The two great protagonists of this season were Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian ace was the best player overall in 2024, having won more than 90% of player matches and having suffered only six defeats. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria triumphed at the Australian Open and the US Open, won three Masters 1000 and won the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin without losing a single set.
A season on the verge of perfection, which allowed him to build a gap of about 4000 points on Sascha Zverev and almost 5000 on Alcaraz in the ATP ranking. The 2-time Grand Slam champion will remain at the top of the ATP rankings even after the 2025 Australian Open, in which he will try to defend the title won earlier this year.
Sinner and Alcaraz© @giovannipelazzo X account
Carlitos’ season has been less consistent than that of his great rival, but his peaks have been truly impressive. The 21-year-old from Murcia won his second title at the Indian Wells Masters 1000, became the youngest ever to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year and won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
At the same time, the Spaniard totaled ‘only’ 75% of victories in Masters 1000 tournaments and was overtaken by Zverev in second place in the ATP ranking at the end of the year.
It will not be easy for Jannik to maintain this pace even next season, in which he will know his fate in relation to the doping case. WADA asked for a one- to two-year ban, although ITIA had acknowledged his innocence shortly before the US Open.
Alcaraz – on the other hand – will have to take a step forward in terms of consistency and regularity during the year. These two young champions are creating a rivalry that will make the history of this sport and all the opponents are very far from their level at the moment.
Two young champions
In a recent interview with ‘Tennis Channel’, former Sampras and Federer’s coach Paul Annacone spoke about Jannik and Carlitos’ current status: “I think the idea that they got to spend a few years with these legends on tour to see how they do things and watch the way things work has been unbelievably educational for them.
And guess what? As these guys are stopping, Andy, Roger, Rafa, now there’s just Novak, all these younger players are thinking now? I’ve got a chance.
And now they’re really hungry now they really believe and we’ve seen two of them in Sinner and Alcaraz jump to the front of the line because they’ve had a little bit more experience and a little bit more talent.
They’ve managed it so well right now in my opinion and have separated themselves a little bit from everybody else.”
The rivalry will continue in 2025
The Italian champion will overtake the Spaniard’s 36 weeks at the top of the ATP ranking and could remain in the first position for a long time if he is not disqualified by CAS.
Fans and insiders want to understand if Carlitos will be able to take a further step in 2025 by eliminating those ups and downs that are affecting his young career. The 4-time Grand Slam champion knows that Sinner has improved in all aspects of the game and his mental strength is unmatched right now.
The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria is able to make the difference in decisive moments and manages to win matches even if he does not play at his best level. At the Nitto ATP Finals, the Italian ace won the tournament without losing a single set and did not allow any opponent to win more than 4 games in the same set. His level on the indoor hard courts becomes even more impressive and his rivals enter the court already resigned against him.
Jannik Sinner, Davis Cup Finals 2024© Stream screenshot
In an interview with ‘Tennis365’, Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis reflected on Jannik’s amazing impact at the Davis Cup Finals: “We played Italy in the Davis Cup Finals last year and the minute I saw Sinner landing in Malaga, I knew this was not good for us.
When you play a long season and you have a big run at the ATP Finals, you think as a captain of the opposition team, maybe he won’t turn up. Just stay at home man! Get ready for next year.
To get to the quarter-finals was great for us because we are not a powerhouse tennis nation and the plan was to win one of the singles matches and then try to win the doubles. The trouble was, Sinner was just so on fire.”