Heat Block: Alexander Bublik Reflects on His US Open Journey

Kazakhstan’s tennis player, the 25th ranked in the world, Aleksandr Bublik, shared his thoughts on his performances at the US Open, where his best showing was reaching the third round in 2019.

— What has prevented you from achieving greater success at the US Open?
— I don’t feel comfortable in the heat. Wimbledon is a prime example. I thought I had trained enough to handle the heat, but there’s a mental block for me. When it’s hot, I really struggle to do anything. I forget the score. In those conditions, all I can think about is how to get myself back to normal. It’s not panic attacks, but I feel terrible. I just don’t want to collapse in the heat.

It’s always hot in America and Australia. Year after year, we hit the same wall. We try to find solutions, but so far we haven’t. After a match at Wimbledon, I told Artyom: «See, it’s hot again.» You can count on one hand how many matches I failed to close when serving for the win. At Wimbledon, I serve and have no idea what the score is. I go to wipe my face with a towel — but it’s not there, even though I know where it should be on the court. My body has this heat block. Perhaps this US Open could be a breakthrough in terms of my gameplay. I’m not just talking about results, which depend on more than just me, — Bublik’s words were relayed by Championship correspondent Yegor Kabak.