"Any reasonable person would have done the same" Alexander Bublik explains Paris handshake snub

Alexander Bublik explained why he did not shake hands with his opponent Alexei Popyrin after his victory in the first round of the Paris Masters. The world No. 16 returned to winning ways with a minor controversy, after fans and social media noticed that the Kazakh chose not to offer the traditional handshake to his rival.

It had been a match that tilted in Bublik's favor from the start, as he arrived as the favorite amidst a great season. The 28-year-old player has 4 titles this season, and his victory against Popyrin also puts him in the top-15 of the live ranking, which could be his highest position ever in the ranking during his career.

The Kazakh is undoubtedly one of those who benefits from the indoor hardcourt conditions, and he did not hesitate against Popyrin. He won 89% of points with his first serve and totaled 13 aces to secure a straightforward 6-4, 6-3 victory. The Kazakh secured three breaks on 5 opportunities, while Popyrin only managed one break on his 4 chances throughout the match.

After the match, Bublik hurried to greet the umpire and head to his own bench, without stopping to wait for Popyrin to shake hands at the net. Social media began to speculate on the reasons behind Bublik's snub of his rival, which he finally explained a few hours later in conversation with Championat.

The journalist present, Ekaterina Muradyan, asked Bublik if he had been annoyed that Popyrin did not apologize for a point where the ball hit the net, cutting the rhythm of play precisely on a break point in Bublik's favor. “Well, precisely because if someone clips two net cords and doesn't apologize, but celebrates as if he's won something... I just don't see anything wrong with that [the snub],” Bublik stated.

“I think any reasonable person would have done the same in my place, that is, if I had ever done that. They can celebrate and then apologize. I'm not one to cling to that, but they apologize for it. There is a code, there is a kind of etiquette. If someone doesn't comply with it, why should I comply with another?”

The world No. 16 advanced to the second round of the Paris Masters, where he awaits his opponent, who will emerge from the winner between Corentin Moutet and Reilly Opelka. “For me, it’s mostly about the mindset that I go into the tournament," Bublik said to Tennis Channel after the win. "Now I came to the point when I have a chance to achieve something big—maybe be in Turin, or maybe make Top 10 because I’m not defending many points.

“It’s a bit easier now, because… if I’m No. 30 in the world, what? Why am I playing here? I would lose first round, go on vacation… Now I enjoy more because, you know, maybe I’m gonna achieve something big that I never thought I could achieve, and it would be stupid to waste that.”

The Kazakh reaches a 34-20 record this season, where he already has four titles: the ATP 500 Halle Open and the ATP 250 Gstaad, Kitzbuhel, and Hangzhou Open.