The Year in Tennis: Men’s Tennis Review of 2024.
10/12/2024 09:55:05
Introduction
The 2024 ATP tennis year was quite the memorable one for a whole host of reasons. The sport lost the second of the ‘Big Three’ to retirement when Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slams played his final match during Spain’s Davis Cup defeat to the Netherlands. Andy Murray also waved goodbye to the sport he had contributed so much to over the duration of his career when he announced his retirement after the 2024 Paris Olympics. 2024 was also the season that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz made their moves to position themselves as the two standout players in men’s tennis.
Sinner’s Major Breakthrough
The early part of the season was dominated by the fact that Italian star Jannik Sinner won his first Grand Slam title by winning the 2024 Australian Open defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Final. By coming back from two sets down to beat Medvedev in five sets, Sinner became the first Italian player to win the Australian Open. Sinner would then become the first Italian player to top the Tennis rankings when he became World No. 1 after the French Open, where he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the Semi-Final.
At Wimbledon, Sinner entered a Grand Slam as the top seeded player for the first time but could only manage a Quarter Final appearance, as he lost to Medvedev in five sets. That run at Wimbledon would be the Italian’s worst performance at a Major during 2024. He then missed the 2024 Paris Olympics through illness but bounced back during the 2024 US Open by reaching the Final. In the Final the World No. 1 faced home favourite Taylor Fritz but emerged with the win to claim his second Grand Slam of the season.
Sinner backed up his position of No. 1 player in the world by then claiming the ATP Finals in Turin and then helping Italy to the 2024 Davis Cup.
"2024 was also the season Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz made their moves to position themselves as the two standout players in men’s tennis"
Alcaraz Awesome once again at Wimbledon
In a year that saw Sinner and Alcaraz become the new standard bearers for the sport, the 21-year-old Spaniard also took home two Grand Slam titles as well as another Masters 1000 title event. Alcaraz started the season by reaching the Quarter Final at the Australian Open, his best run at the tournament so far. He then took home the Indian Wells title before embarking on a shaky Clay Court season, which did however culminate in him winning the French Open for the first time. Alcaraz would defeat Sinner in the Semi Final before beating Alexander Zverev in the Final. That win meant he became the youngest player in history to win Slams on all the three main court surfaces, Grass, Clay and Hard court.
Alcaraz would then retain his Wimbledon title in phenomenal fashion, by once again defeating Novak Djokovic in the Final. This time he dismantled the 24-time Grand Slam winner in straight sets to win his second Slam of the year. Djokovic did claim some revenge for that hammering later in the summer, when the two men faced off in the 2024 Olympics Gold Medal match, which Djokovic won in an absolute classic.
The two Slams that Alcaraz won in 2024 brought his tally to four in total by the age of 21.
Greats Say Goodbye
2024 was also the year the game said goodbye to Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray as they retired from professional tennis. Nadal in particular will be sorely missed by the sport as the Spanish legend bids farewell with a very impressive record. He won 92 ATP Tour titles, including, 22 Grand Slams, 36 Masters 1000 events, an Olympic Gold Medal and countless records that are too many to try and name here.
Andy Murray himself a 3-time Major winner as well as a double Olympic Gold Medalist, a Davis Cup winner and a former World No. 1 will also be greatly missed by the sport. His tenacity and willingness to fight on despite his obvious physical decline in recent years are hallmarks of the British star’s character and with the exciting news that he has been announced as Novak Djokovic’s coach for the start of the 2025 season fans will get to see if he can help Djokovic contend with Sinner and Alcaraz during the new season.
In Conclusion
2024 was certainly a year of shifts in men’s professional tennis. We said farewell to Nadal and Murray, two pillars of the men’s game over the last two decades. We saw Novak Djokovic fail to win a regular tour event for the first time since 2006, although he did finally win an Olympic Gold Medal, and we witnessed the emergence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the new forces of the men’s game.
Will those two men continue their dominance over the Majors or will Andy Murray spark something in Djokovic that can help take him back to the top of the game once again in 2025.
These are all things we look forward to in the new year.
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✒️ Liam Lacey – Football and GAA Sports Expert
Liam Lacey is a sportswriter from County Laois in Ireland who specializes in delivering content on GAA, horse races, and football matters (though he does see himself as somewhat of a tennis aficionado also).
Liam has written about All Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships, Premier League, Champions League and international football, offering expert opinions and match previews and predictions. Occasionally, even getting some right!
