Alexander Bublik provoked a storm at the US Open with his 'low-key terrible' insult to disability

Alexander Bublik made this remark during his loss to Dominic Thiem Photo: Shutterstock/Sarah Jenesel

Kazakhstani tennis player Alexander Bublik received wide recognition criticism after he insulted people with disabilities during a US Open match.

New York No. 25 bagel was facing a first-round loss to 2020 champion Dominic Thiem on Monday when he allegedly made this comment.

Tim spent the better part of two years battling injuries and his victory over Bagel was his first Grand Slam win since January 2021.

Bublik was visibly upset with his performance and was heard speaking Russian in court: «I'm tired of returning careers to disabled people.»

The Russian word «disabled» can be translated as disabled, sick or injured, and many on social networks, including Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios, disagreed with Bublik's comment, accusing him of using discriminatory language.

Kyrgios — who is out of New York due to an injury — retweeted the tennis influencer who shared the clip of Bagel. Apparently reacting to Bublik's shocking words, Kyrgios added the caption: «This is a terrible low-key moment.»

Bublik's 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 loss to Thiem happened in the same season that and he's been beaten by other constantly injured players, including Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka.

Bublik is often a short-tempered and controversial character known for underhanded pitches, incurring huge fines for bad matches and outbursts of rage. Earlier this season, he quickly smashed three racquets on the court in France.

After Monday's unsatisfactory result in Thiem's ​​favour, when Bublik even committed four double faults in one game, some questioned his efforts.

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Responding to a question about Bublik's comments after the match, Tim said: “That's a harsh statement. Something should not be said at all out of respect. Maybe that's not what he meant.»