Awards
Draper, Machac, Mpetshi Perricard and Tabilo go for Most Improved Player 2024 at the ATP Awards
On the court and in the PIF ATP Rankings, our nominees took a step forward
December 06, 2024
ATP
Jack Draper, Tomas Machac, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alejandro Tabilo are nominated for Greatest Progress of the Year at the 2024 ATP Awards.
By ATP Editorial Board
A tennis player never finishes fine-tuning his game. Our four Most Improved Player of the Year nominees at the 2024 ATP Awards took it to another level this season in their quest for greatness.
Jack Draper, Tomas Machac, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alejandro Tabilo showed great performance increases throughout the year and made significant jumps in the PIF ATP Rankings.
| Player | Age | Ranking at the end of 2023 | Ranking actual |
| Draper | 22 | 61 | 15 |
| Machac | 24 | 78 | 25 |
| Mpetshi Perricard | 21 | 206 | 31 |
| Tabilo | 27 | 85 | 23 |
The Most Improved Player of the Year nominees are chosen by vote of the International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA). The winner is chosen by the players from among the finalists and will be announced during ATP Awards week, which begins Monday, December 9.
Jack Draper
The British No. 1, who will turn 23 on December 22, broke out this season with the first two titles of his career in Stuttgart and Vienna. Following his injury struggles in 2023, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 15 in the PIF ATP Rankings following those two trophies, where he beat Matteo Berrettini and Karen Khachanov, respectively, in the finals. A week after his triumph in Austria, he celebrated with a Top 10 victory against Taylor Fritz at the Rolex Paris Masters.
“I’ve had a lot of tough times, but I’ve always tried to stay strong,” Draper told ATPTour.com after winning his first tour crown. “I think it shows my love for tennis and the amazing people I have around me to push me to keep persevering and keep moving forward.”
Draper set the tone for the 2024 season by reaching the final in Adelaide in his first tournament of the year. In February he broke into the Top 50 and reached the semifinals in Acapulco in his first event as part of that group. The Briton finished the season with a record of 39-22.
Tomas Machac
Machac rose 53 places in the PIF ATP Rankings this season to finish the year as world No. 25. The 24-year-old reached his first tour final in May in Geneva and also made two strong runs in ATP Masters 1000 events, reaching the quarter-finals in Miami and the semi-finals in Shanghai.
In all three events, he left superstars in his wake. He beat Andrey Rublev and Andy Murray in Miami, Novak Djokovic in Geneva and Tommy Paul and Carlos Alcaraz successively in Shanghai.
“I knew that my tennis was going to be at a high level, because now I am playing at my best level,” he declared after defeating Alcaraz in two tight sets. That October victory made him the fourth lowest-ranked semifinalist in Shanghai history.
“I’m enjoying it a lot and I’m happy to be able to play against the best,” added Machac, who entered the Top 25 immediately after that race.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Two months before turning 21, the Frenchman won his first title of his career. In Lyon, his hometown, he saved a match point against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and ended up winning the trophy in the third set tie-break.
“It means a lot to me. A lot of dedication, a lot of training, a lot of questions about my game,” said Mpetshi Perricard after her victory. “But I’m very happy to win in Lyon, my hometown.”
His second title in Basel in October lifted him to No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Proving he belongs at that elite level, the high-serving Frenchman won against five Top 30 players in his two title runs, including straight-set victories against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune and Ben Shelton at the ATP 500 in Basel in October. She also beat Frances Tiafoe at the Rolex Paris Masters, closing her season at home.
Alejandro Tabilo
Tabilo’s rise of 62 places in the PIF ATP Rankings this season is the biggest among players in the top 30. The Chilean reached No. 19 in July and finished the year inside the Top 25 after starting it at No. 85.
After winning his first circuit title in Auckland to start the season, he shared some of the key improvements that led to his hardcourt milestone.
“As a player, I think lately I’ve learned more about how well I can play on the counterattack, about how aggressive I can be,” he said. “I think my serve has improved a lot and that has helped me a lot. I think as a player in general I have become a little more aggressive, which has helped me a lot.”
These weapons would help Tabilo win a second title on the grass courts of Mallorca and reach the final on the clay of Santiago. With success on all three surfaces, the 27-year-old showed another improvement: his versatility.
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/atp-awards-2024-most-improved-nominees
