A look back at Jannik Sinner’s breakout year

Jannik Sinner had a 2024 season to remember, on the court, and it was only right that his breakout campaign ended with a storybook victory on home soil in Turin. The Italian superstar has been the best tennis player this year by far, winning two Grand Slams and finishing things off with a record-breaking win at the ATP Finals, becoming the first Italian to win the year-end tournament.

Sinner now finds himself in good company, joining two tennis legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only players to win the Australian Open, US Open, and ATP Finals in the same year. His latest triumph over Taylor Fritz also made him the first tennis player to win the ATP Finals without dropping a set since Ivan Lendl did it in 1986.

With all eyes now set on next year’s calendar, we take a look back at the ATP World No. 1’s historic year

Rise to No 1 on PIF ATP Rankings

Sinner put the world on notice in 2023 when he claimed his first Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Canadian Open. He also led Italy to its first Davis Cup since 1976 and made it to the ATP Finals last year where he lost to Djokovic. 

His performance was enough to push him to world No 4 on the ATP Singles ranking. But the best was yet to come for the then-22-year-old who ascended to world No 1 on June 10, 2024, becoming the first Italian player to achieve this feat. 

Sinner held his No 1 spot throughout the year, clinching ATP’s Year-end No 1 ranking at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on October 14, after defeating Tomas Machac in the semi-final. He went on to defeat Djokovic in the final, becoming the youngest player to win the tournament (23 years and 65 days). His guaranteed year-end No 1 ranking is also the fastest since Djokovic secured the top spot on September 14, 2015.

HIGHEST SINGLE-EVENT Prize Money in ATP History

Sinner defeated Fritz in style at the ATP Finals, clinching the trophy without dropping a set. The landmark win earned him $4,881,500 in prize money, making him the highest-paid player in the history of the Tour Finals, a record previously held by Djokovic when he won the Tour Finals in 2022.

Amazingly, his ATP Tour earnings was not his biggest earning from a single tournament this year. The Italian superstar earned $6 million after triumphing over Carlos Alcaraz 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 at the Six Kings Slam exhibition held in Saudi Arabia. That’s the highest paycheck in tennis history!!

His ATP Tour earnings brought his 2024 total to a whopping $16,914,435. The win also means he has now earned $33,989,584 throughout his professional career, moving him to the Top 10 of ATP career earners, one spot behind his rival, Alcaraz who has earned $36,148,985.

First Two Grand Slams in the Same Season

It’s rare to find a feat in tennis without Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Djokovic’s name on it, but Sinner achieved something none of these three legends can boast of. By winning the Australian Open and the US Open, Sinner became only the third tennis player to win his first two Grand Slams in the same year. The other two players to achieve this milestone are Jimmy Connors, who won three Grand Slams in 1974, and Guillermo Vilas, who won two in 1977. 

Sinner claimed his first major at the Australian Open in dominant fashion. He beat Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper de Jong, Sebastian Baez, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Rublev in straight sets to advance to his second major semi-final and first at the Australian Open. Despite being the underdog, he upset then-world-No. 1 Djokovic to advance to the finals, becoming the first player not to face a breakpoint against the Serbian in a completed major match. It was also Djokovic’s first Australian Open loss since 2018. In the final match against Daniil Medvedev, he overturned a two-set deficit to become the first Italian to win the tournament. 

At the US Open, Sinner defeated Medvedev in the quarter-final, before overcoming Jack Draper in the semi-final, and Fritz in the final. The win made him the youngest player to win both hardcourt majors in the same year. Coupled with Aryna Sabalenka’s victory in the women’s category, it was the first time the same man and same woman won both hardcourt majors since Mats Wilander and Steffi Graf did so in 1988.

Sinner is among the early favorites to win both tournaments again next year. Ensure to seek essential sports betting education before placing bets. This will ensure you are well-familiarized with different types of bets like over/under, props, and futures, as well as where and how best to place them.

An ATP Tour Performance for the Books

Winning seven titles, including two Grand Slams, is already enough for a memorable campaign, but Sinner chose to finish the year in style, winning his eighth on home soil. His 2024 ATP Tour season will go down as one of the most memorable in history. Sinner swept through the tournament without losing a single set and averaged just three game losses per set en route to the finals. He ousted Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Daniil Medvedev before seeing off Casper Ruud in the semi-final to set up a championship rematch against Fritz, the latter being the first US player to reach the ATP Finals since Pete Sampras in 1999.

Sinner defeated Fritz 6-4, 6-4 with each set lasting about 41 minutes. Fritz is considered the better server of the two players, but Sinner bested his opponent, serving 14 aces versus the former’s eight, 10 of which came in the first set alone.

The win made Sinner the seventh player to win the ATP Finals on home soil. More wins in front of a home crowd could come for Sinner following the latest agreement between the ATP and FITP to hold the tournament in Italy until 2030.

Looking Ahead

For the time in his pro career, Sinner will be entering the new season as the best tennis player in the world. He finished the year 17-5 against Top 10-ranked opponents, winning 10 of his last 11 against this category of players. He also earned 70 wins and lost only six matches this year, becoming the first player to reach the 70-win mark since Andy Murray in 2016.

He will hope to continue his ascension to the upper echelon of tennis history by claiming a second Australian Open when the tournament resumes in January.