At 28, free spirit Alexander Bublik has learned that victory is worth fighting for

Alexander Bublik had one goal when he started 2026: To make the Top 10 for the first time. Conveniently for him, he began the year ranked 11th. When he won a title in Hong Kong the opening week, he was—voilà—in the Top 10. Goal achieved.

Bublik celebrated accordingly after his stellar final-round performance, dropping to one knee and staring at his team with a look of joyful disbelief.

That only left one problem: What was he going to do for the next 10 months?

Asked on Wednesday if he had anything else he wanted to achieve this year, the always-honest, often-surprising Bublik said:

“Well, I guess, just be nice to my family. I think that’s important.”

I enjoy winning more than in the previous years. For me, it’s really like, that’s how I started to play.

At 28, after a decade on tour, Bublik seems to have learned that self-imposed pressure and lofty longterm goals aren’t his thing. Two years ago, after reaching the Top 20, this famous free-spirit—“I’m not the most professional guy on the planet,” he has said—decided to take his career more seriously. He would work with a coach, train hard, lose weight, become a “soldier.” He would even, he said, “stop drinking.”

It didn’t work. Instead of continuing his move up, he dropped to No. 80 in the world.

“I just burned out waiting for the results to come,” he said.

Bublik decided that he didn’t want to put his body through the constant strain that it would take to make the Top 10.

“If I can’t walk at the age of 40, it’s OK?” he asked himself. “No, it’s not,” was his answer.

And what do you know, once he eased up and lowered his expectations, his ranking started rising again. Fast. In 2025, he won four titles, made the Roland Garros quarters, and recorded a win over ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner. His obvious and varied talents were finally being used productively, rather than nonchalantly.

By mid-year, I began to notice something else about Bublik: He was celebrating his victories and titles like a guy who really cared about winning, and going all the way at tournaments. In the past, it seemed that, as long as he kept making enough money to feed his family, he didn’t need the glory, didn’t care about hoisting trophies. Bublik was a little like Gael Monfils and Marat Safin, uber-talents who didn’t feel the need to dominate their tour-mates week in and week out.

With Safin and Monfils, I wondered whether their attitudes were self-protective: Were they hesitant to put it all on the line, because it would make losing even more crushing? The same thing came to my mind when I saw Bublik trying underhand serves, front-facing tweeners and drop-shot returns of serve.

Sometime in 2025, though, Bublik decided that the feeling he got from a victory was worth the risk of defeat.

“I enjoy winning more than in the previous years,” he said after his second round this week. “For me, it’s really like, that’s how I started to play.”

It also meant that, rather than tinkering with his game or trying new things, he had found what worked and would stick with it.

“For me it’s more about keeping the consistency, keeping the rhythm, doing the things that are working now,” he says. “As long as it’s working, I’ll try to continue.”

There’s no reason for Bublik to change anything at the moment. He’s 6-0 in 2026, and has two straight-set wins over two quality opponents, Jenson Brooksby and Marton Fucsovics, this week. The numbers bear out his words about consistency. Against Brooksby, he hit 13 aces and 47 winners, and made 73 percent of his first serves. Against Fucsovics, he hit 12 aces and 48 winners, and made 70 percent of his first serves. In both matches, he hit at least 20 more winners, and made at least 20 more errors, than his opponents. Whether he’s connecting or misfiring, Bublik has been controlling the action.

I have no joy of coming here, taking the third set, losing in five, yelling, breaking racquets. I don’t feel the need to do that.

What’s most important for him is that he’s not taking mental vacations during matches, the way he once did. That winning feeling is worth going to battle for, no matter how long to takes or how tough it gets.

“I aged a bit, I matured a bit,” Bublik says. “I’m treating it more like work. I came here to win matches. I came here to do everything that is in my power…to get the win."

“I’m trying to fight. I’m trying to get the balls back. This is the mentality I [caught], as I said, since last year….I have no joy of coming here, taking the third set, losing in five, yelling, breaking racquets. I don’t feel the need to do that.”

Late Friday night in Margaret Court Arena, Bublik will play Tomas Martin Etcheverry for the first time. After that, he could face Aussie fave Alex De Minaur in what would be a popcorn special in front of a partisan crowd.

Bublik says he doesn’t know how he’ll feel in the future, whether he’ll remain “this hungry” or “rather stay at home.” For now, he seems locked in.

And now he knows something else: Winning matches, and achieving goals, is worth putting yourself on the line for.