2024 was certainly a year that will long in the memory for tennis and around the world.
The sport bid farewell to some of its best players, a legend completed his final conquest while new faces pushed themselves to the forefront of a new era.
Over the past 12 months the ATP and WTA tours have produced some spectacular matches in which the compatriots psyched one another to their absolute limit.
Before ushering in a new year of pulsating action, The Tennis Gazette will look back at five of the best contests to take place in 2024.
What are the best matches of 2024?
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz – Olympics final
This contest between the two players with the most Grand Slams on the ATP Tour is arguably one of the best straight-set matches of all time.
There was no seat to be had on court Philippe Chatrier for the Olympic gold medal match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, the match everybody wanted to see.
The pair met just several weeks earlier in the Wimbledon final, which Alcaraz dominated and successfully defended his title.
But Djokovic, who was determined to win the one title that has eluded him throughout his career, turned the tables on his young rival in Paris.
The Serbian produced his best performance of the season to win two thrilling tiebreak sets to finally become Olympic champion.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Iga Swiatek – Madrid Open final
Iga Swiatek was searching for her first clay court title of the season when she faced Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final.
The Belarusian entered the match looking to defend her title and she came perilously close to doing so.
Swiatek made a strong start to the final by claiming the first set 7-5, but Sabalenka stormed back to level the match and forge ahead 3-1 in the decider.
The Belarusian carved out three match points, before Swiatek battled back to secure a dramatic 7-5 4-6 7-6(7) win and lift the Madrid Open title for the first time.
They pushed one another to the limit and Swiatek prevailed, before going on to win the Italian Open and Roland Garros.
Dan Evans vs Karen Kachanov – US Open first round
Whoever sat down to watch Dan Evans take on Karen Kachanov at the US Open did not expect to witness a historic affair.
Court six at Flushing Meadows was a classic five-set battle which set a new record for the longest match in US Open history at five hours and 35 minutes.
After losing the opening set, Evans opened up a two sets to one lead on Kachanov on Tuesday night at the US Open. But the Russian was able to send the match into a fifth set and surged into a 4-0 lead in the decider.
That is before Evans summoned the physical and mental strength to win six successive games and claim the most unlikely 6-7(6) 7-6(2) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4 victory in New York.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner – China Open final
For the third time on the ATP Tour in 2024, Alcaraz played against Jannik Sinner, with this meeting taking place in the China Open final.
Their other matches during the year both went to deciding sets and their clash in Beijing was no different.
Their contrasting playing styles match up with one another extremely well and this makes for the evenly-matched contests with electrifying rallies and shotmaking.
Alcaraz failed to serve out the first set and Sinner capitalised by taking the lead on a tiebreak. The Spaniard levelled up the final in a close second set, before a dramatic deciding set took place.
In titanic fashion, Alcaraz rallied from 0-3 in the tiebreak to claim a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) win over the World number one, which marked the last time Sinner lost a match. The Italian only lost six matches this year, three of which came against Alcaraz.
Coco Gauff vs Qinwen Zheng – WTA Finals
The WTA season came to an end with the two youngest players in the top 10 battling for the honour to be crowned the WTA Finals champion.
Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng produced a compelling contest in Riyadh and showed the future of the WTA Tour is very bright.
The Olympic champion entered the event in great form and Gauff found herself behind on multiple occasions.
After losing set one, the 20-year-old trailed in the second set, and was a break down on two occasions in the third set, where Zheng served for the championship at 5-4.
But as the World number three showed on multiple times throughout her career, she is incredibly resilient and cannot be counted out as Gauff upped her aggression and stayed in contention.
Despite losing two match points while up 6-5, Gauff produced a solid tiebreak to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 victory in three hours and four minutes. This marked the perfect ending to Gauff’s season, and she is training hard to start 2025 with a bang.
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