The 2024 Grand Slams are complete, and the indication is clear—the new era of tennis players has begun.
It all started in 2022 with Carlos Alcaraz’s rise. Alcaraz started his winning spree by winning the US Open, followed by Wimbledon in 2023.
The 2024 Roland Garros was the turning point that gave the world the visualization that the next protege had arrived. An audacious and courageous Spaniard showed everyone with French Open tickets small hints of superiority.
The 2024 season is the year of a new generation. Alcaraz winning the Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and Jannik Sinner winning the US Open and the Australian Open marks the trajectory towards a new era.
The New Era
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated the 2024 Grand Slam scene, each claiming two of the sport’s biggest titles and solidifying their places as the brightest stars of tennis’s new golden generation.
On Sunday, Sinner added the U.S. Open to his Australian Open victory from January, dispatching Taylor Fritz in a decisive final.
Sinner’s accomplishment marks the first time since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 that a player has won their first two Grand Slam titles in the same season – an achievement that even legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi never reached.
Two years younger than Sinner, Alcaraz captured the French Open and defended his Wimbledon crown in 2024, bringing his Grand Slam tally to four.
It was domination at the French Open, as those with first-hand access to French Open tickets described it: “an absolutely stunning display of talent.”
“It’s a bit different, for sure,” Sinner said Sunday when asked to assess the new era. “It’s nice to see new champions. Nice to see new rivalries. I will always have players who will make me a better player because there will be times when they beat me. Then you must try to find a way to win against certain players.”
The 23-year-old Italian has six titles this year, while Alcaraz has three. Both men have already accumulated 15 career titles each.
Alcaraz is making Grand Slam history faster than the “Big Three” of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic despite a shock second-round exit at the U.S. Open. None of the three legends managed to win four majors before their 22nd birthday.
Djokovic won his fourth Slam in the 2011 U.S. Open when he was 24. Nadal earned his fourth at the French Open in 2008, while Federer was 23 when he collected his fourth major at the 2004 U.S. Open.
Alcaraz could claim a career Grand Slam at the age of 21 if he wins a maiden Australian Open in January next year.
Setting Slam Records
Djokovic remains tied with Margaret Court for 24 Grand Slam titles. For the first time since 2017, he will finish a season without a Grand Slam trophy.
Djokovic will be 38 next May, and if he adds another Slam to his collection, he will become the oldest central singles champion, surpassing Ken Rosewall, who was just over 37 when he won the 1972 Australian Open.
The now-retired Roger Federer was 36 and five months old when he claimed his 20th and last Slam at the 2018 Australian Open. Nadal will turn 39 in May, but the injury-plagued Spaniard is on the brink of retirement.
Two days past his 36th birthday, he won his 22nd major and 14th French Open in 2022.
This year marks the first since 2002 that at least one of the Slams did not fall to a member of the “Big Three.”
Go Deep in Tournaments
Fritz, playing in his first Slam final at the age of 26, believes the majors are more open than ever.
“I don’t think you have to play unbelievable to go deep in tournaments and contend,” he said Sunday. “You can find yourself a little deeper in the draws, like the quarterfinals, if you just play solid tennis, although I still think you need to bring your best game to beat the top guys.”
Both Djokovic and Nadal are expected to return to action soon. Djokovic is on Davis Cup duty in Belgrade with Serbia in the week ahead, while Nadal, who hasn’t played since the Olympics, is due to feature in the Laver Cup in Berlin from September 20.
Both men are likely to face questions about their plans in a sport they dominated for the past two decades, but where the clock is ticking.
Nadal Hints at French Open 2025?
The 38-year-old Spanish tennis legend is leaving the door open to playing in 2025 — potentially at his beloved Roland Garros and other tournaments.
These words have excited an entire generation of tennis fans who were once loyal purchasers of French Open tickets again.
This year, they thought it was the last time they would see him play.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Nadal said he was enjoying playing again and was uncomfortable with a planned tribute for him at the French Open:
“I feel like I’m finding the pleasure of playing again, having fun. I want to give myself a chance to see if my physique remains at this level or if it is only a temporary moment and it starts to go wrong again. I give myself time to see how I will feel after the Olympic Games and then we will see what will happen, and what decisions I will make.
“(On a tribute at Roland Garros) At first, I said, ‘OK, let’s go!’ But at the last minute (after the good training sessions) I said I didn’t want it, that’s the truth. It would have bothered me to announce that it was the last time I played in the tournament, knowing that I did not have the opportunity to prepare as I would have liked. And nothing prevents them from waiting a year. If the tribute takes place and I am retired, I will go there as a retiree.
And if I still play, I will be present. I preferred not to live with the idea that they had to pay tribute to me because it practically forced me not to play here again, and I was not ready then.”
Nadal, who paired up with Alcaraz at the Olympics, showed the world that he could continue playing for a year or two.
Only time will tell if he will be in good form for the Roland Garros 2025.
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