ATP player predicted to get ‘very large fine’ soon after heated altercation at recent tournament

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Tennis stars often overstep boundaries and find themselves in trouble with officials for their actions on the court.

Several ATP Tour legends became well-known for their behavior, often receiving hefty fines as a result.

One American star couldn’t stay away from the headlines as John McEnroe was once fined $17,500 for his outbursts at the 1987 US Open.

Fines certainly aren’t a thing of the past as Frances Tiafoe paid out $120,000 last year for his behavior in Shanghai.

The first big incident of 2025 could see another top tennis star receive a fine, after his heated altercation in Phoenix earlier this month.

Steve Johnson predicts Alexander Bublik will receive a ‘very large fine’ after altercation with Corentin Moutet

At the recent Phoenix Challenger event, Alexander Bublik took on Corentin Moutet in a controversial quarter-final match.

Serving for a place in the semis at 2-6, 7-6, 6-5, Bublik was interrupted by his French opponent who shouted ‘I’m not ready.’

In typical Bublik fashion, he responded, ‘I don’t give a s—‘, before winning the match, advancing to the last four.

The pair were then separated by the chair umpire at the net after they exchanged heated words.

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, three former American ATP stars shared their thoughts on the incident.

“Did you guys see [Alexander] Bublik and [Corentin] Moutet get in a fight in the Phoenix Challenger?” questioned Sam Querrey.

“It was awesome,” said Jack Sock.

“What is Moutet doing? Bublik is going to destroy him if they get in a fight,” said Querrey.

Steve Johnson then shared his thoughts on the punishment he thinks Bublik will receive.

“He is going to get a very large fine for that,” he said.

“It was smart from Moutet to walk away from that,” added Querrey.

The American stars then suggested what they would’ve liked to see happen between Bublik and Moutet in Phoenix.

“Can we just let these guys go at it,” said Johnson.

“It looks worse that they were just talking to each other, let them walk into the locker room, solve their problems and be done with it.

“He offered it,” said Sock.

“Bublik said let’s go to the parking lot.

“He says do you want to go? We can go to the parking lot right now, he goes do you want to fight, Moutet started laughing but I think Bublik was ready to take the gloves off and go.

Did Alexander Bublik win the 2025 Phoenix Challenger event?

The Kazakh star had struggled during the early months of the 2025 season, winning just two of his ten matches on the ATP Tour.

• Adelaide International R32 – Alexander Bublik lost to Miomir Kecmanovic, 4-6, 2-6
• Australian Open R128 – Alexander Bublik lost to Francisco Cerundolo, 6-7, 3-6, 2-6
• Open Occitanie R16 – Alexander Bublik beat Dominik Koepfer, 6-4, 6-2
• Open Occitanie QF – Alexander Bublik lost to Aleksandar Kovacevic, 3-6, 2-6
• Rotterdam Open R32 – Alexander Bublik lost to Jakub Mensik, 4-6, 4-6
• Open 13 R32 – Alexander Bublik beat Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-4
• Open 13 R16 – Alexander Bublik lost to Ugo Humbert, 6-7, 4-6
• Qatar Open R32 – Alexander Bublik lost to Andrey Rublev, 3-6, 4-6
• Dubai Tennis Championships R32 – Alexander Bublik lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-7, 7-6, 3-6
• Indian Wells R128 – Alexander Bublik lost to Yosuke Watanuki, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6

Heading to Arizona for his first appearance on the Challenger Tour since 2023, Bublik scored wins over Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata and Corentin Moutet to book his place in the semi-finals.

There he beat two-time defending champion Nuno Borges to advance to the final, where he faced off against Brazil’s rising star Joao Fonseca.

The pair played their part in an entertaining final, as the 18-year-old prevailed in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6, to win his third Challenger Tour title.

Fonseca’s win saw him rise to a career-high of 60th in the world rankings, while Bublik improved to 80th with his run to the final.

Both Bublik and Fonseca will return to action at this week’s Miami Open, as the former takes on Sebastian Baez while the latter faces off against Learner Tien on March 19.