Tennis star Alexander Bublik has received an astonishing amount of money for merely practicing with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. However, if his past comments are anything to go by, the controversial Kazakh star won’t have enjoyed a minute of it. Bublik,28, is having a major moment currently. He is at the ATP Finals for the first time in his career. The world No. 11 is operating as first alternate in Turin, meaning he will be called up to replace any player who pulls out of the tournament during the group stage.

Alternates receive £118,000 just for turning up and remaining on the premises of the competition. Bublik earned just short of £120k for two hours training with Alcaraz on Saturday at the Inalpi Arena in the capital of the Piedmont region, with the Spanish superstar getting the better of Bublik. Yet the Russian-born star may care little about the result. Some time ago Bublik, who is known for his outspoken ways, confessed that he “hates” having to play tennis every day.

Bublik, who has reportedly earned just under £5million in prize money, said: “I hate every day I have to play. To be honest, I don’t see any positive aspect to being a tennis player. I only play for money.”

“If there were no money at stake, I would stop playing. I haven’t earned enough, otherwise I would have retired already, and I think I will probably die playing tennis.”

Bublik’s alternate status in Turn may well suit his ethos. The ATP Finals in Turin award a cheque for £3.8m to the undefeated champion. For participating, the eight qualified players receive £252,000 each. For each victory in the group stage, the amount rises to £302,000, while reaching the final pays out £900,000.

Bublik also once shaded his rival Jannik Sinner when it came to the question of cash. Appearing on the Tennis Channel, Bublik, in response to being told that he had banked a hefty amount in his career, sarcastically quipped: “Like Jannik Sinner said, ‘Money is not the thing'”.

However, in 2022 Bublik clarified his stance on his controversial comments. He said: “The media has been doing it wrong many times. With my speeches, sometimes they take my words out (of context) and use them.

“It was not a joke that I said I play tennis for money because at that specific moment I was not enjoying what I was doing. But as time went by and it has been three years since that interview, things have changed a lot and I do enjoy playing tennis now because I realized that this is what I wanted to do when I was a kid.”

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The 2025 French Open quarter-finalist even revealed that he had ambitions of taking after the greats of the sport. He added: “When I was growing up I was standing in front of the mirror wearing Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer clothes dreaming of playing in (tennis) arenas.

“When this thing (media reports of Bublik’s comments) about playing for money got too big, I was like this is not entirely true because I was dreaming of standing here in front of thousands of people. I definitely enjoy and love playing tennis.”