Joao Fonseca has not been given justice for his impressive breakthrough season in 2025 after being snubbed for an award.
Fonseca won two ATP titles in 2025, and climbed from outside the top 140 all the way to a year-end ranking of world number 24.
This enabled him to be shortlisted for the Breakthrough of the Year ATP Award, for which there had already been backlash after Learner Tien was not shortlisted.
However, after Valentin Vacherot was announced as the winner of the award, beating Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and Jack Draper, it feels as though the Brazilian in particular has been left empty-handed after such a brilliant season.
The ATP Tour has not done Joao Fonseca justice for his 2025 season
It is the first time that they have had an ATP award for Breakthrough of the Year, which has replaced the Most Improved Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year awards.
This award was voted for by players who have reached world number one in their careers, and there is no doubt to me that Shanghai Masters champion Vacherot is a worthy recipient of this award after his incredible run through qualifying in October.
However, replacing three quite different awards with just one for breakthrough feels a little bit unfair, and does not allow some players to receive the praise they deserve.
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Fonseca is predicted to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and the Newcomer of the Year would have been the perfect honour for him to receive.
The Newcomer of the Year award has previously been won by both Alcaraz and Sinner, with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal also receiving the honour, showcasing the talent that has been previously rewarded.
These three awards which were present from 1989 to 2024 would have felt like a much better fit, and would have given both Fonseca and Vacherot the credit they deserve, as the latter could have been given the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
What has Valentin Vacherot said about winning Breakthrough of the Year Award?
It is important to reiterate that while Fonseca has every right to feel aggrieved for not winning an award this year, it does not mean that Vacherot does not deserve it either.
What Vacherot achieved in Shanghai, by becoming the lowest ranked player ever to win a Masters 1000 title, was nothing short of remarkable.
The Monegasque has made huge strides up the rankings in the last couple of months, with Vacherot jumping from as low as world number 267 in June to now ending the year in a seeded spot for the Australian Open.
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It is clear to see how much this award means to Vacherot as well, who reacted to his win in an Instagram video for the ATP Tour.
“I’m super happy to have won the Breakthrough of the Year Award for the 2025 season,” said Vacherot. “It’s such an amazing achievement for myself and for my whole team.
“Yeah, this is a product of all the work we’ve put in all these years, and all this work came to the light a little bit in October in Shanghai and Paris, now to have my highest ranking.
“So, really happy to have won the award. Hopefully this will bring many more for the following years, thank you again for the ATP and see you in 2026.”
Vacherot has been predicted to continue climbing up the rankings, and he will begin his 2026 season at the Brisbane International.
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