Qui aurait imaginé voir Alexander Bublik en quarts de Roland-Garros ? Le fantasque kazakh a réussi l'immense performance de dompter un joueur pourtant en grande forme, Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. En feu, Bublik a claqué 68 coups gagnants et proposer un tennis sensationnel pour décrocher la victoire la plus dingue de sa vie. A 27 ans, il jouera son tout premier quart de finale en Grand Chelem. Sur terre battue, peu l'aurait imaginé. Le Kazakh pourrait se frotter à Jannik Sinner pour une place en demies. Un défi colossal.
« Le tennis, partout & toujours ici », sur https://www.tennisactu.net / Tennis Actu
00:00BNP Paribas, partenaire des plus belles histoires de Roland-Garros, aux côtés des ramasseurs de balles depuis plus de 50 ans.
00:30Je ne sais pas. Je ne sais pas. J'ai eu un certain skill set pour jouer tennis et j'ai travaillé aujourd'hui, 100%, c'est une des meilleures days de ma vie et une des meilleures matches que j'ai joué dans ma vie, c'est simple.
00:52Alexandre, congratulations. To put it simply, do you get nervous on a tennis court? Because it doesn't look like you do.
01:01You know, sometimes I feel like there's a certain amount of matches that I played in my life. For example, the Halley title that I won, the Roland-Garroson doubles that I didn't.
01:11And today's match, you know, sometimes I have a feeling like there's only one chance. So if I would get broken, 7-5, 6-2 maximum for me. I would not even try to fight.
01:20So I told to myself, you have this chance, you do your best. If it doesn't work, I'm out. In certain moments I do believe there's only one chance.
01:29So in that regard, I had simply no other, you know, source I have to win. So I did my best and it worked well. But as I said, if it wouldn't, then it's over.
01:43So that's how I approach it and that's why I played full and I played high risk because that was the only chance.
01:50Hi, Alexander. Congrats. You've won more matches this season on clay than the three previous years combined.
01:58What do you think changed? Is it more a mental thing or a game plan changed?
02:03Maybe this is the first year I haven't complained about playing on clay, as I don't have a lot of options because I was dropping a lot in the rankings.
02:10So, yeah, I mean, I guess that's the key.
02:13So I was going to ask, you've spoken about, you know, the fact that you're not going to be like every other player and push yourself to the absolute limits.
02:22Does today kind of vindicate that or does it make you hungry to maybe push yourself further because you might get more moments like today?
02:29The good thing about this question, as you mentioned, is you might get. Will I put my life and health on the line to have a might, you know, maybe? No.
02:41But I will continue my path. I will work my way because I still practice, guys, don't worry. I'm not like hitting 30 minutes a day.
02:48I still do the exact minimum and maximum at the same time in order to be the player I am, to have to be in the position I am.
02:56And I'll continue with this path because I think I prioritize tennis and the life in equal way.
03:04So for me, it's a 50-50 relationship. So it's not like tennis takes 90 and then it's OK.
03:09You know, if I can walk at the age of 40, it's OK. No, it's not.
03:12So for me, it's finding the balance. It's doing necessarily what I have to do in order to be able to compete against the top of the game,
03:21which I showcased every every season I played in the past six, seven years.
03:26But will I put my health on the line? No.
03:29And do you think I'm so glad that I have this kind of work life balance because I look at others and they don't quite frankly?
03:35I haven't got the first part. Excuse me.
03:37Do you think do you think I'm glad I have this work life balance because you look at others and they don't and they don't like they're loving it?
03:44You got to ask them, you know, we have to give you this answer if they don't.
03:48I cannot just say on someone else's behalf and if they don't or they do.
03:51So for me, I'm talking about myself and that's how I see and that's how I approach life.
03:56So for me, that's important.
03:57Congratulations.
03:58There's a lot of talk in the sport that sort of celebrates hard work all the time and at all.
04:03Maybe especially it celebrates suffering and hard work and how you get rewarded for putting in hard work.
04:07And that's sort of a message.
04:08I think people want this work to pass on to people and to kids and stuff.
04:12I guess what do you what do you hope is sort of the message of of your success in this sport?
04:17There is no way around hard work.
04:19Don't get me wrong.
04:20I work hard, but on my terms, you know, I do what I'm capable of doing with my body.
04:27But I will not push through any injury in order to have a certain chance to win a certain match.
04:34So for me, there is no way around hard work.
04:36I've been working very hard and I do work very hard.
04:39But I, as I said, prioritize the health and my lifestyle as well because I have a family.
04:45I'm a father.
04:46And I have to do the father duties.
04:48And this goes at 50-50 balance.
04:50So sometimes it didn't work.
04:52Sometimes it worked marvelously when I was top 20.
04:54But for me and for the kids, if we're talking about, there is no way around hard work.
04:59You have to put hours and hours.
05:01And for certain players, in order to hit a serve I'm hitting, you require 100,000 hours.
05:07And for someone, you require 20.
05:09So that's the main difference.
05:10About your skill set, about what you're capable of and how can you be, let's say a top 50.
05:16Let's say a top 50 is a good mark.
05:17How can you be a top 50 player?
05:19What do you have to do for that?
05:20What do you have to do for that?
05:21So that's important.
05:22Do you think that your winning today, though, can show people that having some sort of moderation
05:27can actually be a key to success?
05:28Where you don't burn out.
05:29You don't go too far and do these things.
05:31Even I burn out.
05:32So for me, the very important thing, as I said, you have to find your own balance.
05:36So if you're ready to put your body on the line and you want to slam, for example, when
05:41you do that, do it.
05:43It's your health.
05:44There's choices you make every day.
05:47And these choices lead you to something.
05:50And I think every person has to decide, every athlete needs to decide if the sacrifices he's
05:56making to have a phantom chance, if we're talking about the younger generation, to have
06:01a phantom chance to be with us.
06:04Is it worth it?
06:05Go.
06:06Go for it.
06:07But don't complain if it's not.
06:09Because there's a lot of things above the hard work in order to be a top 50 player,
06:16player.
06:17So that's the approach.
06:18So you know, for everyone, it's different.
06:19Congratulations.
06:20Thank you.
06:21In your journey, in your career, if you had to say what you are most satisfied with,
06:34what has given you the most pride, what would that be?
06:39I'm not a, you know, like a proud person.
06:42I don't take my results as a, you know, a pride and I'm proud of myself of doing certain
06:48things.
06:49I think tennis is the game that I chose to play, that I worked hard in order to be sitting
06:54here in front of you guys and winning titles and making great results.
06:59But there is no, like I wouldn't, like I couldn't name you one thing that would make me proud
07:06at the moment.
07:07What gives you satisfaction, maybe another better way to put it?
07:11Sport itself, I guess.
07:13The balance that I have, the moments like today, the moments like I had in the past and also
07:22the tough moments because without tough moments wouldn't be the happy ones.
07:25So for me, it's all part of life.
07:27It's all part of, you know, the journey I have, you know, the destiny I have.
