Alexander Bublik Novak Djokovic ATP

The anecdote between Bublik and Djokovic that ended with... a spy looking to 'steal' information?

Carlos Navarro - 4 Dec 2025
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A Spy Story Unfolding in the Circuit?

If there's one thing we know about Alexander Bublik, it's that he does not hold back. The Kazakh made an appearance on a new podcast and talked about an interesting episode involving Novak Djokovic, where a direct competitor of the Serbian tried to extract information from him. The anecdote is worth hearing: "In 2024, I was ranked 17th in the world but was facing some issues. I was using natural gut strings, which react to everything: humidity, cold, heat... a nightmare. We were in Monte Carlo, I had lost in my debut, a terrible defeat, and I saw Novak.

I knew Novak was a genius in these matters. I knew I wasn't a direct rival to him, so I asked what I should do with my strings. He started detailing precisely what I needed to do: 'Try this tension in training, then this...' He covered all the key points. Soon after, a player of his stature, who was a direct rival of Nole, approached me and asked what he had told me. Maybe it wasn't right, but he insisted. I mentioned it briefly to him, and he asked: 'What else?' Novak didn't see me as a direct rival, but it's information I would never have disclosed to this person because he indeed was." Who was that player? That, I'm afraid, will be left to the imagination of the most creative minds.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La anécdota entre Bublik y Djokovic que acabó con... ¿un espía que buscaba "robar" información?