Three drops, “Big Willy” in front and serve from below: the incredible game of the showman Búblik in Adelaide

Alexander Bublik He is one of the great showmen of the tennis circuit. The Kazakh, 31st in the world, never goes unnoticed on the court, because in addition to having the talent to play tennis, he always delights the public with his particular charisma and the unusual shots that he usually hits with his racket. That’s what they did in the quarter-final clash ATP250Adelaide before Italian Lorenzo Musetti25th, who won 6-3, 6-7 (4-7) and 7-5.

After winning the first set by a good margin, Bublik did not start well in the second and was down 1-4. Then he played a great service game, one of those that are now his trademark. He was 40-0, with three good serves and threes dropswhich he threw without much conviction, almost without effort, but which were very effective because they made his rival uncomfortable.

And then he played a very unorthodox last point, but which made the audience delirious. A low serve, which meant that the ball arrived very close to the net, on Musetti’s side of the court. And then a cross pass that hit between the legs and left the Italian confused. It’s a curious celebration, with a big smile and a bow of gratitude in front of the applause of the spectators.

The show didn’t end there, because at the beginning of the third chapter, with Musetti serving, the Kazakh player threw a very open ball with such impetus that he found himself next to a fan watching the match from the front row. seats. And when he noticed that the man had a packet of crisps, he stole one from him and ate it while he returned to the pitch, sparking laughter in the stands. Bublik in its purest form.

The one born in Gatchina 26 years ago then broke down, because Musetti provided a break in the seventh game (4-3) and then served the match with the score 5-4 in his favor. But Bublik recovered serve in that match (5-5) and stole serve from his rival again in the 12th, sealing the victory with a 7-5 after two hours and 38 minutes. Now he will face the English Jack Draper for the passage to the final.

The Kazakh is one of those players who seem to relax tennis, with a more frontal way of being and some extravagances, which at the beginning provoked the anger of his rivals, but which today everyone accepts as a natural part of his game.

“I want to play the way I like, if I try anything else I’ll end up mentally broken. Life has given me the opportunity to dedicate myself to something that I like and in which I can choose how to work,” he commented at the end of last year in an interview on the site Sample. “I can insult myself, break my racket and do stupid things, but I always try not to disrespect my opponent.”

Argentinians will be able to enjoy Bublik’s “madness” live in a few weeks. The winner of three ATP titles will lead the Kazakh team that will face the blue and white in the series Qualifiers of the Davis Cup 2024. The appointment will be at Jockeys’ club From rosary beadson 3 and 4 February, and the match will offer a ticket to the group stage of the competition’s Finals.