Alexander Bublik reveals what he told Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the net after beating him in the final of Gstaad

Bublik’s progress was halted briefly at Wimbledon. The Kazakh player came into the tournament as a potential dark horse for the title. However, he lost in the first round to Jaume Munar.

Despite this setback, Bublik has endeavoured to bounce back at the Gstaad Open in Switzerland. On Sunday, he defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo to win his sixth ATP Tour title.

Bublik says Gstaad Open final ‘one of the toughest’ he’s ever played

During the acceptance speech, Bublik was complimentary of his opponent, claiming the final was one of the toughest he had played.

Bublik said: “First of all, Juan, I told you at the net this was not tennis, it was complete ‘torturing.’

“This is my sixth title and I have played the greats of the game but this final I will remember as one of the toughest I ever played so good job to you, congrats to your team, that’s really, really good.”

Bublik was made to fight for his victory in Gstaad. Cerundolo, ranked 109 in the world, performed admirably across the week, beating both David Goffin and Casper Ruud on his way to the final.

The Argentinian player made 73 per cent of his first serves, while also limiting Bublik to winning only 39 per cent of his second serve points.

However, Bublik’s 13 aces helped carry him to victory against Cerundolo, winning 6-4 4-6 6-3.

Bublik returns to the ATP top 30

The 28-year-old has returned to the top 30 on the ATP Tour with victory in Gstaad.

The Kazakh had dropped outside the top 30 following his shock loss to Jaume Munar in the Wimbledon first round.

However, his triumph in Switzerland has seen him move above Alex Michelsen, Sebastian Korda, Brandon Nakashima and Tallon Griekspoor. The achievement marked his first ever tour-level title on clay.

Now ranked 30 in the world, Bublik will be aiming to capture a seeded position at August’s US Open.