The final Grand Slam of the year came to a close at the weekend and it was Jannik Sinner who stole the show in New York as he won the US Open. The world number one was imperious as he held no prisoners en route to his second major title of 2024.
Meanwhile, it was a tournament to forget for Novak Djokovic. The 37-year-old continues to wait for his record-breaking Grand Slam win and he’ll now be twiddling his thumbs in anticipation of his next opportunity in Australia in January.
Sinner cements world number one spot
Having spent the last three months at the summit of the world rankings, it was fitting that Sinner came out on top in the final Grand Slam of the year. The Italian won his second major title of his career – and of 2024 – after defeating Taylor Fritz in Sunday’s final.
Sinner kicked off the year with his maiden Grand Slam win at the Australian Open and he continued his hardcourt dominance with a phenomenal tournament at Flushing Meadows, dropping just two sets en route to glory.
While it would be cruel to diminish Sinner’s achievements, he was fortunate that the likes of Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz failed to reach the latter stages. In fact, of the four semi-finalists, Sinner was the only player to have ever reached a major final.
Fritz’ previous best was a quarter-final while Jack Draper, Sinner’s victim in the final four, had only ever reached the fourth round. The British youngster defied the odds to reach the semis and despite coming unstuck against the eventual champion, losing in straight sets, he proved he’s got a bright future ahead of him.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka lifted the women’s trophy to claim her third Grand Slam. Just like Sinner, she claimed the first and last major of 2024 after winning in Melbourne at the start of the year.
Sabalenka saw off hometown star Jessica Pegula in the final in straight sets and was never truly troubled throughout the tournament, dropping just a solitary set in the third round. Pegula also lost just one set in the competition and looked strong as she reached her first Grand Slam final.
The 30-year-old beat world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-final, meaning the Polish star ends 2024 with just one Grand Slam in the form of the French Open. But she crashed out in the third round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year and she’ll be desperate to assert her dominance on a more regular basis next year.
Djokovic’s wait goes on
Rewind a year and Djokovic had just won the US Open, taking him level in the all-time Grand Slam rankings alongside Australian legend Margaret Court with 24 major titles. Yet the elusive 25th win continues to evade the Serbian and his wait to establish himself as the undisputed greatest of all time goes on.
Perhaps exhausted by his triumphant gold medal success at the Olympics, Djokovic was far from his best at the US Open. The four-time winner crashed out in the third round against Australian Alexei Popyrin, whose exit in the fourth round was his best ever Grand Slam finish.
Remarkably, ignoring tournaments that Djokovic has missed, this was the first time he’s failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since 2020 and just the fifth time since 2009. While he has no plans to retire just yet, he may be starting to wonder if he’ll ever claim the record before he calls it a day.
Similarly, Alcaraz endured a tournament to forget at Flushing Meadows. The Spaniard was targeting a third consecutive Grand Slam win after winning both the French Open and Wimbledon this year. But he fell at the second hurdle, losing in straight sets to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
Much like Djokovic, Alcaraz has played a lot of intense tennis in recent months and he claimed a silver medal at last month’s Olympics in Paris. They’ll be disappointed with their US Open displays and both players will be determined to bounce back quickly.
What’s next in the world of tennis?
The next Grand Slam takes place in Australia in January but before then, we’ve got the small matter of the ATP Finals in Turin. Djokovic is the reigning champion after claiming a record seventh title last year with a win in the final against Sinner.
Following that, we head to Melbourne for the Australian Open. Djokovic will undoubtedly be desperate to win but he’ll have to stop the in-form Sinner from claiming his second consecutive title. Meanwhile, Alcaraz will be looking to win the tournament for the first time.
The French Open gets underway at the end of May and Alcaraz will be looking to defend his crown. He’s a different beast on clay and you can catch him in action from the best seats in the house with our exclusive hospitality packages.
And after a warm-up tournament at Queen’s Club, tennis returns to Wimbledon at the end of June. You can enjoy a quintessential British experience, full of Pimms, strawberries and the greatest tennis players on earth by watching the action in style with Engage.
