"It's something you shouldn't say out of respect" - Dominic Thiem reacts to Alexander Bublik's 'disabled people' comments at US Open 2023

Dominic Thiem didn't have too much of a negative reaction after he was told that Alexander Bublik called him a 'disabled person' during their first-round clash at the 2023 US Open 2023.

Thiem eliminated Bublik from tournament with ease, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, earning him his first Grand Slam victory since the 2021 Australian Open.

Besides playing a poor match, Bublik was caught swearing in Russian during the encounter, with one tennis fan translating what the 26-year-old thought of Thiem.

"I'm fu**ing sick of getting all these disabled people back in their career," Bublik said in the middle of the second set, alluding to Thiem's numerous injuries and his fall in the ATP rankings in recent years,

After a journalist confirmed to the former US Open champion at his post-match press conference that the translation of Bublik's words was right, Thiem gave his opinion on the incident. The Austrian suggested that what the World No. 25 said shouldn't have been done, at least out of respect.

"Yeah, it's a tough saying, you know, something you shouldn't say in general, you know, just out of respect," Thiem said.

The former World No. 3 didn't want to criticize the Kazakh too much, however, saying that there was a chance that the comments might have been wrongly interpreted.

"Yeah, maybe he didn't mean it that way or whatever. But, yeah, what can I say about it?" Thiem added.

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Dominic Thiem to face Ben Shelton in US Open 2023 second round

Dominic Thiem at the 2023 US Open - Day 1

Dominic Thiem will have another tough task on paper at the 2023 US Open, as he is set to face home crowd favorite Ben Shelton in the second round of the tournament.

Shelton defeated Pedro Cachin, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, in his opening match, winning the first match at the US Open after having lost in the first round on his debut in 2022.

Thiem and Shelton will meet each other for the second time in their careers in New York. Their previous encounter came in the second round of the 2023 Estoril Open, with the Austrian winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.

The winner of that match might have an opening in the draw, as their third round opponent won't be Holger Rune anymore. The fourth seed was stunned by Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round in New York, falling in four sets to continue his streak of losses since Wimbledon.