US Open 2024: Three takeaways from men’s singles campaign ft. Jannik Sinner’s maiden title win
With Jannik Sinner clinching the 2024 US Open title, here are three big talking points from the men's singles campaign in New York.
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Jannik Sinner (via Washington Post)
Jannik Sinner began the year by clinching his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and doubled his tally by triumphing at the US Open. He beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the final on Sunday (September 8) to become only the third man in the Open Era to claim his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
The other two players to do so are Guillermo Vilas (Roland Garros and US Open in 1977) and Jimmy Connors (Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in 1974). Additionally, only three other players have won the Australian Open and US Open hard court double in the same year — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Mats Wilander.
When Sinner stepped onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, he had a huge task on hand as he was facing Fritz, who is the first American men’s singles finalist since 2006. The buoyant atmosphere was, understandably, behind home favorite Fritz as they backed him to come out on top.
The Italian, however, stayed focused on the task at hand. He controlled the proceedings with precise serving and was flawless from the baseline, making just 21 unforced errors to seal victory in straight sets in two hours and 16 minutes.
On that note, here are three major talking points from the men’s singles campaign at the 2024 US Open:
Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam streak ends
For the first time in seven years, Novak Djokovic has finished a season without a single Grand Slam title. This also marks the first year since 2002 that none of the Big Three claimed a Major.
After the euphoria of clinching the elusive gold medal at the Paris Olympics, he arrived in New York to take part in his first hard court tournament since a third-round exit at Indian Wells in March.
Despite his prowess on hard courts, Djokovic made an early exit, losing to Alexei Popyrin in the third round. After the match, he stated that he played the “worst tennis” of his career at the US Open this year.
The Serbian has always been asked about passing the torch to the next generation and he has always declined to fade away and give way to the youngsters. Does his 2024 campaign, besides the Olympic triumph, indicate waning powers? At the age of 37, will he be able to bounce back next year?
There are many questions on the minds of fans and pundits, and only time will answer some of them.
Fatigue for Olympic medalists?
The three men who won medals at the Paris Olympics — Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Lorenzo Musetti — all faced early exits at the US Open. Contrary to expectations, none of them even got past the third round.
There has been a lot of talk about the packed tennis schedule in recent years, and that was not helped by the addition of the Olympic Games this year. That the Summer Games took place on the clay courts in Paris, sandwiched between the grass swing and the North American hard court summer, caused more trouble for the players.
Many have spoken about how it is always difficult to adapt to such quick changes in surfaces. And the lack of breaks between events only added to the ordeal.
Jannik Sinner leaves drugs controversy behind with title win
Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for a banned substance (clostebol) but avoided a lengthy ban. Justice, as he sees it, was served swiftly by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, though many players and fans have questioned the entire process since it became public.
Sinner has since sacked the person responsible for his positive tests for the banned substance and arrived in New York under a could. He stayed focused, dropping just sets en route to clinching his maiden US Open title.
Will this make the critics forget the doping scandal? Most probably not. But the Italian is choosing to answer everyone with his performances on the court, and so far, he has the upper hand.
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Anirudh Velamuri
(58 Articles Published)