Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek confirmed their supremacy by taking home the French Open trophies.
Djokovic overtakes Carlos Alcaraz to return to world number one as a result while Swiatek has shored up a position at the top of the women’s rankings that was in danger.
As the tennis circus moves onto the grass and the build-up to Wimbledon, the PA news agency answers the important questions.
What did we learn about the men’s game?
That Djokovic will always find his best level at a grand slam irrespective of his results in the build-up. The younger generation may be able to beat him over best-of-three sets but best-of-five is another story. With Rafael Nadal out for the season and seemingly heading for retirement, 36-year-old Djokovic looks more dominant than ever.
Could he complete the calendar Grand Slam?
Why not? No man has managed it since Rod Laver in 1969 but the French Open has always been the hardest slam for Djokovic to win. He will be a hot favourite at Wimbledon, where he is trying to tie Roger Federer’s record of eight titles. The US Open has been the most unpredictable slam in recent years, with nerves getting the better of Djokovic the only previous time he had the opportunity to claim the Grand Slam in 2021, but second time around it could well be different.
How will Alcaraz be feeling?
The Spaniard produced some electrifying tennis in Paris but it was a surprise to see him break down physically so relatively early in his semi-final against Djokovic. He was very open afterwards in admitting the tension of the occasion got the better of him. It is easy to forget he is still only 20 and he will no doubt learn from the experience. His talent and potential remain off the charts.
What about Swiatek?
The 22-year-old Pole lifted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the third time in four years with a tight victory over Karolina Muchova that in some ways feels her most important slam result. Swiatek has shown since racing to the title in Paris in 2020 that she is a ruthless front-runner but fighting through the tough battles has not come so easily. This will be a huge confidence booster.
And the British challenge?
Disappointing to say the least. Only three players made the start-line in singles and of those only Cameron Norrie won a match, with another injury for Jack Draper that rules him out of the grass season compounding the misery. Norrie did well to defeat two French players and the vocal crowd but put in a poor performance against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
Is it doom and gloom for Wimbledon?
Not necessarily. The absences of Draper and Emma Raducanu are a blow but Andy Murray has started well on the grass with a Challenger title in Surbiton and Norrie was a semi-finalist last year. All the British women will need wild cards, which is pretty embarrassing, but grass will be an opportunity for the likes of Katie Boulter, Katie Swan, Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart to push towards the top 100.
ATP Finals: Sinner happy to come through 'very tough match' against Fritz
Jannik Sinner insisted he was prepared for the "aggressive" Taylor Fritz in their first meeting since the US Open final in September at the ATP Finals on Tuesday.
Sinner improved his record over Fritz to 3-1 with a 6-4 6-4 victory in Turin, going level with Alexander Zverev with a Tour-leading 67th victory of the season.
The Italian now sits at the top of the Ilie Nastase Group after two games, and faces Daniil Medvedev on Thursday, with the Russian beating Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
"It was a very tough match. We got to know each other from a grand slam final," Sinner said.
"We knew exactly what to expect today. He was very aggressive, but I was prepared too. I just tried to serve well in the important moments.
"In the return positions, his quality of tennis was very, very high, so I was struggling to return his serve, but I was happy with the situation.
"It was a very important day for me today, and I'm very happy that I got through."
Sinner fought off tough resistance from Fritz in front of a home crowd in Turin, hitting 22 winners compared to his opponent's 19.
Fritz had initially earned the first break point of the match, but was unable to make it count before fighting back from 0-40 to level the first set at 4-4.
Sinner ultimately piled the pressure on to win the first set and capitalised on a double fault in the second to break Fritz and win. Fritz will now face de Minaur on Thursday.
ATP Finals: Sinner stays perfect with assured Fritz victory
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to end his stellar season with the ATP Finals title after downing Taylor Fritz in straight-sets to earn his second win of the tournament.
Sinner emerged a 6-4 6-4 victor in an hour and 40 minutes in Turin, with his latest triumph improving his record to 7-0 on indoor hard courts in 2024.
The Italian showed his intentions with a love service game to open the first set, but was matched by his American opponent, who was also looking to maintain his perfect start.
Sinner missed four break points in the eighth game, but made no mistake in Fritz's following service game to claim the early advantage in Turin.
Fritz again traded blows with the year-end world number one, but would again lose a decisive break late in the second set that put Sinner within touching distance.
The American exchanged in another pulsating rally with his opponent, but sent a backhand wide to send Sinner through and to the top of the Ilie Nastase Group after two matches.
Up next for Sinner is Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex de Minaur earlier on Tuesday, while Fritz will face the Australian on Thursday.
Data Debrief: The Italian Job
In a back-and-forth tussle with Alexander Zverev to end the year with the most wins, Sinner levelled the German with his Tour-leading 67th victory in 2024 on Tuesday.
He also sealed a 12th win against an American opponent this season, only managing more wins against Ben Shelton (three) this season than Fritz (two, level with Alex Michelsen).
Sinner (2023-24) is only the third player in the Open Era to claim 47+ ATP match wins on hard court in consecutive seasons after Roger Federer (2005-06) and Novak Djokovic (2012-13, 15-16).
Daniil Medvedev credited his ability to "block out the noise" as crucial in getting his ATP Finals campaign up and running with a straight-sets victory over Alex de Minaur.
Medvedev, who lost his opening game of the tournament to Taylor Fritz, returned to winning ways with a 6-2 6-4 triumph over the Australian in 78 minutes on Tuesday.
The Russian cut a frustrated figure in his defeat to Fritz on Sunday, breaking his racket and was docked a point after serving a third consecutive double fault during the encounter.
However, the fourth seed produced an expertly measured performance, winning 20 out of 31 baseline points in the opening set to claim the early advantage.
The second set was more evenly contested, but Medvedev secured a crucial break point in the ninth game, going on to seal his first top 10 win on hard courts since March.
"After the last match I was too tired to fight mentally the way I do and so, during the match, when it doesn't work your way, you want to win and when you start losing you get frustrated," Medvedev said.
"So I went into this match thinking, if I lose I go home on Thursday for sure and if I win then I have the chance to have a good feeling. I tried to hit some shots and it worked well and I'm ok with it.
"A lot of football players do it [block the noise]. It's more about social media and for sure after my performance with Taylor and some of my comments ... I tried to read it less.
"I went into this match trying to block the noise even from myself, so no tantrums and I really didn't care what was happening on the court."
Medvedev will seek to bolster his hopes of progressing from the John Newcombe Group when he takes on Jannik Sinner next, with the Italian in action against Fritz later on Tuesday.
Data Debrief: Cool, calm and collected
Medvedev kept his hopes of sealing a second ATP Finals crown alive with a composed display against De Minaur, improving his record to 45-19 for the season.
While the Russian produced more unforced errors (18) than De Minaur (15), Medvedev showed his quality by hitting 24 winners, 14 of which came with his forehand.
Medvedev also claimed his sixth top 10 win of 2024, while also improving his head-to-head record against his Australian opponent to 7-3, avenging his defeat in the French Open round of 16 earlier this year.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
