"Thinks that the World team is America, Canada, Australia and South America": Alexander Bublik BLASTS John McEnroe over Laver Cup criteria

Alexander Bublik strongly criticized John McEnroe for his player selections for the Laver Cup. The world No. 32 expressed his desire to participate in the team tournament but mentioned that he has never been invited. He asserted that the Team World captain only considers players from specific parts of the world.

The 7-times Grand Slam champion decides each year which players will be part of Team World, and Bublik noted that McEnroe has only once selected an African player, the then-world No. 9 Kevin Anderson in 2018. The Kazakh former world No. 25 has become known for his unique style of play on the tour and won two titles this year. He secured the ATP 500 Halle Open title with a victory over Andrey Rublev in the final and also triumphed at the ATP 250 European Open by defeating Arthur Fils.

In an interview during the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, the 26-year-old was asked if he would like to participate in a Laver Cup representing Team World. However, he believed that he probably wouldn't receive an invitation, stating, "It’s a rather complicated story. It seems that John McEnroe thinks that the World team is America, Canada, Australia, and South America,” according to Bublik.

The talented Kazakh player has remained in the top 50 since 2019 and is the highest-ranked player from regions not typically considered by McEnroe. Currently, the highest-ranked players who could play in the Laver Cup for Team World from other regions include Aleksander Bublik (32nd), Yoshito Nishioka (47th), and Zhizhen Zhang (58th).

“Diego Schwarzman at the time was #10 in the world, so it was impossible not to take him. I expressed a desire; I would like to play, and I love team events. But for some reason, I'm now sure that ‘the World’ is everyone who speaks English. I'll be glad if he reads this,” Bublik added.