Bublik was not only impressed by the youngster’s rally tolerance—”How long can he stay like this? Three hours?” he quipped as he watched him practice before they met each other—but also his technique. Returning serve also proved a challenge.
But in the end, Bublik achieved his goal—winning three points—and presented his opponent with a giant autographed tennis ball.
“It’s tough for tennis players, because we’re used to doing really big swings,” Bublik said. “And here, you see that he’s playing with a very short swing. … What am I supposed to do now?”
The answer? Get back to playing full-sized tennis. Bublik is seeded No. 8 this week at the ATP 500 China Open.
