A playful social media segment from the Nothing Major podcast turned into tennis banter this week when Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Jessica Pegula chimed in on the show’s latest “Hottie Bracket: Coach Edition.”
What began as a tongue-in-cheek competition designed by retired American stars quickly pulled current players into the conversation, with Pegula defending her coaching team, Fritz delivering a sly jab, and Paul publicly backing his pick.
Inside the Nothing Major Podcast’s “Hottie Bracket: Coach Edition”
The “Hottie Bracket” is a recurring comedic feature on the Nothing Major podcast, hosted by former ATP pros Sam Querrey, John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock. After their 2025 edition ranking, active ATP players generated widespread buzz online, and the group shifted focus in early 2026 to the coaching ranks.
The lighthearted draw, primarily organized by Querrey, featured tennis coaches in a mock tournament bracket, where the hosts debated and voted on who would advance based on appearance.
The list featured a mix of former Grand Slam champions, longtime mentors and family coaches, including Andrey Rublev’s coach and two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin, Casper Ruud’s father and coach Christian Ruud, Ben Shelton’s father and coach Bryan Shelton, Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill, Carlos Alcaraz’s brother and coach Alvaro Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka and Donna Vekic’s former coach Sascha Bajin.
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Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Pegula’s coaches Mark Merklein and Mark Knowles, Fritz’s coach Michael Russell, Iga Świątek’s coach Wim Fissette, Madison Keys’ husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo, and more.
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Fritz was among the first active players to react publicly after the bracket was shared. He took aim at Querrey’s fingerprints on the project.
“You guys don’t need to specify this is ‘Sam’s’ bracket… we can infer that,” Fritz commented, playfully suggesting the selection criteria bore Querrey’s signature style.
Meanwhile, Paul kept it concise and decisive. “Alvaro all the way,” he wrote, throwing his support behind Alvaro Alcaraz in the fan-driven contest.
Pegula, who works with both Merklein and Knowles, noticed her coaches being matched against each other.
“Draw seems rigged for my coaches! I think they could have both gone deep here,” she wrote in the comments, signaling mock frustration at seeing her team pitted head-to-head in the opening round.
She later reposted the bracket to her Instagram Stories, adding, “Tough first round for my guys.”
The original “Hottie Bracket” for ATP players in 2025 caused quite a stir on tour. Matteo Berrettini was the eventual champion, famously defeating Paul in the final.
Paul later joked on the pod that it was the “toughest final loss” of his career.
