Jannik Sinner confirms he is a step ahead of Carlos Alcaraz with US Open win
It seemed as if Carlos Alcaraz was the king of tennis as he claimed French Open and Wimbledon triumphs amid a glorious run of form in the European summer, but Jannik Sinner confirmed he is the true king of the men’s game in 2024.
Sinner and Alcaraz shared the Grand Slam titles between them, but it is clear that Sinner is in a league of his own when he is fit and fully firing on all cylinders.
Sinner came into the US Open under a cloud following his anti-doping scandal, where he escaped a ban despite two positive tests in March.
There were many who suggested Sinner was fortunate to be allowed to carry on playing during his appeal against his failed doping tests, but he won the first tournament since his positive test were made public with a crushing 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win against Taylor Fritz.
While Alcaraz can be proud of his achievement of winning the French Open and Wimbledon, Sinner’s brilliance was highlighted once again as he dismantled Fritz in clinical fashion.
“This title for me means so much because the last period of my career was really not easy,” said Sinner.
“My team and the people who are close to me have supported me every day.
“I love tennis. I practice a lot for this kind of stage.
“I just went day by day. Believing in yourself is the most important. I understood, especially in this tournament, how important the mental part is in sport.
“I’m very happy and proud to share this moment with my team. It was a huge pleasure to play in this arena.
“It’s been an incredible year. So many big wins, starting off in Australia which gave me confidence until now.
“The work never stops. I know I can still improve. I can’t wait for my continued process.”
Why does the headline of this story suggest this US Open win confirms Sinner is the winner of the 2024 tennis year ahead of Alcaraz?
Let’s look at the scenario that was gripping Sinner when Alcaraz had his winning burst at the French Open and Wimbledon.
For starters, the Italian was battling a hip injury that affected him as Alcaraz beat Sinner at Indian Wells in March and that problem continued to trouble him when he lost to the Spaniard at the French Open.
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Sickness ended Sinner’s hopes of winning his first Wimbledon title, as he was beaten by Daniil Medvedev at the All England Club after coming close to pulling out of the match.
Now we know he was also dealing with the trauma of his positive drug tests during that time and whatever your view may be on that subject, there is no doubt it would have had a big impact on his mentality during that period.
He missed the Olympic Games due to illness and with his hip improving, he won the Cincinnati Masters even though he was waiting to discover whether his tennis career was about to be shattered – possibly for good – over his drug test issue.
Sinner started the US Open asking a barrage of questions about the doping issue and he came under fire from former players and media pundits, many of whom questioned whether he was given special treatment as the world No 1.
Amid this backdrop of negativity, Sinner didn’t just win the US Open, he won it in stunning style.
His wins against Britain’s Jack Draper in the semi-final and Fritz in the final confirmed his class, with a record of 35-2 on hard courts this year an incredible statistic.
Tennis is fortunate to have new champions in Sinner and Alcaraz and the fact that we have two new champions to take over from the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic should ensure we have a new rivalry to carry the sport forward.
A fully fit Sinner and Alcaraz could dominate men’s tennis for the next decade and we can all look forward to these compelling champions going head-to-head in all the matches that matter.
