Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, the 22-year-old said that he only plays tennis for financial reasons, admitting that he would retire if he earned enough prize money.

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“I hate tennis with all my heart,” said the player, currently number 55 in the world ATP rankings. “To be honest, I don’t see something positive in being a tennis player. I only play for money. If there was no money, I would stop playing tennis instantly.

“I haven’t earned enough money, [otherwise] I would have already retired.”

The player, who competed for Russia before changing his citizenship in 2016, confessed that he even has a ‘skeleton’ tattoo dedicated to tennis.

“I have seven tattoos and each has a particular meaning in my life. The one I have associated to tennis is a skeleton that has a tennis ball in its hand, It jogs my memory that I should endure this sport every single day,” Bublik said.

Bublik beat French rival Benoit Paire in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-final of the tournament in Marseille, where he will face off against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.

His best Grand Slam tournament result to date was reaching the third round at the 2019 US Open, where he was beaten by Spain’s Pablo Andujar.