Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan), the highest-ranked Asian men’s tennis player, has come under fire for comparing an injured player to a disabled person.Bublik took on Dominique Tim in the men’s singles first round on the first day of the US Open in New York City on Monday (Sept. 29).Bublik, ranked 27th in the ATP men’s singles rankings, lost 0-3 (3-6 2-6 4-6) to the 81st-ranked Tim. Tim was once a top-level player, winning the 2020 U.S. Open, but has been on a long slump.The struggling Bublik made a troubling comment during the first set.”I’m tired of these disabled people coming back and playing,” Bublik said in Russian, according to local media outlets including AFP, mixing in nutmegs.The remarks appeared to be aimed at the team’s longstanding battle with wrist injuries.Bublik has lost a number of matches to players returning from injury this year. She lost to Stan Wawrinka (SUI) at the Rotterdam Open in February and to Gael Monfis (FRA) at the Washington Open, which ended this month.Bublik’s comments, which appeared to be more of a frustrated monologue, were picked up by the stadium microphone and quickly spread across social media, creating a controversy before the match was even over.Renowned tennis journalist Jose Morgado criticized X (formerly Twitter) for its “incredible lack of respect for the opponent.”Tennis fans continued to criticize Bubblic, saying he was as disrespectful as Nick Kyrgios (AUS), who is known for being a “bully.Kyrgios is known for his frequent clashes with opponents, spectators, and umpires, as well as for spitting on opponents.Even Kirios tweeted his criticism of Bubblic’s comments, saying, “This is the worst thing ever.””If he really said that, I think he said something that shouldn’t be said in a polite way,” the team said in the post-match press conference, “but maybe he didn’t mean it that 토토사이트 way.”
