18 Tennis Players to Watch 2024: Your Guide to the Top Athletes

best tennis players 2024

We’re serving up the ultimate ranking of the best tennis players of 2024, a list created for fans, by fans. Our criteria for ranking these athletes takes into account this year’s performance on the court, current ATP rankings, consistency, sportsmanship, and popularity among fans globally. This list is intended to celebrate the skill, persistence, and flair of these athletes while also appreciating the transformative effect they have had on the game we love. Medvedev has a single Grand Slam win—in Flushing Meadows in 2021—but he has reached five other major finals, including the 2019 and 2023 U.S.

Team USA tennis players for 2024 Olympics

She was nearly upset-proof, but she was struggling to break through to a top-five level. «I think we both respect each other a lot, as a player, as a person, but once we are on tour travelling, during tournaments when we are on site, we are with our team on our own, so we don’t speak too much. Canelo Álvarez, Devin Booker, Carli Lloyd and the Cavinder twins. He has also reported on https://zanzibet.org/ industry trends such as the tech revolution in trading cards, Las Vegas’ rise as a sports town and the American-led investments in Italian soccer. Knight joined Forbes in 2017 and previously served as the assistant managing editor for contributors—overseeing the website’s network of nearly 3,000 freelance writers and the editors working with them—and as the deputy business editor.

Men’s Tennis ATP Rankings

With 24 Grand Slam titles to his name, Djokovic has achieved unmatched success. Talks of retirement for the 36-year-old Serbian have quieted down as Djokovic boasts peak form while the next gen of players seek to take his throne. Federer’s record run of weeks at number 1 started on the 2nd of February 2004 just after he won his second grand slam at the 2004 Australian Open and lasted until the 17th of August 2008, with Rafael Nadal replacing him as number 1. The winners of challenger tournaments receive between 50 and 175 points depending on the level of the tournament, with runners up receiving between 30 and 100 points. Note there are some changes for 2024, with more points on offer in many tournaments; for example, a finalist at ATP 500 level now gets 330 points, compared to the previous 300.

ATP 500 Points Breakdown

His runner-up finish in Melbourne also gave him records for the most sets played at a Grand Slam tournament (31) and the most time spent on court (24 hours 17 minutes). An avid gamer, Medvedev has partnerships with HyperX gaming headsets and game makers EA Sports and Ubisoft, and he joined the ownership group of esports organization M80 last year. Since turning pro in 2003, Novak Djokovic has piled up a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, staking his claim as tennis’ greatest of all time. But no matter how many titles he won, he never ranked higher than No. 2 on the list of the sport’s highest-paid players—until Roger Federer’s retirement in 2022. The following year, Djokovic finally seized the top spot, with a combined $38.4 million in on-court and estimated off-court earnings.

Title Partner

  • Already this season, we have seen proposals for a streamlined “Premium Tour” peter out, while cases of player burn-out proliferate, and matches increasingly extend into the small hours of the morning.
  • I’m a massive fan and I’ve been quite lucky to come to the Australian Open every single year.
  • Since turning pro in 2003, Novak Djokovic has piled up a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, staking his claim as tennis’ greatest of all time.
  • Equally noteworthy in the list are the Russian aces, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who are reinventing the game with their tenacious performances.
  • Djokovic, who now sits at No. 2 in men’s singles, split with his longtime agent Edoardo Artaldi last year but maintains a lucrative endorsement portfolio that includes Asics, Head, Hublot and Lacoste.
  • Federer’s record run of weeks at number 1 started on the 2nd of February 2004 just after he won his second grand slam at the 2004 Australian Open and lasted until the 17th of August 2008, with Rafael Nadal replacing him as number 1.
  • When health, form and motivation all collide, Stephens remains a tough out.

But he also lost four straight matches at one point during the American summer swing and dropped back out of the top 50. The 6-footer has a slightly less consistent version of Paul’s game, but he can mix it up with just about anyone outside the top 10. Paul made the most of a favorable Australian Open draw to charge to the semis, then pulled off his best win of the season — a three-setter over Carlos Alcaraz — to reach the semifinals in Toronto. He might have the best return game of any American, but at 6-foot-1 his service game isn’t nearly as big.

‘Players have most to win and most to lose’

Novak Djokovic is the current world number 1 in the ATP rankings, with Novak currently holding the record for most weeks as the No.1 in men’s tennis. As the season draws to a close, the live rankings become more important as they reflect where a player will finish the year in the ATP Rankings. The ATP rankings determine which tournaments a player can enter and their seeding. For example, Carlos Alcaraz is known as the World No. 1 because he sits in first place in the Rankings. Casper Ruud is known as a Top 10 player because he is No. 4 in the Rankings.

Will Rafael Nadal play at the 2024 Olympics?

