Jack Sock claims Alexander Bublik was ready to take his clash with Corentin Moutet to a parking lot but the Frenchman laughed it off and didn't have interest in getting physical with the four-time ATP champion following a tense Phoenix Challenger moment.
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As the Kazakh was preparing to serve for the match at 6-5 in the third set of their Phoenix thriller, he had to stop with his service motion after hearing from the side his rival saying: "I'm not ready." The 27-year-old - who is known for always honestly expressing himself - seemingly thought it was a move made to throw him off and bluntly fired back: "I don't give a s---."
However, Bublik stayed calm and closed out the match in that game to complete a 2-6 7-6 (4) 7-5 and progress into the Phoenix semifinal. While the players shook hands at the net, they also exchanged some words - which led to the chair umpire stepping between them to prevent the situation from escalating.
Sock: Bublik was ready to fight in a parking lot
"He offered it, Bublik said let's go to the parking lot! He said, 'Do you want to go... we can go to the parking lot right now.' He goes, 'Do you wanna fight?' And Corentin Moutet, like, started laughing as if it was... but I think Bublik was like ready to take the gloves off and go," 2017 Paris Masters champion Sock said on the Nothing Major Podcast.
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In his next Phoenix match, the Kazakh former world No. 17also beat Nuno Borges. But then, he suffered a tight two-set defeat in the final after rising star Joao Fonseca handed him a 7-6 (5) 7-6 (0) loss.
