5 players who underperformed on the ATP Tour in 2024 ft. Frances Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime
Jannik Sinner was easily the best player on the tour this season, with an eight-title haul, including two Majors, and an impressive 73-6 record. Even with a solid finish to his 2023 season, this was a massive step-up in terms of performance by the Italian.
Carlos Alcaraz also shined this year, and he claimed two Major titles as well. While Novak Djokovic didn't secure a Grand Slam trophy this year, he did claim the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, the only thing that was amiss from his perfect resume.
While some big names continued their upward trajectory, others regressed in one way or another. On that note, here's a look at five players who underperformed on the ATP Tour this season:
#5 - Cameron Norrie
Norrie enjoyed a considerable amount of success starting from 2021. He finished the last three seasons ranked in the top 20, and reached at least three finals every year since then. He won the biggest title of his career at the Indian Wells Masters in 2021, and was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2022.
However, Norrie's form took a hit this year. He started off quite well, with a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, and a semifinal showing at the Rio Open. He struggled to win matches after that, and he continued to slide down in the rankings.
Norrie went on an injury hiatus in mid-July. He returned to the tour in October, and after back-to-back first-round losses, he capped off the season with a runner-up finish at the Moselle Open. It pushed him back into the top 50, and he finished the year ranked 49th, his worst finish since 2020, when he concluded the year ranked 71st.
#4 - Felix Auger-Aliassime
After a lukewarm start to the season, Auger-Aliassime had won only 11 matches until mid-April, he stepped up his game for the remainder of the clay swing. He registered his best showing at a Masters 1000 tournament with a runner-up finish at the Madrid Open.
Auger-Aliassime also reached the fourth-round of the French Open, and placed fourth at the Paris Olympics as well. However, he couldn't sustain his level once the tour moved on from clay, and tallied only seven wins from August until the end of the year.
Auger-Aliassime finished the year ranked 29th, the same as last year, though he didn't win a title this year. He's certainly capable of achieving more based on his past results. He posted a 60-27 record in 2022, won four titles, and finished the year ranked sixth. The Canadian's results this year didn't reflect his true level of talent, and he was expected to achieve more than what he did this season.
#3 - Holger Rune
Rune finished the season ranked 13th, which is a respectable end to the season. He reached only one final this year, which was at the Brisbane International in January. He advanced to the semifinals of two Masters 1000 tournaments and made the fourth round at two Majors as well.
However, compared to how Rune fared last year, his results took a turn for the worse this year. He won the BMW Open last season, progressed to two finals at the Masters 1000 level, was twice a quarterfinalist at the Majors, and finished the year ranked eighth. The young Dane definitely underachieved this season based on his results.
#2 - Frances Tiafoe
Tiafoe did have some noteworthy results this season, namely a semifinal showing at the US Open, and a runner-up finish at the Cincinnati Open. However, following his run in New York, he didn't win back-to-back matches for the rest of the season. He still managed to finish the season ranked 18th, two places down from his year-end finish in 2023.
All of Tiafoe's best results this season came in his native US, where he posted a 20-8 record. He couldn't raise his level once he didn't have the home court advantage and had a 13-18 record outside of the US. He didn't win a title this year either, while he had hoisted the winner's trophy twice last year.
The American's strong showing in the US isn't enough to offset his poor results outside of the country. Despite some impressive results this year, Tiafoe has underperformed to an extent.
#1 - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas won the Monte Carlo Masters, was the runner-up at the Barcelona Open, and finished the year ranked 11th. Usually, that wouldn't be considered underperforming but the Greek did set the bar high for himself with his results over the last few years.
This marks Tsitsipas' first year-end finish outside the top 10 since 2018 when he concluded the season ranked No. 15. He finished the year ranked either No. 4 or No. 6 between 2019 and 2023. This was also his first season since 2018 without a semifinal appearance at the Majors.
While Tsitsipas remains a solid player, he has been outpaced by his younger rivals Alcaraz and Sinner. After a slightly underwhelming season compared to what he achieved in the last five seasons, he will be eager to bounce back with new tricks in the coming season.