"Discourse on Alexander Bublik will never be as nasty as discourse on Ben Shelton" - Fans taken aback by Kazakh's unexpected retirement in Stuttgart

Alexander Bublik retired in the middle of his quarterfinal match at the 2024 Stuttgart Open, to the surprise of many. The Kazakh No. 1 was facing Lorenzo Musetti.

Bublik was seeded No. 3 at the Stuttgart Open and faced No. 5 seed Musetti in the quarterfinals on June 14. Both men began the contest on a strong note, holding their serves until the Italian was broken in the seventh game. This was enough for Bublik to take one set advantage.

Musetti hit back in the second set, breaking Bublik twice to restore parity. Early in the decided set, Bublik was broken in the first game, and that was it. The Kazakh unexpectedly retired from the contest and handed Musetti a 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (r.) win.

Tennis fans had a mixed reaction to Bublik's decision, with many wondering if discourse about his withdrawal would draw the same scrutiny as Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe's antics on the court.

"But I bet you the discourse on Bublik will never be as nasty as the discourse on Ben for simply being emotive/bringing college tennis energy to the pros," a fan wrote.

"I wonder (I don’t; I know) if all the people laughing and thinking this is cute “classic Bublik” would think it’s so funny if this were Frances or Ben…" commented another fan.

Some fans even demanded action be taken against Bublik for his withdrawal from the Stuttgart Open quarterfinals without any apparent reason. A fan suggested a six-month ban from the ATP Tour, while another joked about the pay disparity between men's and women's tennis in light of Bublik's antics.

A fan said, "Bublik should be kicked off the tour for 6 months."

“Equal pay,” another fan quipped.

"Where’s his tanking penalty," a fan asked.

On the other hand, few fans found Bublik entertaining and opined that he probably did not want to push himself harder in light of his title defense at Halle Open next week.

"Idk maybe he wants to be in his best possible shape in order to defend his 500 points in Halle," a fan tweeted.

"Bublik remains the most entertaining player in your." another fan wrote on X.

Alexander Bublik to defend the biggest title of his career at Halle Open 2024

Alexander Bublik pictured at 2023 Halle Open

After his withdrawal from the Stuttgart Open, Alexander Bublik will not have much time to rest and recover as he will have to rush off to Halle to defend the biggest title of his career. The 26-year-old emerged victorious at the ATP 500 tournament last year and dazzled the crowd with his flare and flamboyant style of tennis.

Bublik is seeded No. 7 at the 2024 Halle Open. The tournament has a star-studded lineup, with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner leading the pack and five of the top 10 players in the main draw list. Bublik is drawn in the same section as Sinner and will begin his campaign against a qualifier.

The Kazakh is also playing doubles. He has paired up with French youngster Arthur Fils and will face experienced doubles duo Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek in the first round.