Alexander Bublik’s outburst on the court during his match against Grégoire Barrère in the Open Sud de France tournament on Thursday was a sight to behold.
The No. 6 player in the tournament had double-faulted three times during a tiebreak that determined the match, and his frustration with this result was obvious.
Bublik expressed his anger by smashing his racket on the court five times, resulting in jeers from the fans in the stands. He then proceeded to pick up a second racket and smash it, causing the crowd to yell even louder. He then grabbed a third racket and slammed it down with all his might, and was only done when he had destroyed four of his rackets.
Many fans and commentators were upset about Bublik’s behavior, some even calling for his suspension.
One Twitter user wrote, “and he just taught 100s of junior players that this is the way to act. This needs a serious suspension, like 6 months to stop this behavior that is bad for tennis.”
Another said, “This shouldn’t be tolerated. Along with the $500 fine for racquet abuse from ATP, the makers of the raquets should also implement a hefty fine/consequence as well as each tournament. It’s not the example to give young tennis players especially when they look up to you.”
However, some found it humorous saying, “ahahah, I feel like we’re back in the 90’s 😉 Back in the day, when players like Ivanisevic or Safin used to smash lots of rackets!”
The match eventually ended in a 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 win for Barrère, with the tiebreak being won 7-3. Bublik’s outburst didn’t seem to affect the outcome of the game, but it did make for an entertaining spectacle and a memorable moment for fans in attendance.
Alexander Bublik unhappy to lose his title in Montpellier 🤷
(🎥 @TennisTV) pic.twitter.com/kuZiI035aZ
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) February 8, 2023
