After a few weeks of rest, a bumper 11-month slog starts again on the ATP Tour in January, and plenty of men will fight for their first Grand Slam title.
For tennis fans, a Grand Slam tournament right at the start of a new season is akin to kids finding themselves in candy shops. And next year's Grand Slam tennis season promises to be highly competitive.
Novak Djokovic decimated the field in 2023, finishing with a 27-1 record at the four most coveted tennis tournaments. He is not going anywhere and will be the favorite to retain supremacy whenever he plays.
But there is a flock of contenders, among them potential first-time Grand Slam winners. In this article, we will highlight the five men projected to do that.
5. Ben Shelton
The wait for an American men's champion at a Grand Slam (singles) has clocked another year. For how long will the wait be? Judging by how close American players have come in the past few years, the drought will likely end next year.
There are four American men in the world's Top 20 (there should have been five in all probability, had it not been for a freak wrist injury Sebastian Korda sustained in the early phase of 2023), and that increases the likelihood of seeing that infamous run come to an end.
There is no American man better placed at doing that than Ben Shelton. He is a flamboyant but incredibly powerful 21-year-old who enjoyed a fantastic introduction to life on the ATP Tour in 2023. He started the year ranked 96th but finished last season in the world's Top 20.
Did you know: Ben Shelton won his first ATP title in Tokyo, following the footsteps of his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, a two-time ATP champion. They are only the fourth pairing (father and son) to win ATP titles in history.
4. Grigor Dimitrov
This is a wild selection that will raise plenty of eyebrows. But make no mistake of underestimating the elegant one-handed Bulgarian. Grigor Dimitrov is the second-oldest man in the world's Top 20 (behind World No. 1 Novak Djokovic), and it's not by luck but by consistency and experience.
He's sitting comfortably in 14th place on the back of his most productive season since 2017. His best bet of winning a Grand Slam would be at Wimbledon, and the Australian Open being a close second. He has made multiple semifinals at Grand Slam level, so he is adept at upsetting the odds on the big stage.
If anything, Dimitrov could take a leaf out of Stan Wawrinka's playbook. The Swiss one-hander's trophy-laden years happened well after he turned 30 (two of his three Slams were won in that stretch).
Did you know: Grigor Dimitrov, 32, scored SEVEN Top 10 wins last season, the second-most by an ATP player aged 30+ in 2023 (after Djokovic).
3. Holger Rune
Holger Rune is an interesting pick for a couple of reasons. One is his fearless attitude, contrary to recent claims by former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, who ripped into the NextGen players' ambitions. Rune has shown, time and again, that he relishes playing with the world's best players.
I think he'll need to cancel outside noise and find a way of winning the matches he's instilled as a favorite because he has struggled to balance expectations with hype.
But the addition of Boris Becker to the team is the ingredient he needed for most of last season. The German tennis great might be the missing piece in Rune's jigsaw next season.
Did you know: In 2023, Holger Rune was the highest-ranked Danish man in ATP rankings history when he rose to World No. 4.
2. Alexander Zverev
Unlike the other four men on this list, Alexander Zverev has tasted the experience of playing a major final back at the 2020 US Open and even came within spitting distance of the trophy. He looked on course to achieve that breakthrough Slam in 2022 but for an unfortunate slip at Roland Garros.
Zverev miraculously found his stride in 2023 after being written off almost entirely. Wins over the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz should give him a significant boost in confidence.
It's hard to believe the German's renaissance won't have a lasting impact when the new season begins and potentially win that elusive Grand Slam.
Did you know: Alexander Zverev was the biggest mover into the world's Top 10 last season. Having started the year ranked 27th and losing his spot as Germany's No. 1 mid-season, he finished 2023 in 7th place.
1. Jannik Sinner
The overwhelming men's favorite on the list is Jannik Sinner. Currently sitting at a career-high ranking of World No. 4, the 22-year-old's best finish at Grand Slam level was in 2023 when he reached the Wimbledon semifinal. Sinner's improvement has been conspicuous.
Testament to his progress, his coaches - Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi - received the men's Coach of the Year award. His direct rival Carlos Alcaraz weighed in on the debate about Sinner's Grand Slam chances and admitted he has "no doubts" he'll do it.
His late-season purple patch sets him up nicely to push for that accolade at the start of next season, where he will look to dethrone Novak Djokovic as Australian Open defending champion. Sinner was the only player who defeated the Top 3 of Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev last season.
Did you know: Jannik Sinner attained a career-best ranking of World No. 4, the joint-highest by an Italian man in ATP rankings history.
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