Djokovic, Alcaraz, Swiatek beaten – 6 upsets that stunned tennis in 2024

Oli Dickson Jefford 10 Dec 2024 3:35 PM

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were on the wrong side of huge upsets in 2024.

Tennis’ biggest stars fought their way to huge success in 2024 – but that does not mean there weren’t a few surprises across the past 12 months.

With the season over and 2025 approaching, we look back at six seismic shocks that stunned the tennis world in 2024.

ATP: Botic van de Zandschulp def Carlos Alcaraz, US Open R2

Perhaps the biggest shock in the men’s game this year saw Alcaraz dumped out in the second round of the US Open by Dutch star van de Zandschulp.

Third seed Alcaraz was considered by many the heavy favourite to lift the title, having won the French Open and Wimbledon earlier in the summer.

However, the Spaniard was emotionally flat and far from his best in this contest, while van de Zandschulp – ranked 74th at the time – played close to his best tennis.

The Dutchman ultimately faced little trouble in sealing a significant win, prevailing 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.

WTA: Zheng Qinwen def Iga Swiatek, Olympic Games SF

On paper, this might not look like much of a shock, considering what Qinwen was able to achieve both before and after beating Swiatek in Paris.

However, when you factor in how heavy of a favourite the Pole was at the Olympics, this ultimately has to be recognised as one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Qinwen was 0-6 against Swiatek, who had won 25 straight matches in Paris and had also won 23 consecutive matches on the surface.

But the Chinese produced the performance of her life to triumph 6-2, 7-5 on her way to eventually capturing the gold medal.

ATP: Luca Nardi def Novak Djokovic, Indian Wells R3

Djokovic suffered multiple surprise losses in 2024, including to Alejandro Tabilo in Rome, Tomas Machac in Geneva, and Alexei Popyrin at the US Open.

However, it was his loss to world No 123 Nardi in the third round of Indian Wells that was the first clear sign of a dip in form for the Serbian in 2024.

Nardi had initially lost in qualifying at the Masters 1000 event, only to eventually reach the third round as a lucky loser.

The Italian was not cowed by taking on the five-time Indian Wells champion – battling his way to a stunning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory in California.

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WTA: Anna Blinkova def Elena Rybakina, Australian Open R2

One of the most extraordinary matches of 2024 came at the start of the season in Melbourne, where Blinkova saved six match points to shock 2023 runner-up Rybakina in the second round.

Rybakina entered the Australian Open as many people’s pick to lift the title after winning in Brisbane and was a significant favourite to dispatch her Russian opponent.

Blinkova took the opening set and twice served for the match in the decider, though there was a sense she had missed her chance after failing to close it out on both occasions.

However, in an incredible deciding-set tiebreak, she saved multiple match points before converting a 10th match point of her own to win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(20).

ATP: Francisco Comesana def Andrey Rublev, Wimbledon R1

Heading into the grass court summer, world No 122 Comesana had never played a match on grass courts and had never played in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

Neither of those two facts stopped the Argentine pulling off one of the biggest shocks of this year’s action at SW19, downing sixth seed Rublev in four sets.

Rublev was not at his ferocious best in 2024 but the Russian was, understandably, still widely backed to win this one pretty comfortably.

Comesana had other ideas, however, prevailing 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) for the most remarkable win of his career.

WTA: Mirra Andreeva def Aryna Sabalenka, French Open QF

Illness may have affected Sabalenka in her Roland Garros loss, but there is no doubt that 17-year-old Andreeva well and truly upset the odds with this victory in Paris.

The teenager was in the quarter-final of a major for the first time, while Sabalenka was back at that stage for a sixth straight Slam – and had won the Australian Open earlier in the year.

The Belarusian battled her way to the opening set only for Andreeva to defy her inexperience – and previous one-sided losses to her opponent – to fight back.

Andreeva fought her way to a stunning 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 win to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.