5 players to watch out for in 2024 ft. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
The 2024 season is almost upon us as it will commence in just another two weeks. The past year saw the continued dominance of Novak Djokovic, but the next generation of players have begun to challenge him.
American tennis continued to blossom as Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul joined Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe at the top of the men's game. Veterans like Grigor Dimitrov and Adrian Mannarino thrived as well, with the former finishing the season ranked within the top 15.
Despite a slew of contenders on the tour, there's a clear distinction between the very best and the rest of the field based on results. On that note, here are five players who could continue to impress next year:
#5 - Daniil Medvedev
After blowing a two-set lead in the final of the 2022 Australian Open against Nadal, Medvedev's confidence took a huge hit. While his results were pretty decent after that, there was a marked difference in him. The Russian then bowed out of the season's first Major in the third round this year.
The loss caused Medvedev to exit the top 10, but it proved to be a turning point for him. He went on a tear after that winning three titles in a row, with his 19-match unbeaten run coming to an end in the Indian Wells final against Alcaraz.
Medvedev continued to play at a high level for the rest of the season. He won his first title on clay at the Italian Open, reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and finished as the runner-up at the US Open.
After an underwhelming 2022 in which Medvedev won just a couple of titles from five finals, he secured five titles across nine finals this year. The Russian is in a much better place heading into the next season and will be eager to improve upon this year's results.
#4 - Jannik Sinner
Sinner was touted as one of the brightest stars of the future from the moment he made his debut on the ATP Tour. He rose through the ranks rather quickly, but found it tough to crack the upper echelon of men's tennis. The 22-year old took that next step this year.
Sinner claimed his maiden Masters title at the Canadian Open and made it to his first-ever Major semifinal at Wimbledon. He won four titles in all and reached the final of the ATP Finals too. The Italian was the only player to defeat Djokovic twice this year.
Having firmly established himself as one of the top players this year, Sinner will be eyeing Grand Slam glory next season. It's well within the realm of possibility given how he fared this year.
#3 - Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz proved that his breakthrough in 2022 was no fluke. He backed up his triumph at last year's US Open with his Wimbledon victory this season. The young Spaniard edged out Djokovic in a five-set tussle to secure his second Major title.
Alcaraz won five more titles, including two at the Masters level in Madrid and Indian Wells. His position at the top of the rankings was taken over by Djokovic by the end of the season, but he fought for it quite well.
Alcaraz has broken the duopoly of Nadal and Djokovic at the Majors with his meteoric rise to the top. He's the only player to have captured multiple Grand Slam trophies over the last couple of years aside from the two legends.
Naturally, expectations are going to be sky-high when it comes to Alcaraz. So far he has managed to thrive, and it's quite likely he'll continue at this pace next year too.
#2 - Rafael Nadal
Nadal made a tearful exit from this year's Australian Open as an injury contributed to his second round loss. The wear and tear finally reached a breaking point as he took the entire year off to recover.
Now, Nadal's getting ready for a comeback, and most likely it could be his last one as well. While his own expectations are a bit measured, a player of his stature will always be expected to succeed.
While the early hardcourt swing could turn out to be a bust for him, Nadal will always be a contender on the red dirt after that. One can always count on the King of Clay to come back to life and slay the field on his beloved surface. He has done so in the past and could very well mimic the feat next year too.
#1 - Novak Djokovic
After trailing his rivals for years, Djokovic finally took the lead in the Grand Slam race for the first time in his career. He currently leads the tally with 24 titles and it wouldn't be surprising to see him keep adding to it over the next few years.
Djokovic has won seven of the last 10 Majors he competed in and reached the final on another two occasions. He's a cut above the rest of the field, with only an occasional stumble costing him some silverware.
Djokovic has taken it upon himself to create as many new records as possible. So far he has proven successful in his efforts and come next year, the record books are going to be rewritten once again by the Serb.