Bublik mocks Nadal and Murray: "Suddenly, one is bald and old"

The Kazakh, outspokenly, harshly criticized the retirement methods of both legends and also claimed that doping controls were skipped.

Óscar Belloch | 5 Jan 2025 | 21.50
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Alexander Bublik. Photo: Getty
Alexander Bublik. Photo: Getty

Alexander Bublik is one of those players who doesn't hold back when he sees something he doesn't think is right. Just as anarchic on the court as off it, this time he didn't hold back in criticizing the retirement methods of legends like Rafa Nadal or Andy Murray, also claiming that he was not present for some surprise anti-doping controls that organizations carry out at players' homes.

Instead of wanting to start the season in a quiet and relaxed way, Alexander Bublik prefers, once again, to make wild and controversial statements. He will participate this coming week in the ATP Adelaide, but before that, he gave an interview to the Russian media Match TV, in which he made statements that are impossible to ignore.

- Murray's Role in Djokovic's Team

The Kazakh sees that, after his retirement at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Andy Murray is just clinging to the past: "Murray is trying to go back to what is no longer there. I think it's a problem, I hope the same doesn't happen to me. Maybe at 36, I'll play the Bangkok Challenger, but even so, I hope to leave with a clear conscience and soul." The Brit will join Novak Djokovic's team in the coming days to prepare for the 2025 Australian Open.

- Retirement of Nadal and Murray

Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal are two of the greatest players in history. Both reached the tennis Olympus for their legacy both on and off the court. However, Bublik sees their retirement "as a shame, more than a circus. They achieved everything, even us players looked at them in awe in the locker room and suddenly, one is bald and old. He's not the same and will never be the same."

"It's clear that I'm not Rafa, one wants to leave at their best moment. My legacy will be much smaller, if it can be called that", said Sascha, ending firmly about Rafa and Andy's retirement approach: "What happened with Murray and Nadal is a circus, I can't call it anything else."

- Skipped Anti-Doping Tests

Bublik was asked about the recent doping cases of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek and explained that he skipped two out of the three tests a player can evade before being suspended for a year and a half: "I didn't notify the change of my home address from Monaco to St. Petersburg and they came looking for me in Monaco. That's how I missed the first test."

"The second time was different. On April 20 I registered for the ATP Geneva, starting on May 25. I received a notification that I had a second test because I hadn't informed the officials of my participation in Geneva. I had to report, but I wasn't sure whether to do it even though I had submitted the application. They equated this to a full anti-doping test pass". Sascha explained that if he missed another one, the penalty would mean "the end of my career", so he spent a year "in a state of panic".

Alexander Bublik's next match will be at the ATP Adelaide on Tuesday, January 7th, against Serbian player Miomir Kecmanovic.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bublik raja de Nadal y Murray: "Uno está calvo y viejo"