Alcaraz and Sinner take the best Grand Slam matches of 2024 | ATP Tour

The Best of 2024

What was the best Grand Slam match of 2024?

Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz shined in the majors

December 01, 2024

At the close of another stellar season, ATPTour.com reveals its ‘Best’ special of the year, focused on the most exciting rivalries, matches, comebacks or surprises. This week, we relive the best Grand Slam matches of 2024.

The sport’s biggest stars shined on the Grand Slam stages this season, with the five-set format providing the canvas for memorable matches in 2024. All of the matches listed below were extensive battles, with plot twists in each of the five sets .

There were a multitude of matches to choose from, with brilliant duels such as the Australian Open semi-final between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev (read more) very worth remembering.

Victories by Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe make up this selection of great duels, with double participation of Italian, Spanish and American.

5) R3 US Open: Frances Tiafoe v. a Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3
Almost a year after their vibrant duel in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open, the Americans staged another unforgettable clash in their Grand Slam. In a battle of big servers at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Tiafoe’s saves and net skills made the difference in a match of minuscule margins.

After three sets, the score was similar to that of 2023: Shelton won the first and third sets, taking the last in an exciting tie-break. But the sleeves were tighter in this sequel, and Tiafoe’s sneakers were also more quality.

To take revenge for his previous defeat in New York and the one suffered in April in the final in Houston, Tiafoe generated 21 breaking points on Shelton’s hard serve, a figure that was close to equaling the tally of aces of the left-handed Tiafoe converted five – one in each set – en route to his second US Open semi-finals.

“Since I’ve been on tour, it’s probably the best time they’ve broken my serve,” Shelton said. “At the beginning of the game, I put in an open serve, about 210km/h, and he managed to return it over the baseline. I was thinking ‘oh, one of those days’.”

“I think the level has been much higher compared to last year’s match, throughout the five sets.”

It wasn’t just a tennis match. The duel was a spectacle, with the fans vibrating in the largest tennis stadium in the world. Despite the loss, Shelton couldn’t help but smile on his way to the net to congratulate Tiafoe.

Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/11/27/05/08/tiafoe-shelton-us-open-2024.jpg?h=1280&w=1920″ style=”color: #999999; background-color: #f9f9f9; width: 100%;”>

Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

4) R3 Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz v. to Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2
Two of the most charismatic figures on the circuit starred in one of the stellar duels of the 2024 season. Facing each other for the first time since their epic five-set clash in the semifinals of the 2022 US Open, Spaniard and American once again generated an immense spectacle at the Center Wimbledon Court. As happened in New York, Alcaraz sealed the victory and ended up lifting the trophy.

Tiafoe had not had his best results upon arriving at Wimbledon but, with nothing to lose against the current Spanish champion, he hit with all his might from both sides to take a lead of two sets to one. At 4-4 in the fourth set, Tiafoe had 0/30 but failed to get a key break. On the other hand, Alcaraz took control of the match, winning 5/0 in the tie-break.

The American opened the final set with a firm turn of service, but Alcaraz reeled off five consecutive games to bury any chance of a surprise in London.

“It’s always a huge challenge to compete against Frances,” Alcaraz said. “He is a very talented player and difficult to face. We have seen again that he deserves to be in the top zone and fight for great things. It has been very difficult to adapt my game, find solutions and put him in problems. But I am happy to have achieved it towards the end of the game.”

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Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

3) SF Roland Garros: Carlos Alcaraz v. for Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
In what he considered one of the toughest matches of his career, Alcaraz overwhelmed Sinner after a battle of attrition on the Court Philippe-Chatrier. On the way to his first Roland Garros cup, the Spaniard twice came back from a set and overcame a difficult start when he found himself 0-4 in the first set.

“You have to enjoy suffering,” said Alcaraz, who dominated the winning shots (65-39) but caught two points less than the Italian (145-147). “That’s the key, especially here on the clay of Roland Garros. Long exchanges, four-hour matches, five sets,… You have to fight, you need to suffer. But, as I have told my team, you need to enjoy suffering” .

