"I told you in 2021 that he wasn’t human," Bublik jokes about his prediction on Sinner
Jannik Sinner has reached the final of the Rome Masters 1000. In his first tournament since returning from suspension, the world No. 1 has defeated Mariano Navone, Jesper De Jong, Francisco Cerundolo, Casper Ruud, and Tommy Paul, dropping only one set so far in the tournament.
The Italian will play the final on home soil against Carlos Alcaraz—a long-awaited clash between the two leading figures of the new generation. In the quarterfinals, Sinner impressed by crushing Casper Ruud, who had recently triumphed in Madrid, conceding just one game to the Norwegian (6-0, 6-1).
On Instagram, Tennis TV posted a highlight reel of the Australian Open champion’s best shots, and one player in particular seemed to enjoy the show: Alexander Bublik.
The Kazakh wrote in the comments section: "I told you in 2021 that he wasn’t human," referencing what Bublik himself had said to Sinner after their match at the 2021 Miami Masters 1000.
Back then, Sinner won (7-6, 6-4) in the quarterfinals before reaching his first final in that tournament category at just 19 years old. He later lost to Hubert Hurkacz.
"You’re not human, man. You’re 15 years old and you play like this? Good job," Bublik had sportingly praised Sinner at the net after their match four years ago. Since then, the Italian has come a long way and now stands as the best player in the world.
On a 26-match winning streak since October, he will attempt to overcome Carlos Alcaraz, who has gotten the better of Sinner in their last three meetings.