Archive June 3, 2025

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

The most troubled situation in Alexander Bublik’s life occurred after his most successful career.

In a 2020 interview, the 27-year-old stated that he hated tennis “with all my heart” and has always had a complicated relationship with it.

His coach suggested a new strategy after losing eight of his first ten matches in 2025 and falling further down the rankings.

It was least bit unconventional. However, it has been a success to make the switch to less exercise and visit Las Vegas.

Bublik will look to make his first Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday as he looks to extend Jannik Sinner’s incredible, unanticipated run to the French Open.

Just two weeks after he declared his end, he has already upset top-10 players Jack Draper and Alex de Minaur.

“A trip to Vegas was suggested by my coach.” He said, “We’re just going to be out of tennis, [out] of the conversation if you continue to play this,” Bublik said.

“I said, OK, if it goes well, it goes well,” I replied. If not, tennis, I appreciate it.

After falling to the ground in joyous disbelief following his fourth-round victory over Draper, Bublik stood with hands on his hips and covered his face in red clay. Bublik applauded the crowd’s approbation.

He declared to the audience, “Sometimes in life, there’s only one chance,” with tears on their faces. That was the feeling I couldn’t let go of.

It’s the best time of my life to be standing here.

Bublik, who is currently ranked 62nd, will make a comeback to the top 50 after only three months of relegation from the global ranking.

It feels repulsive to me to tell my coach, “I want to quit tennis because I can’t be 80 in the world.” I detested it, Bublik told TNT Sports.

I was unable to cry. I’ll always cry if I have room.

Bublik’s trip to Vegas was never intended to be a training camp, even after making a first-round exit at Indian Wells in March.

In reference to the 2009 comedy film, he claimed it was “like a Hangover thing Vegas.”

Bublik, who has received criticism for his on-court behavior and racquet smashing, claimed that “my fall was not related to my lack of attitude and practising.”

“I just sat there waiting for the results,” I said. I reached the point of thinking, “OK, why are you sacrificing so much?” What is the purpose?

“In Vegas, it was a good three days. I let it out completely.

Five hours prior to his first match, Bublik flew from Vegas to Phoenix, Arizona, for a Challenger event.

He advanced to the final, only Joao Fonseca’s gifted junior reject him. He won the title in Turin two months later.

Bublik, who has a two-year-old son, has always made it abundantly clear that tennis is not everything.

“Tennis is 50% of my life,” I say. Being a father and being a friend are two things that are important to me, he said.

“I won’t compromise my health,” I said. I won’t endure my injuries.

I’m not going to take the Slam if you tell me I’ll win it but I won’t be able to walk by 40.

Since 1999, Bublik has won two victories over top-10 opponents at Roland Garros, making him the lowest-ranked man in that category.

His 41% win rate before this French Open was his lowest across all surfaces, making it the lowest total of his four ATP Tour titles and 11 finals.

Bublik is, however, crucially enjoying his time on the court, which makes him even more dangerous.

You can see me enjoying a good time on the street in Paris in the evening before a game, Bublik continued.

” I’m social. If I don’t feel [it], I can skip the practice. It seems pretty typical, in my opinion.

“This crazyness that social media has caused us to be the best versions of ourselves,” he said.

Jadon Sancho chose one of Europe’s best clubs for the summer of 2020.

The England winger turned 20 when Borussia Dortmund recorded 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga, making him one of the most exciting young talents in the game.

He chose Manchester United, but they had to wait until the following year before agreeing to the deal after misunderstanding Dortmund’s deadline to do so as a bargaining chip.

However, United eventually acquired their man for £73 million in July 2021, with Sancho calling it “a dream come true” and anticipating that the former Manchester City academy player would dominate in the Premier League.

Sancho’s career is at a crossroads after four years and two loan deals with Chelsea, who are willing to pay United £5 million to end his commitment.

Under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the side’s struggles did not help that Sancho’s United career did not begin to turn out to be the best of starts.

Sancho ended his first season with just five goals and three assists in all competitions after being fired in November 2021 as a result of the interim boss Ralf Ragnick’s failure to improve.

When Erik ten Hag was appointed in the summer of 2022, he hoped things would improve for both Sancho and the Old Trafford club. However, the player had a recurring problem that hindered his self-aggrandizement.

Sancho’s timekeeping was a problem prior to his time in Germany, but his performances on the field made Dortmund more willing to give him some leeway.

When Sancho’s form began to decline at United after it became clear he would miss out on being selected for the World Cup in Qatar, the same was not true for England.

Expectations for Sancho had already significantly decreased as he was returning to England for his third season.

Although Marcus Rashford had initially locked him into the left-wing position, he was no longer a guaranteed starter, despite his preference being that of playing on the right.

Ten Hag was then questioned about his absence after the loss to Arsenal in September 2023 when the London-born forward was substituted.

The Dutchman blatantly stated, “We didn’t select him because of his performance in training.” At Manchester United, you must consistently reach a level.

In a now-deleted social media post, Sancho almost immediately responded to the argument.

He stated, “I will not allow people to say things that are completely false.” This week’s training, I did a very good job of myself.

I won’t go into detail about the other causes of this problem, in my opinion. I’ve used as a scapegoat for a long time, which is unfair.

Sancho was forced to leave United for good in January 2024 as a result of his unwavering refusal to make amends to Ten Hag.

The winger had the opportunity to rediscover his best form and rehabilitate his reputation in a familiar setting when he made a second-half return to Dortmund.

He described being back in the Dortmund dressing room as “feeling like coming home.”

Sancho certainly looked more at ease as he helped the Bundesliga side reach the Champions League final, where they were defeated by Real Madrid, without ever achieving the levels of his first spell.

Although his 21 games of scoring and adding three assists may not seem like the most impressive stat, it was no surprise that it took him a while to recover from his lack of activity.

Jurgen Klinsmann, a former striker for Tottenham and Germany, claimed he struggled to find his rhythm and recover, but that his final game of the season was “looking good and looking sharp.”

Sancho left Old Trafford on loan on August 31 because Ten Hag was still in charge that summer, which limited his chances of staying.

The Blues agreed to pay a fee of around £25 million for Sancho if they placed them higher than 14th in the Premier League or have to waive a £5 million clause to exit the deal as part of it.

Chelsea only paid half of the player’s reported £300,000-a-week wages, which were not paid for on-loan.

Chelsea defeated Real Betis to win the Uefa Conference League, and Sancho did just that in the final.

Overall, though, he had a mixed campaign, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists in 42 games.

Sancho is currently on his way back to United, meaning the Stamford Bridge side chose to avoid signing him for £5 million instead of the £25 million fee, which is thought to be the main justification.