Jannik Sinner's outstanding 2024 season helped him to join the legendary company of players in the history of the ATP Tour.
The Italian had been near the top of men's tennis for a while heading into 2024. But he had never reached a Grand Slam final, and he needed to prove he could beat the best players on the sport's biggest stages.
Sinner emphatically answered lingering questions about himself by winning the Australian Open at the start of the year. He recovered from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev to prevail in a dramatic final.
After continuing to play well in the following months, the tennis world was rocked before the US Open by the news of Sinner testing positive for the banned substance clostebol on two occasions during the Indian Wells Open in March.
Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing and avoided a ban. However, his prize money and ranking points from the event were stripped, and many players and analysts were unhappy about the case being kept private for five months.
Some wrote off Sinner's chances of challenging for the US Open title after those revelations, but the 23-year-old has proven several people wrong by performing outstandingly in New York.
Sinner reached his maiden US Open final by defeating Jack Draper in straight sets. The World No. 1 overcame an injury scare during the match when he landed awkwardly on his wrist. Fortunately, he was okay.
Sinner will face Taylor Fritz in Sunday's final. The home favorite will need to try to beat a player who has developed a complete game this year, even though the Italian said that there was still a weakness in his game after his semifinal triumph.
The Australian Open champion will remain the 2orld No. 1 regardless of the result in the final. His triumph against Draper also pushed him above 10,000 ATP ranking points, which only seven other men have managed.
There is only one other active ATP player, other than players from the legendary Big Four, on the list of eight to reach over 10,000 ranking points. That is Daniil Medvedev, who briefly became the world No. 1 in February 2022, mainly due to his 2021 US Open title run.
The so-called 'Big Four' members —Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray—are also on the list. These four dominated the sport for many years, but Murray's hip injury eventually led to him falling behind the other three.
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are the final two players to achieve that milestone. Those two Americans shared one of the most heated and memorable rivalries in tennis history and are also two of the greatest to play the sport.
Observing what other active players reach 10,000 ranking points in the coming years will be interesting. Carlos Alcaraz seems the most obvious candidate, although the Spaniard needs to avoid injuries that have plagued him slightly during his young career.
Sinner will significantly increase his ranking points if he defeats Fritz in the US Open final. The Italian is the favorite, but Fritz's big serve and powerful game mean it could be a tight battle.
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