Bold statement: some rivalries bite hard, and Sam Querrey isn’t shy about admitting one especially irks him. He says there’s a particular opponent he “absolutely hates” and regards as “a tool.”
On the most recent episode of the Nothing Major Show, Querrey, along with Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, and John Isner, tackled the topic of players fans love to root against. Querrey, a former world No. 11 who stepped away from professional tennis in 2022, revealed there is indeed one player he dislikes intensely, but he declined to name him on air because the person is still active.
“There’s one guy I really hate. I can’t spill the name now—the guy’s still playing,” the 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist said on the podcast, adding that the other competitor isn’t aware of Querrey’s strong feelings and that, in his view, he’s “a tool.”
The conversation took an interesting turn when Querrey recounted a heated moment during practice. He noted that at one point practice came to a halt as they yelled at each other for several minutes, and he chose to stay on the court—something he rarely does.
Sock added that it takes a lot for Sam to become genuinely annoyed.
In a separate thread, Steve Johnson wasn’t shy about naming players he didn’t warm to, specifically Ivo Karlović and Lukas Rosol—the latter known for his shocking upset over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012. Johnson also lightheartedly described the dynamic of playing doubles with Sock, noting that if someone angered Jack on the doubles court, Sock would seize control of the match.
Sock conceded that his reaction wasn’t the end of the world; he simply used it as motivation. He also admitted not being a particular fan of Karlović, and recalled Rosol’s days as especially brutal on the court.
