The 2024 Wimbledon Championships was a rematch of last year's edition, but the result was different from last year. Carlos Alcaraz prevailed over Novak Djokovic in last year's finals, an epic five setter that could be counted as one of the most memorable matches on Center Court. This year's finals, a straight-set win for Alvaraz, marked a generation turnover. The era of the Big 3 is over. It will only be a matter of time before Alcaraz finds himself in the same table with Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, and Jimmy Connors to name a few.
A tennis legend. Many aren't doubting it, as Alcaraz won 4 major titles at 22 years of age. Roger Federer won his first Grand Slam title at 23. The Spaniard is also the sixth man to win the Continental Slam after Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. The Continental Slam is a term for a player winning the French Open and Wimbledon in a calendar year. The 2024 US Open Tennis Series started this week, so tennis fans and tennis analysts are wondering if Alcaraz is the favorite to win the US Open. It's hard to tell.
Roger Federer reached his sixth successive US Open finals in 2009, an Open Era record. And then the US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament in the ATP Tour, became unpredictable. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have 8 US Open titles between them, but this major had more winners. who weren't the Big 3. Check this out:
2012: Andy Murray (Great Britain)
2014: Marin Cilic (Croatia)
2016: Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)
2020: Dominic Thiem (Austria)
2021: Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
2022: Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
Most hardcore tennis game fans would point out that the US Open is held during the end of the summer season, where players are exhausted after a long, grueling season. This season is more punishing to the players' bodies, as the 2024 Summer Olympics is sandwiched between Wimbledon and the US Open.
Players who would compete in those three events must be commended for the quick transition from grass Wimbledon to red clay Roland Garros to hard US Open. Alcaraz's forearm injury seemed like a thing of the past after his successful defense of his Wimbledon title, but the Paris Olympics would start two weeks after the men's singles finals. It will be an interesting summer for Alacaraz and the other big guns in the ATP Tour.
Some Roger Federer fans would argue that the Swiss Maestro was one of the reasons, if not the sole reason, why the US Open Series was created. The series would start with the Hall of Fame Open, which is held the week after Wimbledon, followed by the Atlanta Open.
The Washington Open, an ATP 500 event, would be the first event where fans could see some of the favorite players, or top players, compete in the hard courts of North America. And then the back-to-back Masters 1000 events, namely the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open. The Winston Salem Open concludes the event. Most of the Top 10 players compete in the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open due to scheduling.
Six men won the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in a calendar year, and Federer isn't one of those players. However, the Swiss played well enough to finish the series in first place in 2007. He received a 1M bonus after winning the US Open during the same year.
Nadal won the 2013 US Open Series and his second Us Open title in the same year. He also received a 1M bonus. Alcaraz can do it as well, but many aren't betting on this season. The 2024 Olympics made it more challenging this season. And Alcaraz has yet to win the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Jannik Sinner is well rested for the US Open Series. The reigning Australian Open may not have expected to lose in the quarterfinals in Wimbledon, but this "early" departure allowed him to take a wee-deserved vacation in Sardinia. Sinner will represent Italy in the Paris Olympics, but the quick transition from red clay to hard courts won't be a problem for the Italian.
Sinner has a better winning record in the hard courts than Alcaraz this season. That record would be tested this summer. Can Alcaraz carry that momentum in North America? The answer lies in the next item.
Rafael Nada is the only one to dominate the ATP Tour during an Olympic year. 2008 marked the first time when Rafael Nadal attained the year-end top ranking, highlighted by an extraordinary summer. Nadal won his fourth French Open title, his first Wimbledon title, the Canadian Open, and the Olympic gold medal. Alcaraz would be inspired by this feat, but the men's tour of recent is more competitive than Nadal's heyday. Alcaraz is still young, so there's still room for improvement. The Spaniard might dominate the tour in 2028 the way Djokovic did during the non-Olympics years.
A new rivalry would renew interest in the US Open series. Emirates withdrew their sponsorship eight years ago, and the reasons were obvious. Federer made a remarkable comeback, but the tennis world sensed that he wouldn't be on the men’s tour like before. Injuries plagued Nadal as well. As for Djokovic, his on-court dominance didn’t translate into endorsements. He didn’t appeal to many fans as well.
As Toni Nadal, Rafa Nadal’s uncle and former coach put it, Sinner is the only one who has a statistical chance to stop Alcaraz from dominating the ATP Tour. And this is what fans are waiting for. The US Open series might have a new sponsor next year. The winner might get a huge bonus.
Those who are still skeptical about Alcaraz’s claim to greatness must consider this fact: Boris Becker is the owner of six Grand Slam titles. Becker is the youngest men’s singles champion at Wimbledon. Stefan Edberg also won six major trophies as well. Alcaraz, winner of four Grand Slam titles so far, will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame It will be a matter of years before he chases the records of the Big 3.
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