Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated the 2024 Grand Slam scene, each claiming two of the sport’s biggest titles and solidifying their places as the brightest stars of tennis’s new golden generation.
On Sunday, Sinner added the U.S. Open to his Australian Open victory from January, dispatching Taylor Fritz in a decisive final.
Sinner’s accomplishment marks the first time since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 that a player has won their first two Grand Slam titles in the same season – an achievement that even legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi never reached.
Two years younger than Sinner, Alcaraz captured the French Open and defended his Wimbledon crown in 2024, bringing his Grand Slam tally to four.
"It’s a bit different, for sure," Sinner said Sunday when asked to assess the new era. "It’s nice to see new champions. Nice to see new rivalries. I will always have players who are going to make me a better player because there are going to be times where they beat me. Then you have to try to find a way to win against certain players."
The 23-year-old Italian has six titles this year, while Alcaraz has three. Both men have already accumulated 15 career titles each.
Alcaraz is making Grand Slam history faster than the "Big Three" of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic despite a shock second-round exit at the U.S. Open. None of the three legends managed to win four majors before their 22nd birthday.
Djokovic did not win his fourth Slam until the 2011 U.S. Open when he was 24. Nadal was 22 when he earned his fourth at the French Open in 2008, while Federer was 23 when he collected his fourth major at the 2004 U.S. Open.
Alcaraz could claim a career Grand Slam at the age of 21 if he wins a maiden Australian Open in January next year.
Setting slam records
Djokovic remains tied with Margaret Court for the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles. For the first time since 2017, he will finish a season without a Grand Slam trophy.
Djokovic will be 38 next May, and if he were to add another Slam to his collection, he would become the oldest major singles champion, surpassing Ken Rosewall, who was just over 37 when he won the 1972 Australian Open.
The now-retired Roger Federer was 36 and five months old when he claimed his 20th and last Slam at the 2018 Australian Open. Nadal will turn 39 in May, but the injury-plagued Spaniard is on the brink of retirement. He was two days past his 36th birthday when he won his 22nd major and 14th French Open in 2022.
This year marks the first since 2002 that at least one of the Slams did not fall to a member of the "Big Three."
Go deep in tournaments
Fritz, playing in his first Slam final at the age of 26, believes the majors are more open than ever.
"I don’t think you have to play unbelievable to go deep in tournaments and contend," he said Sunday. "You can find yourself a little deeper in the draws, like the quarterfinals, if you just play solid tennis, although I still think to beat the top guys you need to bring your best game."
Both Djokovic and Nadal are expected to return to action soon. Djokovic is on Davis Cup duty in Belgrade with Serbia in the week ahead, while Nadal, who hasn’t played since the Olympics, is due to feature in the Laver Cup in Berlin from September 20.
Both men are likely to face questions about their future plans in a sport they dominated for much of the past two decades, but where the clock is ticking.