Alexander Bublik appears as the main face of Europeans, but he is not the only one. Timofey Skatov and Mikhail Kukushkin bring explosion and experience respectively.
It is likely that more than one grimace of unease was displayed by the Kazakh delegation when they first stepped onto Club Trentino’s main court at La Serena. The orange brick dust, the sea wind and the low speed of the bullets facing the Pacific , are elements that don’t like a game accustomed to playing on cement and, hopefully, in high altitude cities, where a fast style takes on more value. But that’s not why the series is won.
Facing Garin, Tabilo, Jarry, Barrios and Lama, there will be a team made up of players with great resources and stories. A team that has just played in the Davis Cup World Group and does not seem willing to lose this place this weekend in the north of the country.
A goal that will undoubtedly be key Alexander Bublik (32nd). He is Kazakhstan’s number one and the most important male tennis player in the history of the nation which shares its territory between Europe and Asia. A distinction is made between men, since if we analyze the female tennis players on this list, their most important athlete is Yelena Rybakina, current Wimbledon champion, Australian Open finalist and number 10 in the WTA rankings.
Bublik for his part found his best result at the ATP 250 in Montpellier by beating Alexander Zverev and winning his first ATP title. In doubles, on the other hand, he managed to reach the final of Roland Garros 2021 with Andrey Golubev another of the nominees to face Chile this weekend.
But Bublik’s problem will be that on January 4 and 5 he will have to face his worst enemy: brick dust. On several occasions, the tennis player has made clear his lack of sympathy for the surface, the most memorable being the one he experienced at the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo last year. “I want the clay season to end and we are playing on grass now! I hate the earth, I admit it, I hate this surface! he launched on this occasion.
Statement that a few weeks later he deepens in an interview with the German media Eurosport. “I don’t like clay courts. I don’t like anything about it. But I will play in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros, I have to earn money. I play for it. Also, events like Madrid are mandatory, you have to play. I am a professional and I have no other choice.” was his analysis.
In fact, he went further and when he was knocked out in the first round of the Spanish Masters 1000, he was again relieved by brick dust. “I had no idea how much I hated this surface and how happy I am to be back home.” completed.
In relation to this, it should be noted that the only game the Kazakh lost to a Chilean player was on clay. The duel in question was the confrontation at the ATP 500 in Hamburg against Christian Garin . On the other hand, the two times he was measured against nationals on cement (one against Garin and the other against Jarry), he was victorious.
The other two biggest players on the Kazakhstan roster are Timofey Skatov and Mikhail Kukushkin two tennis players who stand out for their differences, but who can become a big problem for the Chilean commission.
The first is the great promise of Kazakhstan, since at 22 he was in the final of the Australian Open qualifiers (lost to Jarry) and last week he reached the final of the Concepción Challenger.
Kukushkin, on the other hand, is a 35-year-old experienced player who, despite bad personal weather, has had an excellent career on the circuit and in the Davis Cup. With more than 15 seasons as a professional, he achieved his best place in the standings (39th) in 2019.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
