"I'm so lucky you're 10 years older than me" - Alexander Bublik's message to Andy Murray after beating the Brit at Indian Wells
Alexander Bublik defeated former World No. 1 Andy Murray in straight sets in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday. The Kazakh edged a tight first set in a tie-break before pulling away in the second to seal a 7-6(9), 6-3 win.
After the match, the two shook hands warmly at the net and exchanged words. Bublik admitted he was "so lucky" Murray was 10 years older than him, hinting that he would have had no chance at beating the Brit had they been the same age.
"I'm so lucky you're 10 years older than me," said Alexander Bublik to Andy Murray at the net.
'I'm so lucky you're 10 years older than me' 😂
The best of a fun one between Bublik and Murray in #IndianWells 👇
In an interview with the Tennis Channel after the match, Bublik explained the reasoning behind his comments. He hailed Murray as an "unbelievable" competitor and an "inspiration" for all the youngsters in tennis.
"I said that I was lucky because he is 10 years older than me because that's true. He's an unbelievable player and the courage he has in him after winning so many tournaments, going through so many injuries. I mean, I can't understand that," said Bublik.
"But for someone, for the young guys, this is inspiration. That's how I see that," added the Kazakh.
Strong debut in the desert 👊
Bublik defeats Murray 7-6 6-3 and will face the winner of Dimitrov and Thompson in R3...
#IndianWells https://t.co/B8y9s4QaKg
Bublik had lost his two previous meetings against the Scot in straight sets, but looked much better prepared for their clash at Indian Wells. He played aggressively from the get-go and employed the drop shot to perfection.
The Kazakh said the conditions at Indian Wells suited his gamestyle.
"First time I lost I was 19 and he was No. 1 in the world. That doesn't count. At Rotterdam, I was coming off a final and he was playing really well. We had a tough battle over two hours. Here, the key moment was to win a tie-break finally," he said.
Bublik will lock horns with former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.
Andy Murray will hope to bounce back in Miami
After a disappointing run at the Indian Wells Masters, Murray will travel to Miami to compete in the second tournament of the Sunshine Double, the Miami Open. The Brit has been handed a wildcard for the ATP 1000 event.
ATP1000 Miami preliminary entry list + wildcards for Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray https://t.co/vKJ0yftQl0
Murray has won the Miami Masters twice in his career. He beat Novak Djokovic in the final in 2009 and David Ferrer in the title clash in 2013.
would claim his first Miami Open 
in straight sets.
Miami Champion 2009 🇺🇸🏆
⠀
Andy #Murray 🇬🇧 would claim his first Miami Open 🇺🇸 title after defeating his long time rival Novak #Djokovic 🇷🇸 in straight sets. https://t.co/GXmeKkbnm8
in a three ser battle.
Miami Champion 2013 🇺🇸🏆
⠀
Andy #Murray 🇬🇧 would win his second Miami Open 🇺🇸 title after defeating the third seed of this edition, David #Ferrer 🇪🇸 in a three ser battle. https://t.co/lxOS2Ub1lK
He has not competed in Miami since 2016.