Alexander Bublik revealed he was once “seriously panicking” that he would be suspended due to an anti-doping rule violation after missing two tests in a year.
Per the ITIA rules, a player is not allowed to miss three doping tests in a year.
If that happens, it is possible for the anti-doping authorities to assume that a player is deliberately trying to avoid providing his sample.
Currently, two former top-100 players are serving suspension because they breached that rule – Jenson Brooksby and Mikael Ymer.
Now, Bublik shares that he was on the verge of missing three tests in a year after failing to notify the authorities about the change of his residence and also about his participation at the ATP event in Geneva.
This presumably happened in 2023 as that was the year when the Kazakh last played in Geneva.
Bublik: I was in a serious panic because two absences are a lot
“Once I didn’t change the address of my house in Monaco to St. Petersburg, and people came to Monaco. You can miss a doping control three times (in a year), and that’s how I got my first,” the world No. 27 told Russian Match TV.
“I took it calmly – yes, I made a mistake. Then it happened that on April 20 I entered the tournament in Geneva, which started on May 25. I received a notification that I received a second (missed test) because I did not notify them (doping officers) about participation in the tournament in Geneva…
“During the year I was in a serious panic attack because two absences are a lot. Another one is three years of disqualification and effectively the end of my career.”
Fortunately for the four-time ATP champion, he didn’t miss a third test and therefore avoided the breach and a suspension.
Meanwhile, Bublik started his 2025 season on Tuesday at the ATP 250 tournament in Auckland, where he was beaten by Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.
Tennis World USA