In the vibrant mosaic of tennis lore—where underdogs defy odds and icons emerge from epic, against-all-odds clashes—few narratives captivate like a qualifier’s audacious sprint to the summit. Tennis history brims with such fairy-tale breakthroughs, but when retired U.S. giant John Isner waded into the debate with a daring declaration, he unleashed a torrent of heated discourse among fans and experts.
On a fresh installment of the *Nothing Major Podcast*—the irreverent chat show co-hosted by Isner with fellow retirees Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, and Steve Johnson—the spotlight fell on Monegasque phenom Valentin Vacherot’s staggering 2025 Shanghai Masters odyssey. Querrey, the group’s resident instigator, lobbed the bombshell query: “Is this run more impressive than Raducanu qualifying and winning the US Open, or how do they stack up?”
Isner—the serve machine who carved his legend with Wimbledon’s longest-ever match—didn’t flinch. Gripping the mic with the assuredness of a baseline veteran, he dropped a jaw-dropping ruling: “I think it is more impressive, yes,” he declared. “[Raducanu’s] is a bigger story because it’s the US Open, but I think *this* is more improbable than what she did. Her US Open win makes it a bigger story, even though Vacherot’s tale is massive in tennis circles. I’m giving it to Vacherot. It’s just unheard of.”
To grasp the gravity of Isner’s stance, let’s unpack the jaw-dropping journeys of both stars. Vacherot, a 28-year-old grinder ranked No. 204 upon arriving in Shanghai, was barely a footnote for most. But he penned a Hollywood script: two qualifying wins, then a seven-match tear through the main draw. He toppled pros like Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor early on. The fireworks? A quarterfinal demolition of hotshot Holger Rune, a semifinal earthquake over 24-time Slam king Novak Djokovic, and a tense final versus cousin Arthur Rinderknech (4-6, 6-3, 6-3). Vacherot became just the third qualifier to claim a Masters 1000 crown—and the lowest-ranked champ since 1990. In a flash, he rocketed into the top 40, from nobody to tennis’s newest darling.
Now, stack that against Emma Raducanu’s 2021 supernova rise—a tale that remains one of the sport’s most spellbinding sagas. At 18, straight out of high school exams and ranked 150th, the British wildcard entered Flushing Meadows with zero hype. What ensued was pure wizardry: 10 straight victories—three in quals, seven in the draw—without dropping a set. She crushed Stefanie Vogele, Zhang Shuai, Sara Sorribes Tormo, and Shelby Rogers upfront, then outgunned Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in quarters and Maria Sakkari in semis. The final versus teen rival Leylah Fernandez? A composed 6-4, 6-3 clinic. Raducanu etched history as the Open Era’s first qualifier Slam winner, the youngest since Maria Sharapova in 2004, and Britain’s first female major champ in 44 years. It netted her $2.5 million, a top-25 leap, and eternal stardom.
Isner’s hot take concedes Raducanu’s epic scale but bets on Vacherot’s raw improbability in the ATP’s brutal shark tank. He nods to the Monegasque’s Djokovic scalp—a hurdle Raducanu sidestepped in a tough-but-top-10-light US Open draw. Backlash, though? Swift and fierce. Tennis Twitter exploded in Raducanu’s defense, slamming recency bias and her tender age. “Ridiculous. The best players skipped the US Open,” one fan blasted. Another: “Emma was 18, in her *second* Slam ever, with zero WTA wins. She took 10 matches; Vacherot, 9.” A third: “Recency bias is wild lol. Emma won the US Open as a *qualifier*—zero sets dropped. Vacherot’s run was cool, but nowhere near.”
Raducanu loyalists, protective amid her injury-plagued post-Slam path (quarters in Ningbo lately, but early 2026 shutdown for recovery), piled on: “Twisted takes on Emma. She won a *Slam* as a qualifier >>>.” Neutrals groaned, “Horrible opinion.” A few backed Isner, though: Vacherot’s gauntlet of elites in a stacked Masters amps the wow factor. “You play the draw you’re given,” one noted.
Isner—retired after 16 ATP titles and that legendary 70-68 fifth-set thriller vs. Nicolas Mahut in 2010—lends his insider’s edge to the pod’s witty, no-BS breakdowns. For Vacherot, Isner’s nod crowns a destiny-altering week, locking majors berths and swagger. Raducanu, 22, is regrouping with new coaches and health focus, plotting a 2026 surge.
Ultimately, Isner’s spark underscores tennis’s lifeblood: these showdowns ignite fervor, rivalries, and the thrill of the unknown. Does Vacherot’s Shanghai shock truly top Raducanu’s NYC sorcery? That’s for fans to fight over. But both sagas? They capture tennis’s eternal magic—where one event can flip fates forever. As the circuit rolls, the debates rage on… and that’s the beauty.
Leave a Reply