Alexander Bublik Leaves Popyrin Hanging After Paris Masters Win—And He’s Got Zero Regrets
Tennis etiquette just got served—ice cold. Alexander Bublik wasn’t about to play nice after his straight-sets victory over Alexei Popyrin at the 2025 Paris Masters, and honestly? He doesn’t care what anyone thinks about it.
The Kazakh star walked off the court without shaking Popyrin’s hand, leaving fans and commentators buzzing. But Bublik had his reasons, and they’re rooted in something tennis purists hold sacred: respect for the unwritten rules of the game.
Why Bublik Refused to Shake Popyrin’s Hand
So what exactly set Bublik off? It wasn’t a bad line call or some controversial umpire decision. Nope—it was all about net cords.
During their match, Popyrin benefited from two lucky net cords that trickled over to his side for points. In tennis, when you get a fortunate break like that, you’re supposed to acknowledge it with a quick apology or at least a gesture showing you know it was pure luck. It’s just basic sportsmanship.
But Popyrin? He celebrated both times like he’d just hit a winner off a perfectly executed drop shot. No apology. No acknowledgment. Just pure celebration.
Bublik wasn’t having it.
After cruising to a 6-4, 6-3 victory—dominating with 13 aces and an absurd 89% win rate on his first serves—Bublik made his statement loud and clear by skipping the handshake altogether.
Bublik Defends His Actions Without Apology
When asked about the snub afterward, Bublik didn’t mince words. According to Champion AT, he said:
“Well, precisely because if someone hangs two ropes and doesn’t apologize, but celebrates as if they’ve won something… I just don’t see anything wrong with that. I think any reasonable person would have done the same in my place.”
He doubled down further: “They can celebrate and then apologize. I’m not the kind of person to cling to that, but they apologize for it. There’s a code, there’s some kind of etiquette. If someone doesn’t adhere to it, why should I adhere to another?”
Translation? If you’re going to ignore tennis etiquette when it suits you, don’t expect me to follow it either.
And honestly? Fair point.
Tennis Etiquette: Old-School or Still Relevant?
Look, we get it—tennis has changed over the years. Players are more expressive now than ever before. Fist pumps after every point have become standard fare across tours worldwide.
But there are still certain lines most players won’t cross—or at least acknowledge when they do cross them accidentally.
Net cords are one of those gray areas where luck plays an undeniable role in deciding points—and everyone knows it when it happens because even fans in nosebleed seats can tell when fortune smiles on someone unfairly.
The tradition has always been simple: if you benefit from luck rather than skill, you give a little wave or mouth “sorry.” It takes two seconds and costs nothing, but shows respect for your opponent who just got screwed by chance rather than ability.
Popyrin skipped this step twice—and paid for it socially afterward when Bublik decided mutual respect was officially off the table between them.
The Taylor Townsend-Jelena Ostapenko Parallel
This isn’t even close to being an isolated incident this year either—remember Taylor Townsend versus Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open?
Ostapenko lost her mind after Townsend failed to apologize following a net cord that went her way during their match—a moment that spiraled into full-blown drama complete with accusations of being “disrespectful,” “classless,” and even “uneducated.”
Townsend later revealed Ostapenko’s harsh words publicly while defending herself against what she felt were unfair criticisms aimed at her character rather than simply addressing an awkward moment during play itself.
It seems like we’re seeing more clashes over these old-school etiquette expectations lately—but maybe that’s because fewer players seem willing (or aware) they need following them anymore?
A History Between Bublik and Popyrin
This wasn’t exactly out-of-the-blue tension either—the two have clashed before during their meeting at Madrid’s Masters 1000 event earlier this season where things apparently got testy between them already back then too according reports circulating around both incidents now being connected together retroactively by fans online dissecting every detail available publicly so far…
Whatever happened there clearly left lingering bad blood unresolved heading into Paris, which only made this latest snub feel even more personal given their history together now becoming impossible to ignore anymore moving forward, especially if they meet again soon down road somewhere else next time around eventually, inevitably sooner or later, probably guaranteed honestly knowing how these things tend go usually right?
What Happens Next?
Will this become another ongoing rivalry subplot we’ll be tracking throughout future tournaments? Or will cooler heads prevail, eventually leading to reconciliation? Only time will tell—but one thing’s certain: Alexander Bublik isn’t losing sleep over leaving Alexei Popyrin hanging after their Paris Masters showdown ended controversially.