Do players such as Pegula, Fritz and Tiafoe still have another level to add to their respective games? Sinner’s rollercoaster year took a dip this month when it was revealed he tested positive for a banned steroid in March and had to forfeit the prize money and ranking points he had earned at the Indian Wells tournament. But the International Tennis Integrity Agency found that the low levels in his system were the result of contamination, and Sinner was not forced to miss any time on tour. While he did sit out the Paris Olympics because of tonsillitis and has been hampered by a hip injury, his season has taken him to new heights as well. Off the court, he picked up endorsements with skincare line La Roche-Posay and De Cecco pasta, alongside existing sponsors like Gucci, Lavazza coffee and Rolex.

For Jannik Sinner and the sport he dominates, this is a nightmare spiralling out of control

  • Djokovic, who fell to Alcaraz in the last two Wimbledon finals but got revenge in the gold-medal match at the Paris Olympics, is back at No. 2 with $37.2 million and still leads the way with $12.2 million in prize money alone.
  • In 2020, Kenin won the Australian Open and finished the year fourth in the world; she finished 2022 at 228th.
  • The 6-footer has a slightly less consistent version of Paul’s game, but he can mix it up with just about anyone outside the top 10.
  • He did not compete at the 2012 or 2020 Olympics due to injury.
  • With all that said, we bet you’re asking yourself who you should be watching out for in 2024.
  • The ATP rankings determine which tournaments a player can enter and their seeding.

With a game style that has been described as a mix of Nadal and Federer, Holger Rune is part of the younger cohort leading the charge of the next generation of elite players. Rune, who turned pro in 2020, has four career titles, including the 2022 ATP Masters in Paris and the 2023 BMW Open in Munich, and is currently ranked sixth in the world. Jessica Pegula spent much of her early career battling on the lower ITF circuit, taking 11 years after turning pro to break into the top 100. Her determination and precision on the court, as well as the experience she has gained with her doubles partner Coco Gauff, have paid off. The 29-year-old American is now the fifth-ranked player in the world, holding four WTA singles titles and seven doubles titles.

ATP News

best tennis players 2024

«I hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening, but in terms of level, when Sinner and Alcaraz are at their best, there is no way anyone has ever played better tennis. She reached the third round in her first Olympics and is coming off a second-round defeat to eventual champion Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon. The ATP Rankings system is the method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals to see who should qualify and who should be seeded in the different singles and doubles ATP Tournaments held all across the world.

ATP Rankings

Currently the third-ranked player in the world, Daniil Medvedev is one of the most charismatic and outspoken individuals in tennis. Not afraid to get in a verbal altercation with the umpire over a ruling or even with members of the audience who aren’t seated during play, Daniil’s creativity on the court makes him one to watch. The 21-year-old from Spain has already won four Grand Slams and is coming off back-to-back major titles with triumphs at the French Open and Wimbledon. Djokovic and Nadal could play each other in the second round of the men’s singles event if they each win their first-round match.

  • Eleven have come on clay, but when he is healthy—a parasite hindered him in the spring, and an illness knocked him out of this month’s tournament in Montreal—Ruud can compete on any surface.
  • «They are following in the footsteps of the ‘Big Three’ in terms of level,» Wilander told EuroSport.
  • «It’s a weird thing, but I think tennis is different than other sports because of it,» Alcaraz said of their shared commute.
  • With a game style that has been described as a mix of Nadal and Federer, Holger Rune is part of the younger cohort leading the charge of the next generation of elite players.
  • But she roared back to win this month’s Cincinnati Open, halting Jessica Pegula’s winning streak at the U.S.
  • The players’ association founded by Novak Djokovic is weighing up a programme of legal challenges that could reshape the world game.
  • The list wouldn’t be complete without the mention of the tennis maestro Carlos Alcaraz, the ever-dominant Novak Djokovic, and the energetic Jannik Sinner.

Men’s Tennis ATP Rankings 2024

Both players and their teams boarded the same private plane from Beijing to Shanghai, to prepare for the Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz improved to 6-4 in his career against Sinner after their 10th meeting in what has become tennis’ top rivalry following the 60 matches between Nadal and Djokovic. Novak Djokovic is the most decorated men’s tennis player in history when it comes to Grand Slams, but he will be chasing a career first in Paris. Draws for the five tennis events at the 2024 Olympics were announced on Thursday, July 25, the day before the Opening Ceremony.

Iga Swiatek

  • Gauff’s finals performance drew more viewers than the men’s championship match and at just 19, the third-ranked American is a newfound leader in the sport.
  • Rankings work on a rolling 52-week period and take into account a player’s best results in 19 tournaments for the ATP and 16 for the WTA.
  • The protected ranking gives a player a spot in the rankings determined by the player’s average ATP Rankings position during the first three months of his injury.
  • Taylor Fritz basically ended the year where he started from a rankings standpoint and couldn’t turn a top-10 ranking into sustained threats in Grand Slams.
  • The site primarily focuses on the men’s game but also covers the financials of the sports, equipment reviews, strings, and every tournament at Grand Slam, 1000, and 500 level.
  • But starting with his US Open quarterfinal defeat to Shelton, he lost five of seven and dropped his last six sets of the year.

