ATP Tour

Bublik jokes with captain Agassi ahead of Laver Cup: ‘I signed certain papers…’

Alexander Bublik has not taken long to make his presence felt by Team World at the Laver Cup.

The No. 21 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Bublik will make his Laver Cup debut this weekend in London, where he lines up behind Team World captain Andre Agassi. The Kazakhstani, renowned for his on-court showmanship, poked fun at himself in trademark fashion at Team World’s pre-event press conference at The O2.

“I signed certain papers [with Andre] to never underarm serve here, not to smile after points, so it's really strict for me here,” Bublik joked. “But I just came here to bring the good tennis and bring some laughs in.”

For his part, ATP No. 1 Club member Agassi tried to play down his impact on Team World, and particularly his role in its Laver Cup 2025 triumph against Team Europe in San Francisco: That was Agassi’s first outing as Team World’s captain.

“Don't give me the victory, man. I do my part not to screw any of these guys up,” Agassi told a reporter asking about the 2025 win. “They're here for a reason. But what I will say is it was a unique experience for me, one that I wasn't sure how to respond to. And it kind of made me realise how much intensity I lived with in my own head when I played because emotions were my nemesis."

Two players on Agassi and vice-captain Patrick Rafter's six-man roster are currently in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings. World No. 9 Alex de Minaur is this weekend bidding to maintain his perfect Laver Cup singles record: The Australian has won all three matches he has played, across Team World’s victories in London in 2022 and last year in San Francisco, and he was keen to give Agassi and Rafter plenty of credit for the 2025 triumph.

“That’s what is so special about this event,” De Minaur said. “Having two absolute legends on the side of the court, with you being able to pick the brains for a whole week. I thought they brought out some of the best tennis from me. Ultimately, it's another team event, which I thoroughly enjoy, and we've got a great group of guys around us. I think we can do some serious damage.”

Francisco Cerundolo, the Argentine World No. 22, will aim to kick-start Team World’s bid for its third consecutive Laver Cup crown on Friday, when he takes on Team Europe’s Casper Ruud in the opening match of the event. Following that match, Brandon Nakashima will make his Team World bow in a singles clash with Jakub Mensik.

Alongside Bublik and Nakashima, Learner Tien is the third event debutant on the Team World roster. The 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals champion is not scheduled to play on Friday in London, but he will be ready to step up when called upon at The 02.

“I'm the youngest one here, but there are a couple guys next to me that are here for the first time as well. So I think it's great,” Tien said when asked about how he was settling into the Team World environment. “I'm not the only first timer, but I think it's also great that we have some older guys that have kind of been helping all of us out and I just really enjoy team events. I think I played some of my best tennis in team events, so I'm very excited.”