Roland Garros 2025: Alexander Bublik, the free spirit taking on the “robot” Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik have one thing in common: they will be heading to the Philippe-Chatrier court on Wednesday afternoon, June 4, to play their quarter-final at Roland-Garros. Otherwise, everything sets the two men apart. The Italian, world number 1, is a monster of consistency, capable of playing for hours without getting frustrated and doesn't say a word louder than the other once he leaves the court. In short, a "robot" , or even a "performance freak" , said his Kazakh opponent, who does not have quite the same rigor.

Alexander Bublik prefers to cultivate his eccentricity. With talent in his racket, he refuses to meekly conform to the lifestyle of the professional tennis circuit. Skipping a workout because he's not in the mood? No problem. "From my point of view, I'm a normal person. It's other people who make me feel different," explains the 27-year-old. Like France's Benoît Paire or Australia's Nick Kyrgios, he's not above flashes of brilliance. His matches are worth watching, if only for the spectacle.

One day, the Kazakh may decide it's better to hit a smash with the handle of his racket, and score the point as a bonus. The next, he'll prefer to entrust his work tool to a ball girl, convinced she'll do better than him on the court. Another day, his anger will cause the destruction of not one, but three rackets in quick succession during the middle of a match.

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