And so the transition is all but complete: as the grand slam season comes to an end, the champions of 2024 are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the two young men tipped by everyone as the next serial major champions. Between them they have the Australian and US trophies (Sinner) and the French and Wimbledon (Alcaraz). Ah, it all seems so seamless. And yet… Sinner won his first US Open title – there will be more – with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win over Taylor Fritz, the first American finalist since Andy Roddick in 2006. Fritz, bless him, tried as hard as he could but he could barely lay a glove on the world No.1. Sinner was in charge of the first set; he repelled all intruders in the second and even when Fritz got his nose in front in the third, the Italian would not let him pass. There is a reason why Sinner is at the top of the rankings ladder by a healthy margin.
On the women’s front, Aryna Sabalenka’s straight sets – but never straight forward – win over Jessica Pegula to win her first US title was an enthralling watch but, also, a moment of redemption for the Belarusian. She had been overwhelmed by the moment and the crowd last year as she took on Coco Gauff in the final; this time, facing another American, she did what she does best and crushed her forehand (while blocking out the raucous noise in the stadium) to claim her first US title. Added to her Australian Open title in January, that makes her the best hard court player in the world in 2024 (and maybe beyond).
After last year’s tearful exit – and two previous semi-final defeats – Sabalenka had shown that she has bigger cajónes than many on the men’s tour. Indeed, she has a bigger forehand than many of the blokes.
As he headed off to try and clear his head he might have bumped into Emma Raducanu. She came to New York in good spirits and was promptly sent packing in the first round by Sophia Kenin. Opting not to play any lead-in tournaments, she simply was not match tight and, against a battler like Kenin, she paid the price. Since winning the title in Flushing Meadows three years ago, she has not won a match there since. She left tearfully promising to learn from her mistakes. Again.
And then there was Novak Djokovic. His superhuman efforts to race back from knee surgery 24 days before the start of Wimbledon were remarkable. To then reach the Wimbledon final was incredible. But to go on and win the one title that had eluded him for 16 years – Olympic gold – was beyond the stuff of dreams. No wonder, then, that he was emotionally and physically wrecked by the time he got to the Arthur Ashe stadium. He felt “out of gas” from the moment he arrived and was utterly spent once Alexei Popyrin had splattered him in four sets in the third round. It has been a funny old tournament but, eventually and after many an upset and drama, the right people won: the ones who had the talent, the belief and the chutzpah to seize the day. That’s what sport – and transition – is all about.
