Alexander Bublik is one of tennis’ most chaotic and entertaining personalities at the moment, but has seemingly toned down the theatrics in recent weeks.
This concerted change, which has led to a string of fine results, actually brought about just his fourth career title in France earlier this month.
He proved himself more than capable of mixing it with the game’s top players, and the way in which he has sharpened his focus to start exercising his will on matches is impressive.
But what is this newfound motivation which is helping Bublik thrive? We take a closer look…
What motivates Alexander Bublik now?
Having been guilty of claiming his sole focus within tennis was financially oriented, his latest interview has sought to clear up those comments.
Whilst he sticks by them, suggesting that it unsurprisingly remains a huge motivation, he also outlined newer, more important ones that are seemingly driving him onto better things.
Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, the 26-year-old claimed: ‘Is money the ultimate goal I want? And then you answer yourself no, because money is a very nice motivator for the first couple of years, months, depending on how good you are.
‘For somebody winning a slam and that’s it. Some of the qualifiers making a semis of a slam like Karatsev did he’ll win like a million dollars or whatever the prize is. I haven’t checked because I haven’t got there.
‘So I think that was the huge motivation at the beginning of my career, at the beginning of 2019 when I first break into the top 50 and maybe until the end of 2021. I had it like okay, that’s good, I made 100k and all this.
‘And then I realised I want something more, I want something more than just money because with age you realise there are a lot of ways to make money, big money, so that’s not a goal anymore.
‘The goal is to play good, to be a good role model for the kids, for the future generations, for my son of course. That’s a huge motivator for me as well. And to try to put your name on some titles.
‘Of course it’s never been and never would be the ultimate goal, because the ultimate goal is just to enjoy what you do and be happy at the end, because sometimes you push yourself too much and you’re thinking ‘What am I doing here? I don’t even like it, I don’t wanna even be here’. So that’s not me’.
We are seeing a revitalised Alexander Bublik
Having beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime and Borna Coric on his way to the Open Sud de France title last week, his competence and fighting spirit were emphasised.
Especially given he became a history-maker, as the first player on the ATP tour to win a title having come back from a set down in every single match.
It was this tournament run which truly emphasises this newfound focus he has forged, as well as a fighting spirit he would previously not have had.
Money alone cannot bring this kind of energy out of a player. It finally seems like he is playing for something bigger than himself, and in these last few years of his 20s, it will be interesting to see how many more upsets he can continue making.
That is, despite being having just been dumped out of the Rotterdam Open by Milos Raonic, a seasoned veteran and monster server.
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