MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 31, 2021

Alexander Bublik

Press Conference

J. SINNER/A. Bublik

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Amazing tournament. Which are your feelings in your game after this quarterfinal run here in Miami Open?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: I didn't understand the question.

Q. How do you feel your game or which are your main feelings after this great tournament and reach the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 event?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: I mean, it's good. It's a part of game. I reached a quarterfinals which is great for me, and, you know, just I have another week to play.

I mean, yeah, I'm alone here so I have nobody to celebrate with tonight, but I would definitely do it if I would be here with my coach and wife.

Yeah, it's okay, it's good. The quarterfinals, it's okay. I mean, I'm happy.

Q. You are a fantastic player to watch. A little crazy, because today you had so many chances first set, second set. Explain me...

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: I cannot talk to you in your so-Italian way (smiling).

Q. Yeah, but you have a sponsor, I like your sponsor. Tell me what goes through your mind when you do those funny things? And then you say to Sinner, You're not human.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: He's not. That's a fact. You know, I asked him if he's a human or not, because for me, like from myself, it's very surprising that the guy at his age have this mental toughness that, you know, many, many other players don't have. I called him a robot couple of times during the match, but I do it in a very sincere way because he's really, really a great player.

I was very surprised that again I played him in a very crucial moment in the tiebreak, he developed some incredible shot and pulled off some incredible two shots when it was 5-4. Yeah, I mean, every time when I had a big point, either I need to go super crazy like I was doing it with the forehand and just, you know, shot that goes in with 5% chance, or he's playing like really unbelievable.

So that's why I ask him if he's even a human. He asked me if I'm a human. Of course I am. I make double faults when I'm breakpoint down because I get a little bit tight.

Yeah, definitely, that's what I meant.

Q. You were asking on court how fast that fast return was. It was 105 miles per hour, if you were curious.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Yeah, I know, I know. He told me.

Q. This tournament, this run, does it do anything for to you change your expectations for clay coming up in terms of what you can achieve if you want to keep making more Masters quarters and better?

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Well, definitely the more Masters quarters the more prize money you get. So it's nice, no? Why not? I mean, I'm here to play tennis, and if I can go to the quarterfinal, semifinal, or win any tournament, I mean, any tournament that I can win, it would be nice. It's okay. Sometimes you lose; sometimes you go quarters. I lost how many Masters before?

Yeah, the time was here to make quarters. Maybe next time I make other result. Yeah, I'm pretty happy and pretty confident about my game. I just try and head to the right direction, do the right stuff and enjoy life.

Q. What makes Jannik a great competitor? Seems like you have played some competitive matches here over the last few weeks against each other.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Well, he's just strong. He's mentally strong, he's physically strong. I mean, he's a great player.

As you can see, he's what, 19, 18 years old, and he's making this impact on the tour. He doesn't really like, you know, fall. You know, like you see some youngsters, they come up and they lose some match 2 and 2. Jannik is built different. I said it to his coach.

Yeah, I'm very happy the way I played, and I'm happy for the guy. I mean, it's cool. Some young ones rising, it's nice.

Q. Wondering a little bit more about there has been a lot of talk about the PTPA and the ATP players organizing and standing united. Where do you stand on that topic? Are you more on the PTPA side, or do you feel like you guys are in a good position with the ATP? Just your comment on kind of what happened earlier in the week.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Well, I only saw the video when Vasek tried to sue ATP or whatever he was saying (smiling). I don't know.

I'm not with this PTPA or whatever it calls. Definitely not a single organization is perfect. I mean, for me of course, I mean, we could do better, but at the end of a day, ATP providing us, I can't really say much because I'm not with Novak and I'm not 100% with ATP.

I'm just trying to make my living here, and just if I go into this, imagine this talking, because I have been, when this PTPA started, I have been to this group and so much talks. They try to do so much things but nothing is going to be done. You know that.

Basically it's all about talking at the moment. I haven't seen anything that happens, really. I only see that ATP increase the prize money on one tournament. I see ATP reduce the prize money on the other one because they have their own things going on. I'm not there.

But for me, I don't like to put another pressure on myself, other thoughts, thinking, going, we ban this tournament or don't go there. No.

I just want to play tennis. I enjoy my life. I enjoy what I make. Of course if Novak make me earn more, I'll say thank you. But I won't fight for it, because if they want to fight, they fight. It's cool.

I'm more on ATP side because at least we are playing now, and, you know, they are doing for me -- sometimes they do a good job, sometimes they do a bad job. But it's not about ATP as in general, as tour managers, because I never talk to someone like Gaudenzi. I'm not sure if he decides everything alone, in my opinion. You know, he can't make it, Okay, this guy, this tournament we make 15 million prize money or this tournament.

In my opinion. I don't know. I'm not good politico or I'm not trying to, you know, go against it because I believe before that we were making good money. We were making, like 2019 playing, I don't know, I played 12 events, I made like 900,000. I mean, that's kind of okay, you know.

Of course we are not hockey or we're not football. But at the end of the day, ATP feeds us, and I don't want to go against it because I don't see anything that Novak or Vasek can really sue them for and really win something. That's my opinion.