Sinner suffered with cramps in the third set but found a way to catch it, breaking Carlos’ serve immediately after being served. A total of 10 breaks occurred in the first three sets, but none managed to generate a single break point until Alcaraz broke in the final game to force the decisive set. The Spaniard maintained his pace at the start of the fifth set, taking advantage of the momentum to win the first three games

As both players struggled to play their best tennis for long periods, this was a sustained battle of heart and desire. The uncertainty remained until the last ball, and Alcaraz had to resist deuce situations in his last three service turns. With his third match point, the Murcian sealed his place in the final.

2) Final Abierto de Australia: Jannik Sinner v. a Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
A skilled chess player outside of tennis, Medvedev has a good understanding of a good opening. The devastating tennis he displayed from the first ball in this Grand Slam final was one of the most surprising tactical moves of the year, an unconventional path in search of his first Australian Open crown.

“I expected something different from him,” Sinner said. “I could sense that something more aggressive than normal would come out, but not at this level.”

Medvedev had played three five-set matches on the way to the final, and opted for an approach that would shorten the points. A normally methodical backcourt player looked like Aryna Sabalenka in the first two sets, replicating the offensive style that the double Australian Open champion had displayed the night before in Melbourne.

While Sinner searched for answers, Medvedev pushed himself to put the deuce to the rest at 4-4 in the third set. However, Sinner survived that game and broke Daniil for the first time in the match to take the set. Medvedev generated another break option at 3-3 in the fourth, but Jannik escaped again to close the set with a break in the 10th game.

The Italian gained ground in the exchanges as the match progressed, provoking longer rallies while patiently and calmly turning the direction of the duel. Jannik was crowned meritorious champion, and his first Grand Slam title set the stage for a historic season that saw him debut as world No. 1 and crown the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF for the first time.

Jannik Sinner” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/01/28/13/03/sinner-australian-open-2024-sunday-final-celebration-zoom.jpg” style=”color: #999999; background-color: #f9f9f9; width: 100%;”>

Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

1) R3 Roland Garros: Novak Djokovic v. Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
The first of two consecutive comebacks in five sets for Djokovic, this third round duel was immersed in the early hours of Paris. The Serbian started with ease and, after dominating with a break at the beginning of the second set, had a set point in the tie-break. However, the script of the game changed when Musetti scored three consecutive points to tie the match. Although midnight had already arrived, the 25th seeded Italian extended what could have been a movie story with an astonishing third set.

Musetti’s majestic one-handed backhand began to overwhelm Djokovic’s solidity, and the Italian seemed to continue raising his level in the fourth set. The pair covered every nook and cranny of the Court Philippe-Chatrier, using a collection of drop shots and offensive angles to keep the crowd guessing until a closing finale at 3:07 am.

“I didn’t feel good playing in the third set [y] at the beginning of the fourth,” Djokovic said. “The stands carried me along. I needed that support, I needed that energy. With 2-2 in the fourth, they started chanting my name, and I felt a new wave of spirit and energy. I think I was a different player since then. From that moment on I think I’ve only lost one game in the rest of the game.”

That dominant outcome served as a reminder of Djokovic’s five-set victory over Musetti at Roland Garros 2021. In his first Lexus ATP Head2Head match, the Serbian came back two sets, winning 16 of the last 17 games before Musetti needed to retire midway through the match. fifth partial. On this occasion, the Italian resisted but was unable to prevent Djokovic from crossing the finish line after four hours and 29 minutes of memorable effort.

“It may have been the best match I’ve ever played here,” Djokovic said, addressing the crowd in French. “The most exciting one. Thank you very much. Now, who’s going to go to sleep? It’s impossible to sleep with all this adrenaline. If you’re going to celebrate, I’m in!”

Novak Djokovic celebrates his five-set comeback win after 3:00 a.m. win over Lorenzo Musetti.” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/06/02/01/32/djokovic-roland-garros-2024-saturday-2.jpg?h=1080&w=1920″ style=”color: #999999; background-color: #f9f9f9; width: 100%;”>

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images