Steve Johnson is unlikely to be seen in this ATP player’s coaching box anytime in the near future.
Former top 30 player Johnson often voices his strong opinions on the Nothing Major Podcast alongside fellow retired American tennis players including John Isner and Jack Sock.
This includes praising both players and coaches, with Johnson wanting Ben Shelton’s father to win the Coach of the Year award for 2025.
While Johnson has praised the Shelton dynamic, he has now named the player who he thinks would be the ‘biggest nightmare’ to coach.
Steve Johnson, Jack Sock and John Isner suggest the players they would least like to coach
World number 11 Alexander Bublik has had the best season of his career in 2025, winning four career titles.
Bublik is also one of only three players who have beaten Jannik Sinner this year, but Johnson named him when asked which ATP player would be the ‘biggest nightmare’ to coach.
“There are a lot of good options here,” said Johnson. “I am going to go with Bublik because you never know what you are going to get.
“He could win the tournament without you, he could lose first round with you. It would be a lot of fun to coach him for a certain period but you could give him all the information and tools needed but he could still go out there and not try in the first round. When you’re a coach you really want effort and it’s just lacking. But you could also win four titles!”
While Johnson spoke about the unpredictability in terms of the lack of effort Bublik might give in a match, the aforementioned Sock opted with Andrey Rublev.
“I am probably going to go with Rublev, out of my options,” said Sock. “It’s tough because I think you know what you are going to get, he is obviously very fiery and isn’t afraid to chirp at his box and get upset and voice some things and show his frustration on the court.
“But also a coach going into his match, if it doesn’t go his way at any point, he can kind of just turn and snap on you. So I am probably going to go with Rublev.”
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev split with his long-term coach after losing in the first round of the US Open earlier this year.
Another of his former coaches Gilles Simon has also spoken about the challenges of working with Medvedev, with Isner picking the 2021 US Open champion as the player he thinks would be a nightmare.
Isner said with no explanation, “You have got to go with Med.”
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Although Johnson does not seem keen on the idea of working with Bublik, his current setup seems to be working for him.
Similar to Shelton, Bublik worked with his father, Stanislav Bublik, from childhood until 2022, when he joined forces with Artem Suprunov.
Suprunov has helped Bublik win seven of his eight career titles, as well as reaching the quarterfinals of Roland Garros earlier this year.
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After helping Bublik achieve the best season of his career, many expected Suprunov to be nominated for the ATP Coach of the Year award.
This includes Emma Raducanu’s former coach Mark Petchey, who spoke out on social media after Suprunov was snubbed from the shortlist.
Petchey wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Artem Suprunov not being on the @atptour best coaches list is wild. Putting that puzzle together this year was the work of an artist and a genius.
“Great coaches shouldn’t only be judged by the metric of winning Slams or great individual weeks. To get through the volume a year brings, the ups and downs and pressure suddenly of a change in expectations with an unpredictable character like Alexander Bublik is an incredible achievement. Not saying he should have won it, but definitely should be on the list.”
Suprunov was not even nominated for the Coach of the Year award, which was won by Carlos Alcaraz’s coaches Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez.
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