Alexander Bublik will be back in action on the ATP Tour next week at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Kazakh star, who cracked the top ten for the first time in his career earlier this year, is seeded second at the ATP 500 event.
Following his best year on tour in 2025, Bublik has started 2026 well, with the 28-year-old having clinched a ninth title in Hong Kong.
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He then made the fourth round at the Australian Open before reaching the semifinals in Rotterdam.
Bublik was scheduled to feature at the Qatar Open last week, but he pulled out of the tournament before his opening match; a decision he has now explained.
Alexander Bublik discusses his withdrawal from the Qatar Open
Explaining his withdrawal in an interview with Tennis TV, Bublik said: “Well, I think I really needed that because I have played basically four events in a row.
“I have played Hong Kong, Australian Open, Davis Cup and Rotterdam, and all of them were quite successful for me except for the Davis Cup loss, but it still wasn’t demanding.
“So I had a few issues before coming to Rotterdam, and we were thinking if we could play the tournament, but I pushed through.
“I made the semifinal which I was really happy with because it was beyond the expectation in that term because I arrived one day before the tournament in a different continent and it was a bit challenging.
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“But for me, I think when I came to the Middle East, I came to Doha, one of my favourite tournaments alongside Dubai actually; it’s one of the few events that I nearly never skipped in my life, and I came, and I felt like I don’t want to come here and give a poor performance.
“I think I have played a lot of tennis in the past, and I think I just want to prioritise my health, and if I go on court, I want to give it 100%.
“I want to give people an experience who bought the tickets that they’re going to see me playing well, or at least doing my best, and I felt like in Doha I couldn’t do that, so I took a decision that I have to pull out and head to Dubai the same day, and I was here ready for five days.
“I was relaxing, I was practicing and I was getting ready for Dubai.”
Alexander Bublik says players don’t have a duty to entertain
Bublik has been one of the most fascinating stars to watch in tennis, often for his comical antics on the court.
Asked if players have a duty to entertain in tennis, Bublik replied: “No, we don’t. I don’t think it’s necessary to do it if you don’t want to.
“And if it’s not an exhibition event, when they ask you to do that, sometimes when you come, they say, hey, can you throw in a couple of under-arms serves and all that, then I guess you are part of your contract with an exhibition tournament.
“But I think here we all came to work, we all came to win matches, we all came to make points, titles and money.
“So for me it’s not an obligation, but if you want to, if you feel like it, it’s great. If you don’t, I mean, don’t be upset if you bought a ticket.”
Bublik will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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