublik responded:
“I think the key was holding my serve and disrupting his rhythm as much as possible. I cannot outplay Andrey head-to-head – that`s a fact. He is an outstanding athlete, superior to me in all aspects of on-court play. However, I consider myself a creator, an artist in certain moments. It was crucial for me not to let him play his usual style, to divert him from his standard routine, and force him to play on my terms. And today, that approach worked flawlessly.”
Bublik also elaborated on his strategic plan for the match against Rublev.
“Andrey and I have known each other for about 20 years. Playing against him, or any of our guys, is always a pleasure. Today, the main factor for success was managing to impose my game style on him, preventing him from playing comfortably and confidently from the baseline. My goal was to showcase my strengths and make him adapt to my tennis. It worked wonderfully.”
