The best of 2024: The five most outstanding duos of the season | ATP Tour

The Best of 2024

The best of 2024: The five most outstanding duos of the season

From Mektic and Koolhof to Arévalo and Pavic, the No. 1 at the end of the year

December 09, 2024

At the close of another stellar season, ATPTour.com launches the ‘Best’ of the year special, which will address the most exciting rivalries, matches, comebacks and surprises of the season. Today we delve into the five most outstanding doubles teams of this course.

Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof
Koolhof and Mektic returned to play together in 2024 after not doing so since their title at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. And this year they qualified for the season-ending tournament again and won five tour-level trophies, the most for a duo in the course. The Dutch-Croatian team enjoyed a triple crown of ATP Masters 1000 trophies on three continents: Indian Wells, Shanghai and the Rolex Paris Masters.

“It’s very special. Winning three Masters in one year is an incredible achievement for both of us,” Koolhof said.

Koolhof and Mektic also reached the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Basel. It was the perfect season for the retired Koolhof, who played his final ATP Tour match at the year-end event in Turin before competing for the Netherlands in the Davis Cup.

Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic
It was a dream season for Arévalo and Pavic, who took (as a duo) the year-end No. 1, an honor presented by PIF. Not bad considering it was their first season together.

“Everyone plays at the beginning of the year dreaming about this, so to be here, to lift this trophy, obviously that’s why we play all year,” Pavic said when the new trophy was presented to the team in Turin.

The Salvadoran-Croat duo’s opening week foreshadowed how their season would unfold. Arévalo and Pavic were crowned champions in Hong Kong and rarely looked back, compiling a season record of 47-20. The duo’s year was highlighted with a title run at Roland Garros and the Cincinnati Open.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz
Krawietz and Puetz closed their memorable season in style, becoming the first German team to win the Nitto ATP Finals trophy in the tournament’s 55-year history. Additionally, the eighth seeds in Turin became the lowest-seeded team to triumph in the season-ending tournament.

It was a surprising race considering that three weeks earlier, in Antwerp, Puetz suffered a calf injury that appeared to jeopardize his chances of qualifying for Turin. “Two weeks ago I couldn’t even walk, now we’re here having won the tournament,” Puetz said after winning the Nitto ATP Finals. “It’s incredible.”

Krawietz and Puetz also won their home tournament in Hamburg and reached the final of the US Open.

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten
Despite not having started their relationship until the fourth month of the year, Heliovaara and Patten qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals and reached the semifinals in Turin. His success did not take long to emerge. Immediately, they won two ATP Challenger Tour titles and reached the final of the ATP 250 in Bucharest.

The Finnish-British pair lifted trophies on all three surfaces. The biggest of all came at Wimbledon, where they saved three championship points. Heliovaara and Patten were also crowned champions in Marrakech, Lyon and Stockholm.

“I think the season we’ve had, especially given how we started the year, has been incredible, highlighted by the Grand Slam win at Wimbledon,” Patten said. “[Ese es] everyone’s dream as tennis players. “It has been a surreal season.”

Max Purcell y Jordan Thompson
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson quadrupled their team trophy tally this year with a breakout season in which they won the US Open title and reached the Wimbledon final. “Being a Grand Slam champion is something very special,” said Thompson, No. 3 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings. “Especially after the disappointment at Wimbledon.”

Starting the year with just one win together (at last year’s ATP 250 in Houston), the Aussies played a more consistent schedule and were equally consistent. The Sydney pair completed the Texas double by winning in Dallas and successfully defending their Houston title. Among those title runs was his triumph in Los Cabos, where Thompson swept the Mexican ATP 250 by also winning the singles crown.

Max Purcell/Jordan Thompson” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/09/07/18/28/purcell-thompson-us-open-2024-trophy-shot.jpg”>
^{Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson won the US Open. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images}

Thompson and Purcell dropped just one set in six matches to win their first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows and finished the year with a semi-final at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had when I win with Jordan,” Purcell said. “Playing with someone else and winning big tournaments… I don’t think it’s the same. “I think it’s about who you play with and the relationship you have.”