Sinner, Paolini, Djokovic, Rune… The tops and flops of a pivotal year 2024

THE TOPS

Sinner took power

The boss is Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old Italian completed his exceptional year on Sunday with a double in the Davis Cup, his ninth title of the year! With 8 titles in 15 tournaments on the circuit, including two Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the US Open, as well as the Masters, the Transalpine had an exceptional season. The insatiable relegating his first pursuer Alexander Zverev to almost 4000 points. And if Carlos Alcaraz, third on the podium, was the man of the summer with his fabulous Roland-Garros-Wimbledon double and a silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games in August, he will now have to learn to better manage his beginnings and ends of the season if he wants to sustain the infernal pace of his rival. The only downside for the new terror of the circuit. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which requested a suspension for one to two years after a positive test for an anabolic…

Sabalenka does better than Swiatek

Ephemeral world number one last season, Aryna Sabalenka regained power at the top ahead of Iga Swiatek, the boss of 2022 and 2023. The Belarusian, winner of the Australian Open and the US Open this season, now has three titles of the Grand Slam. Queen of tough, she became the second Belarusian to finish a year as world number 1, after Victoria Azarenka in 2012. The only downside, in the three meetings against her rival Swiatek, Sabalenka was beaten twice, including twice in the WTA 1000 final in Rome and Madrid on clay, the Polish woman’s favorite surface, crowned for the fourth time in five years Porte d’Auteuil. But apart from ocher, the queen in 2024 is Sabalenka.

Paolini, the late hatching

It is undoubtedly the revelation of women’s tennis. A late revelation. Jasmine Paolini waited 28 years to play her first Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros. The Italian achieved the feat of following up with another final (lost) at Wimbledon, even though she had almost never won on grass before and had never passed the second round of a Grand Slam before Roland -Garros! Now 4^e world, it is approaching the summits. She also won Olympic gold in doubles with Sara Errani and completed her incredible season with a BJK Cup title.

Fritz at francs a cap

At 27, Taylor Fritz has dusted off the history books of US men’s tennis. Finalist of the US Open, a first since Andy Roddick in a Grand Slam in 2009, then of the Masters, a first since 2005, he was dominated each time on the last step by the almost untouchable Jannik Sinner. Winner of his seventh and eighth singles titles on the main circuit – Delray Beach and Eastbourne -, the Californian also reached the semi-finals in Madrid and Shanghai in Masters 1000. Very solid performances which propelled him to fourth place at the foot of the podium.

A nice clearing for the Blues

With 7 titles on the circuit and 13 of its own in the top 100 – which no other nation has managed to do – French tennis did not make the figure in 2024 among men, failing to play again the very first roles, since no Habs has done better than an 8^e final in the Grand Slams… The young guard has moved up the ranks. Residents of the top 20, Ugo Humbert 14^e and Arthur Son 20^e shone in the ATP 500 (Dubai for Humbert, Hamburg and Tokyo for Fils). Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, winner of another ATP 500 in Basel, stands out as the great blue revelation, he who went from 201st place at the beginning of January to 31st at the beginning of November. And the French year ended (almost) with a bang with Ugo Humbert’s (lost) final at the Rolex Paris Masters. Never has a Frenchman reached the final of a Masters 1000 since Gaël Monfils (Monte-Carlo 2016).

FLOPS

Djokovic’s (almost) blank year

After Roger Federer in 2022, Rafael Nadal left the scene. That leaves Novak Djokovic, the last survivor of the Big 3. In 2024, the 37-year-old living legend won the only major title missing from his immense record: the gold medal at the Olympic Games. And it seemed to fill his happiness. Grand Slam record holder (24), Novak Djokovic has not won any major ATP title this year, neither in Grand Slams nor in Masters 1000. A first since 2017 for the Serbian, who ends 2024 in 7th place global. Far from his year 2023 where he had notably gleaned three new Majors.

The Blues at their lowest

Caroline Garcia, 31, who will not have gone beyond the second round of the Grand Slam and ended her season prematurely in September, nevertheless still remains French number 1, at 48^e place in the WTA rankings. The next generation is not moving forward. Diane Parry (22 years old), Clara Burel (23 years old) and Varvara Gracheva (24 years old) are stagnating beyond the top 50. Small clearings in a leaden sky. Océane Dodin and Varvara Gracheva reached the round of 16, respectively at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. And to make matters worse, Les Bleues, winners of the Billie Jean King Cup (then Fed Cup) in 2019, beaten in the play-off by Colombia, were relegated to the second division. Logical consequence of the downgrading of French women’s tennis.

Jabeur, the spectacular decline

The Tunisian has had one series of disappointments this season. Very disturbed by a shoulder injury, it is true. Absent from the Paris Olympics and the US Open, Ons Jabeur ended this sad season in September due to her persistent shoulder injury. Accustomed to flirting with the top 3 in recent years, Jabeur, victorious in five WTA circuit tournaments and three-time Grand Slam finalist, was a shadow of herself in major events (2^e round at the Australian Open and 3^e tour at Wimbledon in particular). Consequence: a fall at 42^e world please…

Holger Rune, disappointed hope

Winner of the Rolex Paris Masters 2022 by beating Novak Djokovic in the final, Holger Rune announced himself at 19 as a serious rival to Sinner and Alcaraz. Change of scenery, two years later, Alcaraz and Sinner both reached first place in the world, when the Dane, fell to 14^e place, has still not tasted a final four in a Grand Slam. In 2024, he must be content with two round of 16 matches at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon as his best results. On the circuit, he did no better than a final on the clock (lost) in Brisbane. It must be said that the fiery Dane is having a hard time stabilizing, having tested no less than… ten coaches over the last two years.

The outdated “Next Gen”

The Sinner-Alcaraz duo undoubtedly embodies the new major tandem of world tennis at only 22 and 21 years old, with six titles already under their belt. All players born in the 90s have to date… two (Dominic Thiem US Open 2020 and Daniil Medvedev US Open 2021). The “NextGen” has already been surpassed by its predecessor and, apart from Alexander Zverev, 27, still without a Grand Slam but very regular, its most eminent members have regressed this year. Daniil Medvedev, 28, was dominated twice by Sinner and once by Alcaraz. For the first time in seven years, the Russian completed a season on Thursday without the slightest title. Andrey Rublev, 27, still does not make it past the quarters in the Majors and has been less consistent on the circuit. Stefanos Tsitsipas, 26, was ejected from the top 10. Apart from a new coronation in Monte-Carlo, on 3^e in 4 years, his season has been a journey of the cross.