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Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan defeated Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to clinch the title at Halle on Sunday, June 25. It was the 26-year-old's first ATP 500 title and he beat a few more fancied players like Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner before overcoming the Russian in the final.
Bublik is an exciting player to watch and almost never fails to entertain the crowd. His title triumph in Halle was a statement that he made ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon, which also puts him among the contenders for the century-old tournament.
On that note, let us take a look at two reasons why Alexander Bublik might spring in a few surprises at Wimbledon.
#1 Alexander Bublik’s ability to combine power with subtle touch
Bublik showed an exceptional ability to combine power with a silken touch. On one hand, he kept firing his first serve away with a lot of power, and on the other hand, he dragged his opponents to the net by playing drop shots repeatedly.
The quickness of his hand also meant that he managed to win a lot of points through volleys from the forecourt. He definitely has one of the better combinations of drop shots and volleys in world tennis at the moment. Very few players in the world actually play the drop volley as well as the Kazakh does.
In addition to that, Bublik also fired 21 aces in the final and 14 more in the semifinal, which underlines the prowess of his serve. All of that is going to be useful in Wimbledon as well.
#2 Ability to cover the court well
Alexander Bublik is also blessed with a strong pair of legs that enable him to cover the court really well. Rublev made him move from side to side with his angled shots in the final, but the Kazakh was able to cover the width of the baseline really well.
Moreover, his ability to venture forward quite adroitly allowed him to follow up his drop shots really well. His dynamism and nimbleness are going to be valuable assets in the upcoming Wimbledon. The only thing that seems to be going against him is his tendency to adopt a high-risk approach, which could prove to be counter-productive.
Bublik’s tendency to play lobs often makes him vulnerable against the prospective overhead smash by his opponent. If the Kazakh works on the above aspect, he will be a force to reckon with in next month’s tournament.
