The Best of the Rest
Although none of these players fell into the former three categories, they deserve a mention in an article highlighting American men’s tennis.
Reilly Opelka returned to the ATP Tour and ended the season ranked No. 50, his highest mark since August 2022. If healthy and motivated, that serve can win him many matches over the next decade. Jenson Brooksby also returned to the tour in 2025. He started the year ranked outside the Top 100 and ended the season as World No. 53. Truly incredible for a player who is constantly critiqued for his unusual playing style.
27-year-old Aleksandar Kovacevic quietly had the best year of his professional career, winning 13 ATP matches and finishing the year with a career-high ranking of World No. 60. He doesn’t have the tools to push much higher. Still, he can carve out a nice niche in this part of the rankings. Right behind him is Marcos Giron, who, if we are being honest, is a guy Kovacevic should look to model his career off of. Giron won 24 tour-level matches in 2025, something he has done in four of the last five seasons. He won’t blow anyone off the court, but his consistency is admirable and usual leads to an impressive upset or two each season.
Finally, 24-year-old Emilio Nava deserves a mention. In his seventh season as a professional, Nava had far and away his most fruitful campaign. He dominated the Challenger Tour with 44 wins and four titles. He added a 6-6 tour-level record for good measure. Nava vaulted himself over 120 ranking spots in 2025, finishing the year as a career-high World No. 88.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
