"If I had to bet on whether he loses a set before the final, I’d say no" - Jannik Sinner backed to continue imperious form in Monaco while Pegula's Grand Slam hopes questioned

A big week of tennis action has come and gone with stories and headlines being written and created wherever you look. Sam Querrey, John Isner and Steve Johnson all sat down on the Nothing Major Show to discuss and dissect these topics.

On the women's side, Jessica Pegula won her second title in 2026, but the question brought to the table was whether she could compete with the best for the biggest titles. The trio also noted the maturity of the improving and talented Iva Jovic. With the Monte-Carlo Masters coming up, they overlooked the brewing battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner along with a record-breaking week for a certain Marco Trungelliti.

Pegula's 2026 just keeps getting better and better. Her most recent run saw her win the Charleston Open against Yuliia Starodubtseva in the final of the first event of the year on clay. Her defence of the title in South Carolina is added to semi-final appearances at the Brisbane International and Australian Open along with the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships success.

Johnson was adamant that she was the third best player on current form, just behind Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. "Yeah, it’s hard to argue against that. She’s lost to Elena Rybakina a couple of times, but she beats everyone she’s supposed to beat because she’s so rock solid. You know what you’re going to get every time she steps out there.

However, he believes that she is unable to bridge the gap to Sabalenka and Rybakina, missing something from her game that her rivals have. "But I think sometimes the lack of a big weapon holds her back from the biggest titles—like we see with Aryna Sabalenka or Rybakina," Johnson admitted. "Those players can hit through opponents when they need to—hit an ace on break point or just dominate for five or ten minutes. Jess does everything at a high level, but she doesn’t quite have that one huge shot to get her out of trouble."

Isner was on the fence about whether she could make the next step and win a Grand Slam. "She’s definitely been the third-best player in the world this year, no doubt," he repeated. "It’s tough. I think she can win a major if she has to go through them—but she’d rather not. She’d like an opening somewhere in the draw."

The same issue that Johnson stated cropped up once more. "The issue is those two can hit through her and get a lot of free points on serve, which most other players can’t do. Against them, she’s not always getting into return games the way she usually does. It’s a tall task, but she’s trending in the right direction and getting closer to breaking through."

One of the stories of 2026 has already emerged with a little bit of history being made alongside it. Trungelliti has become the oldest player to debut in the top 100. The 36-year-old not only qualified for the Grand Prix Hassan II, but he defeated some well-known names like Corentin Moutet and Luciano Darderi enroute to an unlikely final, eventually falling short to 19-year-old talent Rafael Jodar.

This run has catapulted him into 76th in the world, a huge 41-place rise from the abyss. This offers him luxuries like automatic qualification for Grand Slam tournaments. He will be featuring at Roland Garros for the first time since 2018. These events allowed Isner to backtrack in time and tell a story from when he first saw the Argentine.

"I actually saw him years ago in Dallas," he said. "He was practicing outside with his wife and kid—just a really laid-back, happy guy traveling with his family. He didn’t look like your typical pro athlete, but he had a great attitude. And now he’s had this amazing run—qualifies, makes a final, and gets into the Top 100."

He also underlined an unusual setup he had on his racket, even previously tweeting about it. "What really stood out to me is that he plays with just a leather grip on his racket—no overgrip. That’s unbelievable. That’s like John McEnroe in the early ’80s. I don’t think there’s another pro doing that. To play like that, you need incredible feel. It’s honestly amazing.

Querrey followed up with a hugely incredible stat that shows how unlikely his title run was. "It was crazy. If you’d bet €100 on him to win his first match and rolled it over each round, you’d have ended up with around €278,000 by the final. So just an incredible run."

The pair have had contrasting 2026 campaigns so far. Alcaraz flew out of the blocks before stumbling at the Sunshine swing, whereas Sinner was slower off the line but caught up with an incredible Sunshine double.

This gives Sinner the momentum, but Alcaraz will look for a statement showing in the defence of his crown in Monaco. "Of course—we all are. We’d love to see it in a final," Johnson commented. "Sinner has rebounded really well—if you can even call it a tough start for him—by winning Indian Wells. Meanwhile, Alcaraz didn’t have a great Indian Wells or Miami. So the question is: does Alcaraz come back fully focused and say, 'I’m here to win, and the only guy stopping me is Sinner'?"

Johnson was very confident that he would get to the final. Isner agrees with this, but with a different point of view. "I don’t even see him getting tested. If I had to bet on whether he loses a set before the final, I’d say no. He’s on a mission right now. Everything is clicking. And the guys who might challenge him—like Djokovic or Shelton—aren’t even in the draw."

The week beforehand, the three of them went over the tournaments and picked out a name who they thought could do some damage. Querrey opted for Learner Tien, which in hindsight was a poor choice considering his early exit in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.

Isner backed Jovic for a deep run in Charleston, and was correct with her losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Pegula. The tall American was full of praise for the 18-year-old talent. "She’s incredible—wise beyond her years, fun to talk to, and really easy to root for," he lauded. Querrey offered a very notable comparison. "The way she carries herself reminds me of Coco Gauff at 16 or 17—very mature and composed."

However, the winner was Johnson who backed Pegula for more success, hitting the nail on the head after the 32-year-old defended her title in Charleston.