Though it wasn’t a flashy win like a Grand Slam, it meant a lot to the young Kazakhstani player Alexander Bublik when he beat Daniil Medvedev at the Terra Wortmann Open—or Halle Open, as it is more commonly known—in a definitive 2-set match. Bublik, who was previously placed outside the Top 75 of the ATP rankings, will now rise to No. 30 after his fifth ATP title win. And he isn’t taking things lightly while also maintaining his classy humility.

For Bublik, this win was the culmination of a dream tournament. In the quarters, he overcame his biggest hurdle of the tournament: the top seed, Jannik Sinner, who had just knocked him out of the French Open a few weeks earlier. His 36 winners, including 15 aces, were enough to dispatch the world No. 1. Wins against Tomas Machac and Karen Khachanov then sealed his place in the final, where he became just the fourth player to win multiple titles at grass ATP 500s.

In his post-match statement, Bublik made sure to commemorate Medvedev, the current world number 11, by saying, “You’re a great champion; I wish you a lot of success. To beat you here it’s a privilege for me. You’ve been working with your team forever, have been winning Slams, and I wish you a lot more success and a lot more Slams.”

Bublik, however, also didn’t fail to mention his pride in himself for ‘breaking his curse,’ beginning his speech with, “First of all, Daniil, I’ve been cursed to play you forever and never won a set in my life; today I’m happy to get through.”

It’s true, Alexander Bublik has met Daniil Medvedev seven times, and this is the first time he managed to win not only a game but multiple sets! What a feeling to have broken such a deep-seated and seemingly difficult-to-overcome curse, and it looks like Bublik is just getting started.

Earlier in the season, Bublik also managed to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by reaching that point at the French Open, where he ended up losing to the eventual finalist, Sinner. But the Terra Wortmann trophy is Bublik’s arena, as he had earlier won the tournament in 2023, and after a tumultuous year in between, Bublik now looks set for a Wimbledon retry!

Alexander Bublik returns to Wimbledon after nearly quitting last year

There are a few comebacks taking place in the world of men’s tennis today, and one of them is Alexander Bublik. The player, who just last year was considering quitting altogether, now heads into Wimbledon with a newfound confidence.

Alexander Bublik, who lost to Tommy Paul in the third round of the Wimbledon Men’s Singles tournament 2024, said of the moment that he was close to calling it quits as he accepted his second Halle title. “It’s tough to speak. I had such tough months since last Wimbledon to probably this summer,” the two-time Halle Open champion said. “I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon because I was not enjoying it anymore.”

Bublik then went on to acknowledge his own shock at his performance this year, saying, “I promised my coach that I would stay there and keep practicing, and after Wimbledon we will make a decision about whether I need to take a couple of months off before trying to come back. Now this is happening. I don’t know. Quarters at the French, winner here. I have no words.”

With this win coming at the most opportune moment—days before Wimbledon is set to commence on June 30th—Bublik just might be peaking at the right time. Will he one-up his French Open result? We will have to wait for Wimbledon to see what the future (and his coach) has in store for Alexander Bublik.