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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Tumaini Carayol in Rome

‘We live in a fake world’: Alexander Bublik on honesty, insults and why doubles isn’t real tennis

Alexander Bublik in action against Jiri Lehecka in Monte Carlo in April
Alexander Bublik in action against Jiri Lehecka in Monte Carlo in April. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Neal Simpson/Apl/Sportsphoto

There are few experiences on the professional tennis circuit more uncomfortable than being Alexander Bublik’s opponent. The task of deciphering one of the more talented and unpredictable players is challenging enough, but there is also a risk of being on the receiving end of a few stinging insults.

Over the years, Bublik has become notorious among Russian-speaking fans for his scathing rants about his rivals. There have been times when he has loudly wondered, to nobody in particular, how on earth his opponent could be ranked so high and others when he has focused on viciously skewering their games. He has also reserved plenty of scorn for himself and the sport as a whole.

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