SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
If there’s a wildcard at Laver Cup London 2026, it’s Alexander Bublik.
Yet there was no life-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates moment for Team World Captain Andre Agassi, who says he didn’t hesitate to call upon the mercurial Kazakh, who despite himself never fully buying in to his elite status has proven that he can hang with the likes of Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Tommy Paul, etc.
The 29-year-old opened 2026 with the Hong Kong title, his ninth at the tour level, and promptly broke into the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Yet it’s the underhand serves, the at-times devilish on-court dialogue, the showmanship that folks often remember most.
“I’m getting a chance to experience that firsthand now,” said Agassi on Thursday at The O2 in London, where he and Vice-Captain Patrick Rafter are busy prepping their squad for a title defense. “I do like his smile. It does light up a room. I don’t like his chip forehand return, but he only did that twice today.”
“And I got s— for it, to be honest,” Bublik shot back with a smile.
“Everybody brings a different strength to the game, and you could make a lot of arguments for his versatility and unpredictability as being a significant asset, a weapon on a tennis court,” said Agassi of the player nicknamed Sascha. “But there’s a lot to be said for controlled aggression when your body blows can hurt a player and you’re not even taking a risk with the swing. Somewhere in between that pendulum is his answer.”
“When I look at him, I try to remind him that while you can live in a high-wire act and get away with it, it only speaks to how good you are. When I see somebody who’s trying to be perfect when it’s not necessary, I’d just like them to remember how good they are, and so my hope is that he can take that respect from me.”
The fact that Agassi tabbed Bublik to play both singles and doubles on Day 1 only further illustrates the eight-time Grand Slam champion’s belief in his new charge, who joins Fritz, de Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo, Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima on the Team World roster.
“I signed certain papers between Pat and Andre to never underarm serve here, not to smile after points, so it’s really strict for me here,” poked Bublik in jest. “I just came here to bring the good tennis and bring some laughs in. As Taylor said in our group chat, I’m the trash-talk guy, so I’m just talking to Team Europe in case something is off.”
In all seriousness, Bublik is well equipped for the task. He’s a gifted ball-striker who will surely inject some humor in the locker room, something that both Agassi and Rafter insist keyed their success last year in San Francisco.
“Team camaraderie goes a long way out there,” says Agassi. “So does humor. Humor can be a great icebreaker to allow somebody to be their best selves.”
Thus far, the Agassi-Bublik experiment is working just fine.
“He gave me a lot of advice,” Bublik told LaverCup.com. “I was having a long, long practice session with him. It’s great to listen to champions, what they think about your game, what they think your ceiling is, where you can improve. It’s a very unique experience as a tennis player to be coached by someone you would otherwise never get to. I think that’s really interesting. You learn a lot from it.”
“I think he wants to bring the best out of us. That’s what great captains do, what great people do. That’s the champion mindset he used to win a lot of Slams with. It’s definitely going to help us.” – Alexander Bublik on Agassi
Agassi sees a lot of potential in Bublik.
“The thing I have to answer in my own head when I look at players is are they maximizing? Are they making decisions that lend towards maximizing everything they’re capable of over a long period of time, not just the high end of a match or high end of a great tournament or a couple great weeks or a great year?” asked Agassi. “When I look at Sascha, I look at a guy and say, ‘If you give me his game, I’m sorry, I’m not maximizing unless I’m having a say at the end of a lot of tournaments.'”
