NEW YORK, SEPT 9 – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz share all four Grand Slams in 2024, thus confirming their status as the brightest stars of a new generation of tennis.
Sinner, yesterday, added the US Open title to the Australian Open victory he won last January. He defeated Taylor Fritz in the final, becoming the first player since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win the first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
The achievement has never been achieved by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, nor Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
Alcaraz, who is two years Sinner’s junior, won the French Open title and will defend his Wimbledon title in 2024, bringing his total Grand Slam titles to four.
“This new era is quite different, that’s for sure,” said Sinner when asked to comment on the new era in the world of tennis. “It’s great to see new champions. It’s also great to see new competition.”
Sinner, who is 23 years old and hails from Italy, has won six titles this year, while Alcaraz won three. Both players have collected 15 titles each during their careers.
Alcaraz continued to make history faster than the ‘Big Three’ – Federer, Nadal and Djokovic – despite suffering a shock defeat in the second round of the US Open. All three legends failed to win four major titles before the age of 22.
Djokovic won his fourth title at the 2011 US Open when he was 24 years old. Nadal was 22 when he won his fourth title at the 2008 French Open, while Federer collected his fourth title at the 2004 US Open at the age of 23.
If Alcaraz wins the Australian Open next January, he will become a career Grand Slam champion at the age of 21.
Djokovic now stands at 24 Grand Slam titles, a record for men but still tied with Margaret Court for the all-time total.
The year 2024 marks the first time since 2017 that Djokovic has finished a season without a Grand Slam title. – AFP
