‘Don’t disrespect Carlos Alcaraz’ – Alexander Bublik dismisses surprise comparison at Paris Masters

Ewan West 31 Oct 2025 2:45 PM

Pictured: Alexander Bublik and Carlos Alcaraz.

ATP Tour stars Alexander Bublik and Carlos Alcaraz.

Alexander Bublik shut down the notion that he can be compared to Carlos Alcaraz in any way after he was likened to the Spaniard in terms of his wealth of options on-court during an interview.

The Russian-born Kazakh star is playing inspired tennis at the 2025 Paris Masters, where he has reached the quarter-finals without losing a set.

Bublik delivered a stellar display to claim a 7-6(5), 6-2 upset win over world No 4 Taylor Fritz in the last 16 at the ATP 1000 tournament on Thursday.

Alexander Bublik labels Carlos Alcaraz comparison disrespectful

After reaching the Paris Masters quarter-finals, Alexander Bublik was asked a question in which his variety of different shots was compared to that of Carlos Alcaraz
Bublik said any comparisons between himself and Alcaraz are disrespectful to the world No 1
The 28-year-old agreed, though, that his approach to shot selection has been a factor in his consistency over the last six months

Prior to beating Fritz, Bublik downed Corentin Moutet 6-3, 7-5 and Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-3 in Paris. He will face world No 6 Alex de Minaur in the last eight.

Since June, Bublik has doubled his career ATP Tour trophy haul to eight by winning in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbuhel and Hangzhou. The world No 16 reached the quarter-finals at the French Open and the fourth round at the US Open this year.

Bublik is through to his third career Masters quarter-final, and he is aiming to reach his maiden semi-final at this category of tournament.

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What Bublik said about Alcaraz

Bublik sat down with Prakash Amritraj, a presenter and former player, for an interview on Tennis Channel after his victory against Fritz at the Paris Masters.

On the topic of shot selection, Amritraj suggested to Bublik that he has dealt with a similar dilemma to six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.

Amritraj: “I’m going to make a comparison with Carlos here, because I feel like when Carlos plays, he’s got all these different tools, but it’s tough to, almost, choose the right shot at the right time. And I feel like we’ve seen that with you as well, because you pull out all these crazy shots. Do you feel your shot selection has improved?”

Here is Bublik’s response.

Bublik: “Oh, but first of all, you cannot compare me to Carlos in any matter. Let’s put it like this. Don’t disrespect Carlos, okay? I like Carlos since he was 16 years old, playing on a side court in Australia. Don’t disrespect him that way (smiles).

“No, obviously I became better in choosing my shots, yes. Because otherwise I would not be winning matches that often and keep consistency throughout, you know… it’s the end of the season, so since April I’ve been consistent. And I hope to continue the same way.”