“The change of behavior with some players always makes me laugh when you see them shaking your hands, laughing, and they go up 30 spots and they’re like…” he trails off, scoffing. “Then imagine, for me, Roger [Federer] needs to fly, like Jesus on the water.”
At No. 17 or No. 80, Bublik is very much the same person—for better or, according to some players, for worse.
“Tennis doesn’t affect me as a human being,” insists Bublik, who will next face No. 12 seed Tommy Paul, the very player who beat him last year at Wimbledon. “I’m not feeling more confident in life if I’m No. 17 in the world, or less confident if I’m No. 80 in the world. It’s not affecting me, so tennis is a part of my life, which I enjoy. I dreamed of being a tennis player and I respect it a lot, but it’s not me. I’m just a tennis player.
“I don’t care if I win or lose, I’m still the same Bublik for my family, the same father, the same friend, and I have the same values for myself.”
Watch Bublik’s full interview with Prakash Amritraj for his thoughts on doubles and whether he’ll play mixed with Elena Rybakina at the 2025 US Open.