Alexander Bublik said he didn’t want to celebrate after beating Richard Gasquet at the Open 13 Marseille.
Gasquet is set to retire later this year and the Frenchman was making his last-ever appearance at the ATP 250 event in Marseille.
Playing the 1012th match of his career, the former world No. 7 suffered a straight-set defeat. Afterwards, Bublik asked why he was the one being interviewed.
Gasquet announced his retirement plans last October and has been on something of a farewell tour ever since. The 16-time title winner will end his career on home soil at the French Open this spring.
He’s also been playing as many French tournaments as possible, receiving wildcards into events like the Paris Masters, Metz and Montpellier.
The 38-year-old also got a free pass into this week’s Open 13 Marseille. In 2003, Gasquet became the youngest man to win a match at the tournament when he was just 16 years old.
But he couldn’t make the most of his wildcard, suffering a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Bublik.
Bublik is known for his crazy antics on the court but he showed his class as he handed Gasquet his final defeat in Marseille. The Kazakh asked his opponent about his retirement plans and told him: “I won’t celebrate now!”
Gasquet waved to the crowd as he walked off the court and Bublik stood to the side, applauding and encouraging the fans to show their appreciation for the retiring star.
The world No. 48 joined the emcee in the centre of the court for his interview once Gasquet had left the stage. The interviewer paid tribute to Gasquet, noting that it was his 1012th match, and Bublik had a question of his own.
“Well I have a question, why are you taking an interview from me then?” he retorted.
“I mean, he had a spectacular career. He’s been 20 years on tour, 1012 matches. If I put all my numbers together, I don’t think I would ever get to that point.”
Sending his well-wishes to Gasquet, the 27-year-old continued: “I guess it’s to be a great feeling to play your last Marseille after so many years and I wish him a great retirement.
“He’s going to play a couple more events. This isn’t about me now, he’s a legend of French tennis and I wish him a lot of luck.”
Bublik brought out his usual tricks at the start of the match, smashing a racket after going 0-3 down. But he turned things around, only dropping four more games as he won 6-4 6-4.
Addressing his brief outburst, he added: “I promised myself – well, I tried to promise myself that I won’t break any rackets and when I keep my emotions in me, I mean, I’m not playing well. So I demolished the racket and at least I was free and I could produce some tennis, so I’ll get back to this.”
Bublik will now face another Frenchman in No. 2 seed Ugo Humbert. The Kazakh has never been beyond the semi-final in Marseille but admitted he wasn’t too fussed about going any further.
“We’ll see how it goes. I’m not 20 years on tour but I’m a bit tired too so if I win a couple more matches I’m happy but we’ll see how it goes,” he smiled.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk