Oleksandr Bublyk (25th seed) exited the US Open 2023 in the first round, and a statement made during a match with Dominic Thiem caused a wave of indignation. The Austrian won in three sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Oleksandr BublykPhoto: USA TODAY Network / ddp USA / Profimedia

Oleksandr Bublyk: “I can’t force all these disabled players to return to their careers”

With the score 6-3, 4-1 in favor of Tim, Bublyk spoke in Russian (his native language), saying the following: “I can’t make all these disabled players go back to their careers.”

This season, Bublyk has already lost to players returning from injuries and major absences on the ATP circuit: Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, and now Dominic Thiem.

The announcement rocked the tennis world, with even the controversial Nick Kyrgios taking a stand, saying we were dealing with something “terrible”.

Dominic Thiem’s ​​elegant response after the Bagel’s attack

Responding at a press conference to questions about his opponent’s statement, Dominic Thiem made the following comments.

“I don’t know if the translation is correct. If so, this statement is difficult to understand. Something that usually should not be said about anyone just out of respect. But maybe he didn’t necessarily mean that or something else. But what can I say about that?” – Dominic Tim.