Nadal hasn’t set an official date for his retirement—“I’m not in a hurry to make a decision about my future,” he recently told Spanish newspaper Marca—but it’s clear the end is near for the legendary Spaniard, who withdrew from the U.S. For now, he is set to play in the Laver Cup in Berlin in September—the team tournament where, incidentally, Roger Federer bade farewell to competitive tennis in 2022. Nadal already had an Olympic sendoff in which he participated in the cauldron lighting along with retired sports stars Nadia Comaneci, Carl Lewis and Serena Williams, and he has played just six ATP Tour events in the last 19 months. Such a limited schedule would torpedo the pay of most athletes, especially in tennis, where sponsors often reduce their rates for players who fall in the rankings or miss time. Nadal has also become an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian tennis federation, an arrangement that has generated backlash from fans but is widely believed to be paying him seven figures annually.

Ruud claimed his 12th career ATP Tour title in May in Geneva. Eleven have come on clay, but when he is healthy—a parasite hindered him in the spring, and an illness knocked him out of this month’s tournament in Montreal—Ruud can compete on any surface. He is the only man 25 or younger with at least 100 career victories on both hardcourts and clay. Off the court, Ruud has added deals with Fleming watches, Swedish bank Handelsbanken and Renault, on top of a half-dozen existing sponsors. The 22-year-old from San Candido, Italy started the year ranked 15th in the world before jumping to fourth as of the end of October. Sinner defeated world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals at the 2023 Miami Open, and has attributed his recent success to his improved mental, physical conditioning, and change in coaching staff.

best tennis players 2024

Here are the rules for the 2024 Olympics in Paris

Current world number one ranked player, Sabalenka has been taking women’s tennis by storm with her powerful and aggressive style of play. The 25-year-old Belarusian is a hard worker with an even harder groundstroke. Sabalenka made it to at least the semi-finals in all four of the Grand Slam appearances in 2023, and is a name you’ll be sure to see at the top of leaderboards time and time again.

  • No one is yet approaching the financial stratosphere of Federer, who was the sport’s top earner from 2007 until his retirement and was still collecting an estimated $90 million annually when he hung up his racket.
  • I can be fast running in a straight line, but being agile is pretty hard.
  • Off the court, Ruud has added deals with Fleming watches, Swedish bank Handelsbanken and Renault, on top of a half-dozen existing sponsors.
  • He created history at Tokyo 2020, becoming the first Australian in 53 years to qualify for an Olympic men’s 800-metre final.
  • With 24 Grand Slam titles to his name, Djokovic has achieved unmatched success.
  • Navarro won just one Slam match, but she finished the year on the brink of the top 30 thanks to steadily awesome performances at minor events.

She won 22 of 23 matches at one point, won nine of her last 13 against top-10ers and finishes the year third in the world. She is officially a threat to win any Slam she enters for the foreseeable future. Stefanos Tsitsipas has a massive 1.8 million follower count on Instagram, where the 25-year-old Greek phenom is known for posting pictures of his travels and more.

  • The tour adjusted to him in the spring and summer, and he found another gear in the fall.
  • Before coming to Forbes, Knight worked in sports and business news as an editor at the New York Times.
  • Known as “Queen Wen” to her fans, Qinwen Zheng has been befuddling opponents with her signature high-spinning forehand and powerful serve.
  • They are updated frequently each week, and players can jump around spots daily.
  • But such restrictions could potentially be classed as restraint of trade if a legal challenge were to be launched.
  • Nadal hasn’t set an official date for his retirement—“I’m not in a hurry to make a decision about my future,” he recently told Spanish newspaper Marca—but it’s clear the end is near for the legendary Spaniard, who withdrew from the U.S.

Rafael Nadal

The average age of male players in the top 100 is just under 27 years old with Luca Van Assche, Arthur Fils, and Alex Michelsen (19) the youngest players, and Stan Wawrinka (38), the oldest player in the top 100. The ATP Rankings are not to be confused with the ATP Live Rankings. For example, a player can be first in the Live Race but lower in the ATP Rankings because he has enjoyed more success in the current season. I met Nick Kyrgios during the summer and I’m a massive fan of his. He’s doing amazing things off the court and we’ve got some of the same interests, like basketball, so hopefully I’ll get the chance to meet him a few more times. I think I was more nervous to have a run with him than I would be in an Olympic final.

ATP Rankings – Top 100 Male Tennis Players

A player can use a protected ranking for the first nine tournaments they compete in using the Entry Protection or for up to nine months, beginning with the first tennis event that the player competes in, whichever happens first. This excludes wild cards and entries as a Direct Acceptance, should the true ranking allow this. In her past four Slams, Brady has won 15 matches and reached two semifinals and one final. Unfortunately, those four events have come in a more than three-year span.

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