Is the Laver Cup a real tournament or an exhibition? Alexander Bublik has changed his mind.
“Laver Cup has developed the image of being a very competitive tournament, and I think it’s very good to have an invitational-only tournament — being invited feels like a privilege,” the Kazakh said in an interview with CLAY conducted in July during Wimbledon.
Bublik will be part of the Rest of the World team at the event taking place from September 25 to 27. Until this season, he had never been considered for selection despite being one of the most compelling figures on the circuit.
“People are giving their best there, they try to win, there are parts of glory to winning it as a team. Maybe when I said it was an exhibition I had a different mindset because I hadn’t been part of Laver Cup,” said the World number 21, who gave up defending his title at the ATP 250 in Hangzhou to be in London.
In a 2025 interview, originally from Bounces and also published on CLAY, Bublik was critical of Roger Federer’s event: “Exhibition? Of course the Laver Cup is one. Does it give ranking points? No. So it’s an exhibition.”
“I guess I would have to be South American or (North) American to play it. I think the captains always choose those who speak English. They think the ‘World’ is America,” Bublik said a year ago.
Interview with Alexander Bublik
— What’s your feeling like when playing a fifth set? Some players would say that’s when they feel the greatest adrenaline, the biggest excitement.
— I don’t think players are being completely honest when they say that they love being in the fifth set. I don’t think anyone loves being in the fifth set. It’s been a minimum of four hours of play, and it’s very demanding. For me, it’s part of the game. There is nothing to enjoy about the fifth set. There is only enjoyment when you win it. But of course, I guess everyone will tell you that they prefer to win in three, especially in the first rounds of a slam.
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— What is your stance on the demand for better prize money in tennis?
— Of course I support it. I mean, how can I be against it? How can I be against being paid more? I can’t be against that. Of course, it’s important.
— Do you think the players have gone about it the right way? Do you think limiting media time is a smart way to put it forward?
— I don’t know about the way, because a media boycott is not that tough on the tournament. I mean, what would happen if I don’t speak to you right now? The tournament won’t even feel it. For me, I guess that’s the start — if players can unite on this topic, that’s a step for the next years, the next demands that players would come together and demand from the tournaments. I think it’s good. But I don’t think big changes will happen while I’m still playing tennis. I don’t think it will happen in the next three, five years. That’s my opinion. But for the next generation, I think it’s very important that we can push through and make their lives easier.
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— You are confirmed to play the Laver Cup this year. You said before in an interview that the event is an exhibition. What do you make of those who say it isn’t?
— I haven’t spoken about Laver Cup for a very long time. What I said was a long time ago. But I think Laver Cup has developed the image of being a very competitive tournament, and I think it’s very good to have an invitational-only tournament — being invited feels like a privilege. Maybe in the future it will stop, but it’s already not an exhibition in the way you used to see exhibitions, because people are giving their best there, they try to win, there are parts of glory to winning it as a team. Maybe when I said it was an exhibition I had a different mindset because I hadn’t been part of Laver Cup. For now, I’m not sure it’s an exhibition — when I got announced, players from my team were already writing to me saying, hey, should we do this? There were already tactics involved. I think it’s a full team event, just without ranking points. That’s the difference.
— Does it make any sense that the ATP counts head-to-head records from the Laver Cup as part of the official register?
— It doesn’t matter. I don’t see head-to-head as something of great importance. Trophies are important. If the Laver Cup counts as a team trophy, why not? It’s part of the ATP calendar, not the exhibition calendar — it’s on the same week as a 250. So I’m not going to defend my title in Hangzhou in order to try to win a title elsewhere.
