“There’s a code” – Alexander Bublik makes frustrations clear with Alexei Popyrin as he reveals fact behind handshake snub at Paris Masters

Alexander Bublik controversially rejected shaking opponent Alexei Popyrin’s hand after defeating the Australian in straight sets in the first round of main draw action at the ongoing 2025 Paris Masters. Later, the Kazakh explained why he did so, citing a lack of adherence to tennis code and etiquette from Popyrin.

On Monday, October 27, Bublik, the No. 13 seed in Paris, registered a relatively straightforward 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Australian. During the match, Popyrin won a point aided by the net cord and proceeded to enthusiastically celebrate it instead of apologizing to the Kazakh. This irked Bublik, leading to him snubbing the customary post-match handshake with Popyrin.

In the aftermath of the result, a Championat reporter got in touch with Alexander Bublik, who reflected on the incident saying:

“He can celebrate and then apologize. I’m not the kind of person who would cling to it, but they apologize for it.”

The 28-year-old, currently ranked No. 16 in the ATP Tour’s singles rankings, went on to imply that him not shaking Alexei Popyrin‘s hand was a way to get even with the Australian.

“There is a code, there is some kind of etiquette. If a person does not comply with it, why should I comply with another?,” Bublik added.

Alexander Bublik to lock horns with either Corentin Moutet or Reilly Opelka in Paris Masters 2R

The winner of the first-round match between Corentin Moutet and Reilly Opelka, who are set to play each other on Tuesday, October 28, will go on to face Alexander Bublik in the men’s singles second round at the 2025 Paris Masters. Bublik has a 1-0 head-to-head lead over Moutet, with the Kazakh winning their only ever ATP Tour-level meeting so far in straight sets back in 2022 in Florence.

However, when it comes to his head-to-head against Opelka, the Kazakh trails the big-serving American 0-1. In 2019, Opelka registered a 6-3, 7-6(1) win over Bublik at the Atlanta Open.

2025 has been a stellar year overall for Alexander Bublik, who has so far won four ATP Tour-level titles this year to take his career haul up to eight. The Kazakh is the reigning champion in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbuhel and Hangzhou. His run to the title in Halle, in the buildup to this year’s Wimbledon Championships, included a stunning win over the World No. 1 at the time, Jannik Sinner.