"They try to put players in some kind of cage so we don't talk" - Bublik not a fan of new ATP player policies

A move by the ATP to enforce stricter punishments against those who break the rules could have negative consequences, according to Alexander Bublik.

The governing body of men’s tennis has recently issued an internal document to players confirming that they will be reviewing their code of conduct and have urged officials to be stricter when it comes to dealing with those who commit code violations. It comes after a series of high-profile incidents earlier this season involving the likes of Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios, as well as others.

World No.36 Bublik has criticized the decision by arguing he and his peers are being put into ‘cages.’ The Kazakh admits Kyrgios’ antics are at times ‘not appropriate’ but says he is a valuable asset to the sport because he brings fans to the game:

“Nick brings tonnes of fans, what are they here for?. This is sport, it’s supposed to be a bit of emotion and they (the ATP) try to put in some kind of a cage where we cannot talk. I am 24 and I see who brings attendances and fans to the game. Have you ever seen doubles fans? No. He brings doubles fans."

Bublik continued:

"Sometimes he does something not appropriate for tennis and they want to make a cage even tighter for us. I don’t think it’s good for sport, maybe if you are 65 and you come with your grandkids and they don’t want to hear bad words, but the reality is in America the stadiums were full. Australia they were filled, everywhere. For me I am not a fan of it, we should have more room. I think we need people who bring attendances. Of course you cannot do certain things and you need to be punished, but let us talk, don’t look at us every minute when we talk.”