It was just difficult for any player (except one) to beat Jannik Sinner, on any surface, since the start of 2024. He by far is the most improved player this season as his stunning rise this season was due to his sheer consistency.
Sinner has won on all surfaces and clinched the two hard court Grand Slam trophies, the Australian Open and the US Open. When probably everyone was convinced that Carlos Alcaraz would be the best player by the end of this year, Sinner astonished all.
Never before, since turning pro in 2018, Sinner took home more than four tour-level titles in a year. 2021 was a successful season for Sinner, for he won four titles. He then clinched his first Masters 1000 title in 2023, which was one of the four titles he won that season.
The one that Sinner desired the most was obviously the Grand Slam trophy and it came at the Australian Open in 2024 which he won in five sets over Daniil Medvedev. He didn’t look back and continued his winning ways throughout the year.
No player before him won two Majors, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup in one year. The fact that he won eight titles, three (including the US Open) while dealing with the doping controversy was indeed praiseworthy.
1. It’s consistency that makes Jannik Sinner better than Carlos Alcaraz
Sinner ended his season with a 73-6 (92%) win-loss record, the best since Andy Murray‘s 76 wins in 2016. Carlos Alcaraz, although he bagged his French Open, defended Wimbledon, and won two more titles, wrapped up his season with a 54-13 (80.6%) record.
Although Alcaraz with four Grand Slam titles, leads the next generation of players after the Big 3, was inconsistent post the Paris Olympics (he won silver) and as a result, he ended the season at No. 3 on the rankings table, below Alexander Zverev who is yet to win a major title and lifted two trophies this season.
2. Jannik Sinner played better defensive tennis than Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner has improved a lot on his defense and even some tennis pundits claim he plays like Novak Djokovic, who is probably the best defensive player in men’s tennis.
Sinner knows how to perplex his opponents on every shot he plays during rallies, turning his defensive shots to offense. He takes the ball earlier as he moves forward most of the time and he is also moving better than his rivals.
The 23-year-old has displayed that he has the ability to hit a winner on every shot. He plays aggressively but has maintained his calmness even under pressure.
3. Jannik Sinner is doing all these things without making many unforced errors
Carlos Alcaraz probably creates more power than Jannik Sinner but one of the reasons behind his inconsistency in recent months is that he has made a lot of unforced errors. He has a variety of shots at his disposal and surprises his opponents at crucial times but that also has often led to many unforced errors.
Sinner and Alcaraz will now be hoping to have another successful season next year by keeping Djokovic away from the Grand Slam titles. Djokovic has Murray in his team as coach for the Australian Open where this season he lost in the semifinals to Sinner.
Will Sinner be able to beat Djokovic again (if they meet) and defend his crown in Melbourne? Or will Alcaraz complete his Career Grand Slam?
