Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys have agreed on the ATP player whom they think has made the most improvements on the ATP Tour.
Pegula and Keys named Victoria Mboko as the most improved WTA player, but the Canadian did not actually receive the award.
Instead, the award went to Wimbledon and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova, and that is not the only WTA award announcement that has split opinion.
Now turning their attention to the ATP awards, Pegula and Keys believe an American player has been the most improved this year.
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys agree on the most improved ATP player in 2025
The Most Improved Player of the Year award had been given out to ATP players for 50 years until 2025, when the award was changed to be called the Breakthrough of the Year award.
That was given to Valentin Vacherot, who beat Joao Fonseca to the award following his surprise run to the Shanghai Masters title.
Although this specific award no longer exists, Pegula and Keys still chose the person they would have given the most improved player award to.
Who is your favorite player on the WTA Tour right now?
When speaking on The Player’s Box Podcast, Pegula and Keys agreed that Ben Shelton was the player most deserving of this award.
Shelton has climbed from outside the top 20 to a career-high of world number 5 this year, which he achieved by winning his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open, as well as reaching the Australian Open semifinals.
Pegula also mentioned Indian Wells champion Jack Draper, but was satisfied with Shelton as the pick for the most improved player this year.
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys name their match of the year
That was not the only award Pegula and Keys decided to hand out, as they also picked their match of the year, newcomer of the year and the best moment at a Grand Slam.
There has been little debate over the best match of 2025, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s French Open final ranking as one of the top matches ever in a lot of people’s minds.
What is your match of the year from the 2025 WTA season?
They then chose their newcomer of the year, which was Alexandra Eala, who actually beat Keys en route to the Miami Open semifinals earlier this year.
Newcomer of the Year is an official WTA award, and was actually given to the aforementioned Mboko instead of Eala.
Keys was then the winner of an award, as Pegula alongside co-hosts Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk picked her Australian Open victory as the Grand Slam moment of the year.
This was the first major title of the American’s career, and Keys will look to defend her Australian Open title in January.
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