Success on the ATP Tour is rarely the result of individual brilliance alone. Coaches plan meticulously, continually refining and strengthening belief. They play an important role in a player’s progress.
This year, five coaches or coaching teams have been nominated for Coach of the Year at the ATP Awards 2025, voted on by fellow coaches. These are the nominees:
Darren Cahill & Simone Vagnozzi (Jannik Sinner)
Sinner added six titles to his trophy cabinet, including his first Wimbledon crown, which he secured just weeks after an embarrassing defeat in the Roland Garros final. After making technical adjustments to his serve after the US Open, Sinner won four trophies in two months, including a successful title defense at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Juan Carlos Ferrero & Samuel Lopez (Carlos Alcaraz)
Alcaraz finished the season with a Tour-leading 71 match wins, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, earning ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF Awards. He captured eight titles, including two major crowns. Alcaraz, vocally supported by his large entourage, outlasted rival Sinner in a Roland Garros epic and defeated the Italian again in the US Open title match to regain the world number 1 position.
Frederic Fontang (Felix Auger-Aliassime)
Auger-Aliassime, who took over world number 30 in May, was far from ready to end the season in the Top 5. The Canadian, coached by Fontang since 2017, reached five finals at tour level this year, including his second at ATP Masters 1000 level in Paris. Auger-Aliassime, champion in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels, qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in his career.
[ATP AWARDS]
Bryan Shelton (Ben Shelton)
Ben Shelton’s celebration after winning his biggest career title at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto said it all. While hugging his father Bryan Shelton on the right sideline, the 23-year-old lefty had just achieved a milestone moment with his father in his corner. Shelton became the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion in two decades, reaching a career-high No. 5 in November.
Benjamin Ballett (Valentin Vacherot)
Vacherot is more than just a player for Balleret, he is family. They are half-brothers who made a dream come true at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where then world number 204 Vacherot became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990). The family ties didn’t stop there. Vacherot defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final. Vacherot, the Monegasque player, finished the year ranked No. 31 in the world.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
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