The 9 best ATP matches of 2024 – ranked! ft. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic
The 2024 ATP season is over, with plenty of huge talking points – and some thrilling matches to look back on.
With the year complete, we’ve looked back over the past 12 months to rank our nine greatest men’s matches of 2024.
9) French Open Round 2: Holger Rune def Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(7)
Rune and Cobolli delivered one of the most entertaining matches of the French Open with a thrilling second round contest at Roland Garros.
Rising star Cobolli looked primed to pull off a sensational comeback after battling back from two sets down, only for his Danish opponent to produce some stunning tennis in an enthralling decisive tiebreak.
8) Japan Open Final: Arthur Fils def Ugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3
French stars Fils and Humbert contested one of the best finals of the year as they duelled it out for over three hours in Tokyo.
Humbert had an unblemished finals record and held championship point in the second set, only for his compatriot to save it in thrilling fashion – and go on to claim his second title of 2024.
7) Wimbledon QF: Lorenzo Musetti def Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
2024 was the year of Italian tennis and Musetti made his mark by battling past Fritz in an epic Wimbledon five-setter to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Musetti and Fritz were consistently at a high level in this Court One encounter, with the 25th seed in full flow in the final set to seal one of the biggest victories of his career.
6) Australian Open SF: Daniil Medvedev def Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3
Marathon man Medvedev battled from the brink of defeat to down Zverev and prevail in arguably the best match of the Australian Open.
The Russian was two sets down and two points from defeat in the fourth set, though rallied in an extraordinary contest to reach his third final Down Under.
5) Wimbledon Round 3: Carlos Alcaraz def Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2
The first Alcaraz match on this countdown, the Spaniard was pushed to the brink in a hugely entertaining contest against evergreen showman Tiafoe.
Tiafoe produced some sublime tennis to take a two-sets-to-one lead and was just six points from victory at one stage, only for the eventual champion to force his way back and triumph in a fun battle.
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4) US Open Round 3: Frances Tiafoe def Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3
Tiafoe was on the right side of another fascinating Grand Slam third-round epic when he saw off compatriot Shelton in front of an enthralled home crowd inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
2023 semi-finalist Shelton looked set to move into the second week after claiming a third set break, though some ‘Big Foe’ magic saw him rally and turn the tables on his higher-ranked opponent.
3) French Open Round 3: Novak Djokovic def Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7(8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
The late finish of this match was hugely controversial, but there can be no denying Djokovic and Musetti delivered huge entertainment in a thrilling Court Philippe Chatrier battle.
Musetti produced an extraordinarily high level of tennis as he pushed his opponent from pillar to post across the first three sets – only for Djokovic to roar back with some of his best tennis of 2024.
2) Olympic Games Final: Novak Djokovic def Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2)
One of the best matches of 2024, and certainly one of the most memorable.
Alcaraz was the favourite heading into the Olympic final, having won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon – beating Djokovic comfortably in the final of the latter.
However, in a thrilling contest that lasted almost three hours, tiebreak king Djokovic produced moments of pure genius as he finally claimed the gold medal that had eluded him for so long.
1) China Open Final: Carlos Alcaraz def Jannik Sinner 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3)
Alcaraz and Sinner have delivered some epic matches in their rivalry, and their China Open final this year is among the very best – and is our best ATP match of 2024.
2024’s two Grand Slam winners fought for over three hours in Beijing, with neither budging in a contest that was high quality from the very beginning.
After rallying from a break down in the decider, Sinner moved in front in the final set breaker – only for his Spanish rival to stun everyone, winning the last seven points to seal a thrilling victory.
