"Was already top 15, he had made semis of his Slam": Jack Draper already broken through as Querrey, Isner and Johnson puzzled over Tien award omission

The ATP award nominees for 2025 are officially out, and the trio from Nothing Major Podcast — Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, and John Isner sat down to discuss the nominations. From the snubs to the likely winners, they offered candid opinions and insider insight into the world of professional tennis.

The nominees for Breakthrough Player of the Year are:

One notable absence from this list is Learner Tien, whose impressive rise has flown under the radar. He won Moselle Open in Metz earlier this season and is only young.

Steve Johnson questioned the omission and was slightly puzzled: "Why is Learner Tien not on that list? That's a good question. I do not have the answer to that. That's insane. I think he was 128 or 118 to start the year, and he's going to finish the year inside the top 30 and seeded for Australia. Like, that's insane."

John Isner added: "He's also 18 years old." Steve Johnson clarified: "Correct… but this goes back to previous points we've made. He just doesn't get the fanfare. He's quiet. He goes about his business. He just does what he's supposed to do. Doesn't have a hype around some of the younger guys like Menšík and Fonseca. But I don't think Learner's going to lose any sleep over this, not being on this award, but he absolutely deserved to be on this list. And I think rightfully, should have won this, quite frankly. I mean, to do what he did, really, really impressive."

When discussing who would be removed if Tien were added, both Johnson and Isner agreed that Jack Draper could be replaced without controversy. "I'd take out Draper," said Steve Johnson. "Yeah, I'm with you, probably Draper. I mean, look, he was already top 15. He had made semis of his Slam. He's already broken through in my mind," John Isner added.

Debating likely winners, Steve Johnson pointed out the influence of fan perception: "Because if it's like the people, then it's going to be Fonseca, just because he's got so much, I think, clout… I mean, from February to like the fanfare and everything he had early in the year. He won two tournaments, including a 500 in Basel. So I mean, I have no problem with him winning it."

However, John Isner argued in favor of Valentin Vacherot after the podcast said the win was bigger than Raducanu's US Open triumph: "It's got to be our boy Val. I mean, come on. Vacherot? Yes. Are you kidding me? No, I get the argument. No, I know, but he won a Masters Series, which is incredible, and then made a quarterfinal of one other one. He only had one other opportunity… I mean, you're talking about a guy that was like an alternate in Shanghai Qualies to… Two months later, is seeded at the Australian Open. Like, really?"

Steve Johnson highlighted an additional consideration: "You know what's going to be an underrated bonus for Vacherot that no one's talking about is the year-end thousand bonus. Because he's going to be one of the top guys, because he won one."

After analyzing the ATP bonus rules and reductions for missed Masters events, Sam Querrey concluded: "Also, for Breakthrough Player of the Year, I'm going Vacherot, too, now that I hear John talk about it. Vacherot is Breakthrough Player of the Year."

The nominees for the Sportsmanship Award are:

John Isner reflected on the award’s history and the character it celebrates: "I mean, they could all get it. Federer dominated this for years and years and years, right? I think he won, like, 18 of 20 years or something like that… There's no right or wrong answer here. I'm going with Grigor. I think just because of what happened at Wimbledon. You know, I just think that kind of tugged at a lot of people's heartstrings there. That was just tough to see. And he obviously was just so classy throughout all of that. So I'll go Grigor. I think he'd be a great recipient of this."

Sam Querrey focused on Alcaraz’s consistently positive demeanor: "I'll go next on this one. Give me Alcaraz. I feel like every time he takes the court, he's got a smile on his face. Seems like a very gracious opponent when being defeated. I mean, even yesterday when Italy beat Spain big on Instagram, just big shout out to the Italians. He generally seemed happy for them. Give me Alcaraz."

Steve Johnson chose Félix Auger-Aliassime: "I'll take Felix, just because of his perspective on the game in life. Yeah, he had that great quote, you know, when everyone's complaining about the schedule. Maybe a little recency bias, but still. I've never seen him not smiling in a locker room or players' lounge."

The nominees for Coach of the Year are:

Steve Johnson explained the difficulty of evaluating elite-level coaches: "If a monkey was coaching Alcaraz right now, would Alcaraz still be top one or two? Yes, he was. Maybe. It's tough to tell on these coaches."

In the end, Johnson selected Bryan Shelton for his work with Ben Shelton: "For me, I think I'm going to give it to Bryan Shelton, just for what he's done with Ben and having him grow on tour and still getting better and better each time he goes out there."

John Isner opted for Frédéric Fontang, citing his long-term commitment to Félix Auger-Aliassime: "He's been with Felix forever. Like, through all the ups and downs. We talked about how streaky Felix is. He's gone months where he hasn't won many matches at all. He sticks with his guys. Felix does. They clearly have a great relationship. I'm going to go Freddy, because they've just stuck with it. Now he finished top five in the world."

Sam Querrey focused on the mental and off-court aspect of coaching, picking Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel López: "I feel like the coaching almost changes sometimes, the higher you get. Like, they're coaching Alcaraz. How do they keep him engaged mentally, week in, week out? Totally, yeah. In a way, it's different when you're coaching a guy that's playing Slam finals all the time, as opposed to coaching a guy ranked 60. I don't know anything about it. But like, you know, I'm going to give it to those guys."