The Surprise Quarterfinalist: Alex Bublik

Roland Garros

The Surprise Quarterfinalist: Alex Bublik

Yesterday, Alexander Bublik pulled off the biggest upset of the men’s draw, beating World No. 5 Jack Draper to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. This was a huge result for Bublik, who was a Top 20 player just twelve months ago, but dropped to 82 earlier this year, and seriously considered quitting the sport.

How did he do it?

With booming groundstrokes, feathery drop shots, and a whole lotta showmanship. Safe to say I would’ve paid a lot for a ticket to this match. Let’s dive in:

Taking the Backhand Early

Time and again, Bublik stood on the baseline and took Draper’s backhand early, sending a flat, aggressive reply back crosscourt. The early timing rushed Draper, forcing him to roll back spinny, slower forehands that gave Bublik all the time he needed to dictate.

With that extra time, Bublik had options. He could redirect the ball, drop shot, step in and come to net, or rip another backhand cross court. The variety kept the World No. 5 guessing—and chasing that ball like your childhood golden retriever. Good boy Draper.

Bublik’s ability to take the ball so early was partly physical. At 6’5”, the Kazakh meets the Brit’s heavy topspin right at waist height, while most players are fending it off above their shoulders. That made a huge difference on clay, where high bouncing balls usually neutralize flat hitters.

The Drop Shot Approach

Drop shots on clay? Common.
Drop shots as approach shots? That’s Bublik.

Over and over, he used the drop shot not just to bring Draper forward, but to follow it in. And it worked—he went 33 for 40 at the net, a ridiculous stat that we were more used to seeing in the McEnroe days (or so my dad tells me).

Draper likes rhythm, long rallies, and structure. Bublik denied him all of it. Instead, he broke up the rally length, shortened the court, and pulled Draper into uncomfortable positions all afternoon.

Vegas, Doctor’s Orders

Let’s rewind to March. Bublik could hardly string two wins together. He was at risk of being out of the Top 100. And the worst part? He says he was training hard. Working in the gym. Focused on the court. Grinding.

So his coach did what any great tactician would do: booked him a trip to Vegas.

In press, Bublik clarified it wasn’t a training block in Vegas—it was “Vegas Vegas, like hangover thing in Vegas.” You know, the kind of reset you don’t tell your nutritionist about.

And hey—it worked. Since then, he’s won a title, knocked off a Top 5 player, and made the RG quarters. Sometimes you don’t need a new racquet. You need roulette, regret, and a rooftop pool.

Honestly, I believe it. In any profession, sometimes the best move is to zoom all the way out. Let go of the pressure.

I certainly know where my USTA 5.0 team is headed after this rough season.

Trivia

This player was once disqualified from a match at Queen’s for kicking a line judge in the shin. Who was it?

A. David Nalbandian

B. Marat Safin

C. Andrey Rublev

D. Benoit Paire

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Ons Jabeur

From: Tunisia 🇹🇳 

Career High Ranking: 2

Fun Fact: She is the first African and Arab woman to play a major singles final

Talk about finesse. What makes Jabeur’s game so fun to watch—and so maddening to play against—is how often she slices, dices, and drop shots her opponents into chaos. In a sport dominated by baseline bruisers, she flips the script. Instead of trading heavy groundstrokes, she turns points into cat-and-mouse. Think Tom & Jerry—only she’s always Tom, setting the traps.

Career Prediction: The Tunisian trailblazer has already made history, with three Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of No. 2. She missed much of 2024 with a shoulder injury and is still working her way back. While it’s unlikely she’ll hit the same peaks again, she remains a fan favorite everywhere she plays—and the tour is better with her on it.

Memes

A rare photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bicep at age 4

Around the Net

Some of my favorite tennis content I found on the internet this week…

🎙️ Vintage footage of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer belting out karaoke

🤯 The best shot from Week 1 of Roland Garros (insane)

🥐 There’s nothing more French than this giant croissant that will keep you satiated during a long 5-setter, and make your blood-butter-level above a 0.08

Answer

A. David Nalbandian

Despite everyone else on the list being a major hot head, it was the Argentinian that kicked a wood plank in front of the linesman’s feet, which snapped, hit the ref in the shin, and caused him to bleed. More evidence that tennis is actually a contact sport. Full video of Nalbandian giving the line judge the boot here.