Following the conclusion of the 2024 ATP season, fans are looking back on what was a thrilling year for tennis.
This year won’t be forgotten quickly, as tennis fans were treated to a great year of action on the ATP Tour, that saw some truly nail-biting action.
Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open earlier this year, after trailing two sets to love against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, setting the tone for a fantastic campaign.
Similarly, Carlos Alcaraz battled past Alexander Zverev in the French Open final in a five-set classic, to take home his first title at Roland Garros.
Exciting moments in the biggest tournaments are always great to watch, but the rules of tennis allow for excitement in every single match.
With players level at 6-6, they head to a tiebreak, where their mental and physical capabilities are put to the test.
Some players can handle that pressure better than others, and those players often take home the glory.
The top-ten ATP stars in tie-breaks in 2024
Looking across the 2024 season, tie-breaks were often the deciding factor in the big tournaments.
Certain players are bound to play more tie-breaks than others, with big servers Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev often acing their way to 6-6, therefore ranking players off of the most tiebreaks won would be unfair.
Instead, the highest percentage of tiebreaks won is a far more accurate way to evaluate who is really the best at tie-breakers on the ATP Tour.
1. Jannik Sinner – 75.8% (25-8)
There aren’t many rankings where Sinner doesn’t take the top spot anymore, as he truly began to dominate the sport in 2024.
A lot of his success was down to his calmness under pressure, which we often saw in tiebreakers, as the Italian won 25 of 33 tiebreakers this year.
Perhaps the most thrilling of all came at Wimbledon, as Sinner secured his place in the quarter-finals with a 15-minute tiebreak win over Ben Shelton.
2. Jordan Thompson – 75% (18-6)
Perhaps a surprise name on this list, Jordan Thompson was excellent in tiebreakers throughout 2024, winning 75% of the time.
In fact, the Australian clinched his first-ever ATP title earlier this year in a tiebreaker, as he won 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) against Casper Ruud in Los Cabos.
3. Grigor Dimitrov – 71.4% (25-10)
Grigor Dimitrov rose from the ashes in 2024, to rediscover some of the form that saw him reach world number three back in 2017.
Dimitrov won the Brisbane International this year, setting the tone for an impressive year, and did so by taking the first set of his win over Holger Rune 7-5 in the tiebreaker.
4. Thanasi Kokkinakis – 71.4% (15-6)
Thanasi Kokkinakis has always been a fan favorite, often engaging in legendary battles on the court, win or lose.
He did more winning than losing in 2024, however, especially in tiebreaks as he clinched the set over 70% of the time.
The best of which came at the Davis Cup, as Thanasi Kokkinakis broke a five-year record against Ben Shelton in their 30-point marathon breaker.
5. Alexander Shevchenko – 68.2% (15-7)
A lesser-known name on this list Alexander Shevchenko was another to impress during tiebreakers this year, winning 15 of his 22 encounters.
The Kazakh star will be hoping for more of the same in the new year, as he looks to break into the top 30 on the ATP Tour.
6. Aleksandar Vukic – 67.9% (19-9)
Aleksandar Vukic won just under 68% of his tiebreakers in 2024 as he continued to impress on the ATP Tour.
If the Aussie can keep that up in 2025, he may well find himself picking up a maiden title.
7. Daniil Medvedev – 67.7% (21-10)
One of tennis’ biggest names, Medvedev never backs down from a fight, and often performs best when the pressure is on.
Winning 21 tiebreakers this year proved that once more as Medvedev often clinched sets by the smallest of margins.
He did however lose one of his more important tiebreakers this year, as Medvedev fell to Alcaraz at Indian Wells.
8. Juncheng Shang – 66.7% (16-8)
A true breakout star of 2024, Juncheng ‘Jerry’ Shang, was always good for a thrilling tiebreaker.
Perhaps the best of which came on his way to the Chengdu title, as Shang beat Alexander Bublik 10-8 in a tiebreaker that had the Chinese fans on the edge of their seats.
9. Jakub Mensik – 65.4% (17-9)
Another youngster that impressed in 2024, was Jakub Mensik, who won over 65% of his tiebreaks this year.
He did, however, come up short in a thrilling tiebreak during his maiden ATP final against Karen Khachanov, as he lost 14-12 in the first set.
10. Jiri Lehecka – 65% (13-7)
The second Czech youngster rounding out the top ten is Jiri Lehecka, who won 13 tiebreaks this year.
Reaching a career-high ranking of 23rd in the world earlier this year, the 23-year-old impressed in tiebreakers, especially when beating top-ten star Medvedev 7-6, 6-4, at the Cincinnati Open.
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