Alcaraz Claims US Open Title, Signaling New Era While Questions Remain About Future Challengers
NEW YORK – september 8, 2024 – Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s US Open final, securing his second Grand Slam title of the year and will ascend to the No.1 ranking. The victory underscores the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner, raising the question of whether anyone can realistically challenge their reign in men’s tennis.
Throughout the US Open,both Alcaraz and Sinner demonstrated extraordinary form. alcaraz won 98% of his service games, losing serve only twice, while Sinner was successful in 42% of his return games, with Alcaraz winning approximately one-third of his. Both players completed three matches lasting two hours or less during their respective runs to the final. Following a swift 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Alexander Bublik, the No. 23 seed, Bublik expressed his admiration, saying at the net, “You’re so good. I’m not bad, like what the f—?”
Alcaraz’s opponents echoed this sentiment. After a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 loss in the quarterfinals, no. 20 seed Jiri Lehecka stated, “I’ll just say I think that today I kind of met the grand Slam version of Carlos…That’s the way how I would like to think about it, as yeah, it’s been a difficult match.”
The final marked only the second time in the Open Era that two men have collectively won all major titles in two seasons, a feat previously achieved by roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in 2006 and 2007. Alcaraz and Sinner are the first men in the Open Era to compete in three consecutive major finals within the same calendar year, and the first duo in the sport to do so since Venus and Serena Williams in 2002.
The rise of Alcaraz and Sinner comes as previous contenders have faced setbacks.Daniil Medvedev, once considered a leading figure to succeed the “Big Three,” experienced a challenging 2024, winning only one match at a Slam and suffering first-round exits at the French Open, wimbledon, and the US Open.
While Medvedev’s resurgence remains a possibility, his recent struggles highlight the difficulty of maintaining peak performance over an extended period. Despite the clear dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner, the possibility of other players emerging as challengers remains open. As Patrick McEnroe, former US Open quarterfinalist and ESPN broadcaster, noted, “I do think Sinner and Alcaraz over the next three, four years will dominate. Do I think they’re going to win every single one? No.” This sentiment echoes the experiences of players like Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, and Juan Martin del Potro, who found success on the biggest stages during the era of Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal.
