From pulling off six underarm serves in a single match at the 2024 Open Parc Lyon to throwing his racket in an attempt to catch the ball during the Canadian Open, Alexander Bublik thrives on spontaneity. Moreover, he’s never been afraid to speak his mind. After calling out Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal, now he’s calling his fellow ATP pros “robots.” Is it a diss? A joke? Or something more?

In a YouTube video uploaded on February 7th, Bublik was asked about his relationship with his circuit colleagues, particularly the top players. “They are even robots to a certain extent. In my conception of humans, I cannot call them human. That is to say, they are robots, focused on victory, focused on achievement by any means necessary,” responded the Kazakhstani tennis player.

“Robots that use their own organism and their own body as a means to achieve this goal – regardless of the consequences. And I am forced to come into contact with them, to compete, and even try to beat them from time to time. Of course, for me, they are not people. It is just difficult for me with them, I have nothing to say to them – in fact, not ordinary human subjects. Because they simply do not have time for that. I understand that when your goal is to win a Grand Slam, you do not have time to socialize,” further explained the 27-year-old.

This take on fellow ATP pros comes after Bublik declared he thinks he would never win a grand slam. In an interview with Russian media outlet Match TV, he said, “I don’t think it’s possible, at least in my mind.” Rotterdam contender added, “Your lifestyle matters. To have the chance to be in the top 10, let alone compete for Slams, you must live a different life. I discuss this with the best players every day; I see what they do.”

Surprisingly, Bublik is not the only one who sees tennis pros as “Robots”.

In women’s tennis, former tennis champion Virginia Wade said modern female players are bland, muscular, grunting, insular, robots with no personality. “Their personalities are probably interesting underneath, but to spectators, they’re racket-wielding robots,” she said as quoted by the Daily Mail 12 years ago.

Giving the example of another Alexander (Zverev)—Bublik highlighted the difference in their lifestyles and work ethic. Former World-17 remembered the time he and Alexander Zverev travelled on different flights from Shanghai to Monaco. Arriving on a Wednesday after a 16-hour long flight, Bublik took the following Thursday and Friday to recover.

“I went to practice on Saturday, and Sascha was already there. I asked him if it was his first day of training, and he said no, it was his sixth session. In other words: he trained twice on Thursday, twice on Friday, and that was his second session on Saturday,” Bublik added. 

Noting the German’s grit, he said, “Over a period of 10 years, it’s possible that someone like Zverev has put in the equivalent of two or three more years of work than me. Yes, I can beat him in a match, but if we look in the long term, we can’t compare.”

Even after recognizing the work ethic of top tennis pros, Bublik chooses to stick to his easygoing lifestyle. This approach caused many unexpected moments on the court and was on full display ahead of the 2025 Rotterdam Open. 

Alexander Bublik steals the show at the Open Occitanie tournament

During the Open Occitanie tournament, Alexander Bublik was playing against Aleksandar Kovačević in the quarterfinals. Trailing 3-6, 1-5 and with little hope of a comeback, Bublik brought some levity to the situation by handing his racket to a ball boy, who played a point. The crowd erupted as Kovacevic’s return found the net. Bublik, known for his on-court antics, then unleashed a series of underarm serves, including three consecutively, to hold his serve at 4-1 in the first set. 

Aleksandar Kovačević went on to win that match 6-3, 6-2. Reflecting on the incident, he commented, “I was not expecting to play against the ball kid for a point, but you always know there’s going to be something funny with him (Bublik). I mean, I prepared for that. You know, it’s not the first time he’s having fun out here. It’s not a bad thing. It’s fun for the fans also. But for me, obviously, and for any opponent that he has, it’s important to stay locked in and focus.”

Clearly, Bublik’s unique blend of entertainment and unpredictability sets him apart on the ATP tour. Fans will undoubtedly be watching closely to see how far this approach takes him.