Alexander Bublik recently shared his thoughts on the top players failing to prevent Valentin Vacherot from winning the 2025 Shanghai Masters. He pointed out that although Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were absent from the tournament, other players did not take advantage of the situation and allowed a qualifier to claim the title.
This year, Alcaraz missed out on competing at the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament due to a left ankle injury he sustained at the 2025 Japan Open. Meanwhile, Sinner defeated Daniel Altmaier in his opening match in Shanghai but then retired during his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor due to severe leg cramping.
What Did Alexander Bublik Say About Valentin Vacherot Winning the 2025 Shanghai Masters?
Vacherot entered the 2025 Shanghai Masters as an alternate qualifier and made an impressive run through the tournament, defeating top players, including Novak Djokovic, to win his first ATP Tour title. Along the way to the final, the Monégasque defeated Laslo Djere, Bublik, Tomáš Macháč, Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and Djokovic.
In the championship match, Vacherot triumphed over Arthur Rinderknech with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, securing the 2025 Shanghai Masters. With this victory, he became the first player from Monaco to win an ATP Tour singles title.
While speaking on Tennis TV, Bublik recently commented on Vacherot’s victory in Shanghai. He stated that the Monégasque’s win resulted from top players not stepping up and playing their best to stop him from advancing.
“I guess, if he’s able to win a Masters, that’s our fault. All of us, we failed. We didn’t get ready enough for the Masters. That’s all of us, in a way. He cracked, how many top-20 players? Two top-10? He won a Masters. On the other side, there’s Arthur (Rinderknech) killing everyone, so I guess it’s a question to us,” Bublik said.
The Kazakh mentioned that many players in the tournament, who have previously won other Masters titles and Grand Slam events, were unable to prevent Vacherot from winning the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament in Shanghai.
Bublik expressed that despite Sinner and Alcaraz’s absence, other top competitors failed to rise to the occasion and win the title.
“Why are we in Shanghai at the end of the season? How many of us have won a lot of titles? How many of us maybe won a couple of Slams, Masters, and we were not able to stop those two guys? That’s the question for us. And the level between Carlos and Jannik are not there and this was happening,” he added.
Bublik is competing at the 2025 Vienna Open. He is seeded eighth at the tournament and began his campaign by defeating Alejandro Tabilo in the first round, winning with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4. He will next face Francisco Cerúndolo in the second round, with the winner of that match moving on to face either top seed Sinner or Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals.
