Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have established themselves as the two best ATP players in 2024, but Marc Rosset spoke bluntly about some of their rivals.
It was unclear heading into 2024 which players would establish themselves at the very top. Djokovic dominated in 2023, winning three Grand Slam titles and the ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz had won two Grand Slam titles, the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, but he was also understandably inconsistent at such a young age.
Sinner ended 2023 strongly, notably winning the Davis Cup with Italy. However, he had yet to win a Grand Salm or make a major final heading into the 2024 season. The 23-year-old still needed to prove he was ready to reach the very top.
However, Alcaraz and Sinner have ended Djokovic's dominance with outstanding 2024 seasons. The Spaniard won the French Open and his second Wimbledon title in 2024, taking his Grand Slam tally to four.
Sinner became the fastest player to seal the year-end No. 1 spot since Djokovic in 2015. His breakthrough season included winning the Australian Open and beating Taylor Fritz in a one-sided US Open final.
While 2024 has been excellent for Sinner and Alcaraz, their achievements this year at the ages of 23 and 21, respectively, might be quite disheartening for their rivals. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal used to thwart those players, and now Alcaraz and Sinner are doing the same.
Daniil Medvedev played Sinner in the Australian Open final and took a two sets lead, but the Italian battled back spectacularly to triumph 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 and secure his maiden Grand Slam title.
Zverev came similarly close to glory in the French Open final against Alcaraz when leading 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, but he ended up losing a second Grand Slam final in five sets, also doing so against the retired Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final.
Speaking to L'Equipe, Rosset respected the efforts of Zverev and 2021 US Open champion Medvedev in getting close this year but did not mince his words when talking about those outside the Top 5 in the rankings.
"Taylor Fritz is there for his US Open final. Andrey Rublev plays a lot, but struggles in the Grand Slam tournaments. Casper Ruud is having an average season. And behind him, Tsitsipas, he shines somewhere and gets a second round at Wimbledon, then makes the final elsewhere. It’s too disjointed."
"[Ben] Shelton is up and down all season. [Frances] Tiafoe is the same. [Lorenzo] Musetti can win a tournament but miss out so often. Felix] Auger-Aliassime, we’re not even talking about him, I wonder how he’s still here. These guys can perform, but also lose to second-tier players – you don’t understand why."
Rosset compared the players he mentioned unfavorably to how similar the Top 10 was when Roger Federer dominated, showing those men at least stayed consistent during the Swiss's prime years.
"Back when Roger Federer dominated the ranking, the top 10 rarely moved. Guys like Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Cilic or Stan Wawrinka were well established."
"These guys performed regularly in the Grand Slams. A guy in eighth place, if he fulfilled his contract by reaching the quarters, would stay in the top 10."
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