Is it now?

We're waiting for the moment when Bublik will go back to being Bublik, and there are a few signs…

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like what I’ve been seeing from Bublik for several tournaments now. It started in Rotterdam where he clutched a few matches, but his level was already dropping, then in Dubai and Indian Wells he played some really average matches with an attitude that’s looking more and more like the old Bublik. I think he’s kind of forcing himself to stay focused all the time because these are big tournaments and he’s got a realistic goal in mind, but it’s not in his nature to be fully locked in all the time, at least that’s how I see it. We can hope to see him play a bit better here though, he quite likes this tournament and it’s fast, which is a good start, but I’m going to need more from him, especially in this first round.

And what if Berrettini took advantage of this to sign his big comeback? The Italian isn’t at his best level since returning, but little by little he’s showing positive signs: clutch wins, a bit more physical stamina, and his level is coming back. He’s also defending his quarterfinal from last year, so yeah, we’re talking about a top-11 player on the other side of the net and, above all, an excellent server, and we all know Berrettini isn’t great on the return, so it’s likely to be really, really tough. Logic tells me Bublik is going to be super solid on serve and a bit more capable of making him play from the baseline, but my gut says Berrett’ is going to put in a monster performance and go out and get this one!