Alexander Bublik is not the one to mince his words on anything and everything. In a recent interview, the Kazakh player shared his free-flowing views on several topics, including doubles tennis. It is no secret that the former World No. 10 is no fan of doubles, but on this occasion, he took his rant to a whole new level, denouncing doubles players altogether in the sport.

Bublik opined that players who lacked the necessary skill set to succeed in singles chose the doubles side of the sport. Calling it “half tennis”, he completely dismissed the notion of doubles players being serious tennis players, claiming that the players who could not make it in doubles gave up the sport completely, choosing padel.

“Because they’re doubles players, it’s not tennis. It’s half tennis. If you can’t play singles, you play doubles. If you can’t play doubles, you play padel. Very simple,” said Bublik. Bublik doubled down on his previous comments, where he called doubles tennis a joke and drew criticism from players and coaches alike.

Multiple players over the years shared the same opinion on doubles. American tennis player Reilly Opelka made a brutal admission, saying, “Doubles is for failed singles players.” Nick Kyrgios, whose sole Grand Slam title came in doubles (2022 Australian Open), had a similar take on doubles tennis. It is not only the players of the current generation but also former greats like John McEnroe and Marat Safin who have not taken doubles tennis seriously.

Beyond doubles tennis, Bublik was equally blunt about money and the financial motivations for playing the sport.

Alexander Bublik Makes Honest Admission About Money and Tennis

Bublik made an honest admission, saying that even though playing professional tennis was fun and his passion, making money from the sport was a key aspect for him. While other players play it close to their vest while answering about their earnings, the Kazakh had a realistic perspective, and was not shying away from the fact that money was as high a priority as winning trophies.

“I think you realise quickly, once you start making your first money playing tennis, that it’s a big business,..It’s nice to win trophies, it’s nice to be playing in a beautiful arena, it’s all nice, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to pay yourself, and I think that was the very first motivation I had when I became a professional”, added Bublik.

From a financial perspective, 2025 was the most profitable year for Bublik on court. The Kazakh won four titles across all three surfaces and earned $2.9 million, the first time his yearly prize money crossed $2 million. He had a breakthrough run at the French Open, reaching the quarterfinals, and was the only man other than Carlos Alcaraz to get a win against Jannik Sinner at Halle.

Bublik started the new year carrying his form from the previous year, which saw him win the title in Hong Kong and reach the semifinals in Rotterdam. He started well on the European clay, reaching the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo, but since then his form has dipped, with opening-round exits in Munich and Madrid and a third-round exit in Rome. The Kazakh needs to get his footing as he will have 400 points to defend in Paris, and an early round exit might see a steep fall in the rankings.