Alexander Blockx had retired on Thursday in the third and final round of qualifying against Australian Jason Kubler (ATP 192) due to a blockage in his back, but had reassured his physical condition. He was drafted as a ‘lucky loser’ following several withdrawals in the final draw.
Winner of the junior title in Melbourne in 2023, the 20-year-old from Antwerp was thus able to reach the final draw for the first time in his senior career in a Grand Slam.
ATP ranking: few changes before the Australian Open for Bergs and Collignon, Blockx loses a place
The Belgian’s reaction
Alexander Blockx had little to reproach himself for after his defeat on Sunday. “I’m always happy to be able to play,” he said after his match. “On paper, it’s a missed opportunity, but I don’t have that feeling after what happened three days ago,” he explained at a press conference.
“Even though I wasn’t 100 percent, I still reached a respectable level. This shows that I still have a lot of room for improvement,” explained the 20-year-old. “My preparation was not optimal. The objective was to get back into shape and it succeeded.”
“I didn’t really do anything,” he added. “My body wasn’t at its best physically, but good enough to play. With all the matches I’ve played, I’m starting to feel it physically. I tried everything. In the third set, I left a game at 3-2. That tipped the match a bit.”
“Everything was pretty tight, but sometimes it just falls the other way,” Blockx continued. “The last two weeks, it fell on my side. Today, it fell on his side. I’m going to try to play with more conviction against guys who don’t give gifts.”
