Playing through injury is a concept that Alexander Bublik does not believe in. The Kazakh has always prioritized his health over ranking points, and that same health had a narrow shave with jeopardy in Shanghai. The World No. 22 was on site for the Shanghai Masters, where he fortunately missed being injured, even though his car door took some serious damage.

“Guys, I had an accident,” said Bublik on his Telegram account. “I was in a taxi in Shanghai, and then a girl completely crashed into the door. I’m safe and sound, thank God, but the door is all bent. Luckily I hadn’t even gotten out yet. It was a stroke of luck.”

Bublik’s account of the incident shows how mere seconds helped change the potential fortunes of the Kazakh. Bublik has been lucky in terms of injuries as well, as the former World No. 10 has had a career without a major injury, something which is rare in a physically grueling sport like tennis.

Bublik’s luck with injuries is also the consequence of his following the philosophy of not over-straining himself on the Tour. The Kazakh leads by example, as he is not hesitant to skip major events to spend quality time off the court with his family. Bublik has skipped a high-profile event like the Cincinnati Open for the last five years in a row, not because he was injured, but because it falls on his son Vasily’s birthday. When asked, the World No. 22 candidly admitted that his role as a father was important to him, prompting him to stay by his son’s side during the latter’s birthday.

With tennis players constantly on the road, minor traffic skirmishes are not unheard of. Back at the French Open this year, Coco Gauff had a minor incident where the car she was in hit a pole. The defending champion did not sustain any injuries but had to use alternative transportation to reach Roland Garros, where she secured a dominant win over Taylor Townsend in the first round.

Tennis players have suffered serious injuries due to car crashes in the past. One of the most prominent cases is that of Tracy Austin in 1989, when the two-time US Open champion had a serious accident on the highway in New York. Austin suffered some serious injuries, needing knee surgery as well. Having struggled with back and hamstring injuries in her career already, the accident was the last straw for the American, who ended her career in 1994.

As for Bublik, the Kazakh was able to brush off the incident of nearly being in an accident and start his campaign in Shanghai with a win.

Alexander Bublik Starts His Shanghai Masters Campaign With a Win

The near miss with the car did not deter Bublik on the court. The nineteenth seed was in full flow against Tomas Machac in the second round, winning 6-4, 7-6 (4). Bublik showed that he meant business from the very start, as he broke Machac’s serve in the first game of the match and held his serve thereafter to close out the set at 6-4.

Bublik kept up the pace in the second set as well, taking an early 3-1 lead. This time, however, Machac responded by leveling the score at 3-3. Both players held serve to take the set to a tiebreak, where Bublik raised his level on the pressure points, winning 7-4 and closing out the match.

Bublik started the 2026 season well, winning the title in Hong Kong and posting a decent fourth-round run at the Australian Open. The Kazakh had his Top-10 debut as well, but he did come to Shanghai on the back of a three-match losing streak. His path in Shanghai is not the easiest as he is slated to face an in-form Brandon Nakashima in the next round, with a potential meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round.