Alexander Bublik doesn’t know how he will be able to overcome Jack Draper after admitting intimidation at the British No 1’s fighter-like training regiment.
Draper has put the tennis world on notice across the past 12 months and will soon go to fourth in the world rankings, having surged up the charts from 40th this time last year.
He claimed his first ATP Masters title at Indian Wells earlier this year and has continued in fine stead at the French Open, taking Roland Garros by storm.
On his way to the fourth round, he has convincingly dispatched Mattia Bellucci and Joao Fonseca as well as putting on arguably the match of the tournament so far with home favourite and eternal entertainer Gael Monfils.
And Bublik, who will be the next to try and derail Draper, has become the latest to hail his rise ahead of their clash on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
"Jack, for me, is insane," said Bublik. "I saw him first day here. I'm like, are you getting ready for UFC?
“I mean, last year the guy is 40 in the world. This year he is top five in the world. That’s a crazy achievement. He doesn't seem to stop, so I mean, what do I have to do to beat him? I don't know.
"I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing, and we all know what I'm capable of doing on court and then we see how it goes.
“This is the approach I have now, and Jack is a great sportsman, great person.”
Draper is looking to go even better than his best Grand Slam performance to date, which came last year at the US Open where he reached the semi-finals. There, he was beaten by eventual champion and World No 1 Jannik Sinner.
This will be the third time Draper and Bublik, ranked 62nd in the world, will face off, with the Brit coming out victorious in both previous meetings at Queen’s Club in 2021 and in Adelaide in 2024.
"I know him since I played him in the qualifiers of Queen's in 2018 or something (a three-set win for Bublik in 2019). He was a little kid," Bublik added.
"Then when he beat me in Queen's, and he told me 'I finally got you'. I said 'let's speak when you're in the top 50', because he was like 300 in the world, and now he's top five.
"So now I have to have some courage to play, and we'll see how it goes."
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