Currently, the women are enjoying their first campaign back at the Queen’s Club Championships since 1973, with the event already going down well amongst the masses.
It marks a new initiative to reinvigorate tennis in the country, whilst also furthering the already-established brand associated with this tournament.
Two full weeks, a festival of tennis, flitting from the WTA to the ATP as Wimbledon looms.
However, the latter has already seen some of its notable stars pull out injured, with Tommy Paul, Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Musetti the three outstanding names to have ruled themselves out.
Frustratingly, they now have another departure to contend with, but this one is ironically not related to an injury.
Alexander Bublik pulls out of Queen’s Club Championships
In fact, it just seems like Alexander Bublik would prefer to play elsewhere.
Having been registered for both Queen’s and Halle, the latter was likely always his primary destination given he has played there the last two years in a row, winning the title in 2023.
He has flitted between these two events in the past, playing the former in 2022, but enjoying success in one specific event is always bound to draw him back.
And, with Halle seeing some of their star power drop out as well, a spot has opened up for the man who soared into the French Open quarter-finals just earlier this month.
He’ll be hoping to maintain that form despite the stark shift in surface.
Alexander Bublik could have a strong grass-court season
After thriving on the clay of Roland Garros, Bublik will be freshly backed as someone to support heading into the grass-court season.
Especially given how his thunderous yet deft game favours the latter surface rather than the slow, high-bouncing dirt.
And yet, he still managed to storm into the French Open quarter-finals, defeating the world number five (at the time) on his way to that stage. Bublik’s win over Draper led him to claim that he was enjoying ‘the best moment’ of his life, but there might still be more to come.
After all, should he convert this newfound energy, and apply it into a real effort to improve and compete, Bublik has everything needed to be a huge threat on grass and at Wimbledon.
It’s just a shame that the Queen’s crowd won’t be treated to his enigmatic, unpredictable play style.
