After the first set, it looked like Novak Djokovic might retire, as Carlos Alcaraz was on fire, and his upper left leg was super sore. 

However, he taped it again, and then in the second set he gradually began to play so much better. He snapped it in the second set, and then eventually the amazing player Djokovic, won it, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. 

The Spaniard kept trying to break him down, but Djokovic kept churning, deep and close on the lines, with his hard forehand and his backhand. He also nailed his first serve and mixed it up with his second one. At times, he played terrific, returning, and he also went very low near the net and put it away. Yes, the 24 Grand Slam champion isn’t No. 1 now, but it doesn’t really matter, as even more than that, he wants to win another Grand Slam. The 38-year-old player always seems to add some new shots, and at the Australian Open on Tuesday night, he put together some incredible points. He is there, ready to beat anyone. Believe it or not, after winning, he said his match was one of the best ever.

“It’s one of the most epic matches I have played on this court, on any court really,” said Djokovic, who played three-hour, 37-minutes. “The medication started to kick in, and it helped no doubt. I had to take another dose, it sounds awful, but I had to. If I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better. I managed to play a great couple of games to end the second set. I saw that Carlos was hesitant from the back of the court, and I took my chances. I started to feel and move better.”

The Spaniard did push him back, rather than attack, earlier, but he didn’t. He is young, and he has won four Slams, so this year, Alcaraz has to rethink about what he has to do. His forehand, backhand and net play are terrific, but when he returned versus Djokovic, he couldn’t move left or right. The same thing. That was a big mistake, so he will learn coming up.    

Djokovic was so pumped-up , and now he thinks he can beat Alexander Zverev in the semis. However, the German is also play fine ball.

 “Novak is the greatest of all time right now.  I think it’s it’s going to be a great match.” Zverev said.

No. 5: Qinwen Zheng

The 22-year-old had a terrific season, as the quick hitter finally understood what she was doing on the court. It took her a while to smash the ball, crosscourt or down the line, and to put it away. However, she has some fine weeks, but others, she could collapse. The Chinese did start early in January, reaching the Australian Open final, and finally, she lost against Aryna Sabalenka. That was good enough. Months later, she won the Olympic Games,  beating Donna Vekic. In the fall, she gained ground, reached the final Wuhan, and won in Tokyo. She showed a lot of new styles. In the WTA Finals, she reached the final and had a serious chance against Coco Gauff, but the American out-lasted her, 7-6(2) in the third set.  Zheng can look very good when she plays well, but she can drop off in others, like at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open. Sabalenka has beaten her three times in 2024, beating Zheng quickly.  She has to improve her serve and her performance on the net. Without a doubt, she must attack early and often. If she does, the Slams are eating for her.

No. 4: Jasmine Paolini

The 28-year-old Italian had an amazing year, almost coming out of nowhere, reaching the final at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She was so consistent with her deep forehand and her backhand. She can spin it, flatten it out, and top it. She can lose early, but she can lock it in, then she can explode. She won Dubai,  and with the doubles, she and her partner, Sara Errani, won some huge events. Paolini wants to win a Grand Slam for the first time, as at Wimbledon, in the final, she was so close, but she went down, 6-4 in the third set against Barbora Krejcikova. That was a brutal loss. Still, if Paolini can do the same thing, plus with a more potent forehand, then yes,  on clay, she can hit anyone.

No. 3: Coco Gauff

At the end of the year, the 20-year-old American had a fabulous win, taking the WTA Finals. She beat Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng, playing so solid and driving on the ball. She did not have a spectacular year, but there were some smooth results when she won Beijing in the fall. However, at Roland Garros, in the semis, she went down her up and down forehand, losing quickly against Swiatek. At the Australian Open, in the semis, Sabalenka slapped her forehand close to the lines, and Gauff could not understand what she had to do. She lost, and she was frustrated. Now, given that she is still young, she will try to enhance her forehand and to return, too. She has already won a Grand Slam, so clearly, she is darn good. However, people rise fast each year when they practice and try to do something better. If she does that, Gauff will win another Slam in 2025.

No. 2: Iga Swiatek

Being No. 1 is very important, and the Pole did it for a while, but right at the end, Sabalenka took it. Oh well, Swiatek can take it back again in 2025, but she will be more grounded. For the most part, the steady master can lock it in,  winning Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and  Roland Garros, winning only one set. Wow. However, after that, she started to slide, losing at the US Open and the WTA Finals. Sometimes, the players can become bored over the years, on the court and off. And then, you can find the solution when you are walking, all by yourself. Swiatek seems to really love tennis, and given that she can crush her forehand, her backhand, her first serve and her return, then in 2025, she will snag another Slam in 2025.

No. 1: Aryna Sabalenka

What a stunning year for Belarus, who won the Australian and US Open. The huge hitter knocked down against Gauff and Zheng with some phenomenal groundstrokes.  It was pretty good on clay, but not great, as she can be more patient. Yet in the summer, she became more case on the hardcourts, winning Cincinnati and grabbing the US Open, beating the American Jessica Pegula. Her forehand is massive, her backhand is heavy, and her return is very aggressive. Her serve has improved a lot, as a few years ago, she had so many double faults, but now, it is much more consistent. She can win another couple more Slams in 2025, and it would be nice to win at Roland Garros [clay] or Wimbledon [grass], but to do it, she will have to be much more thoughtful on the court and off.

No. 10: Barbora Krejcikova

At the net and returning she is spot on, when she is into it. She plays a lot of doubles, which has helped her over the years. Yes, the Czech can fall, especially in the third set, but still, she knows which way to go and tricks. She has won the 2021 Roland Garros and 2024 Wimbledon, so clearly, she can be totally intense. She has yet to enter the semis at the Australian Open and the US Open, so in 2025, she will try super hard. She might not, but she will make a considerable effort.

No. 9: Daria Kasatkina

The Russian has had some terrific matches, but she also can lose it on the court. However, when she is into it, then she can look stunning. She did go deep in Adelaide, Abu Dhabi, Charleston, winning Eastbourne, Seoul and taking China in the fall. She can be very consistent and try to snare her backhand crosscourt. Oddly, she can beat almost anyone when she plays very well, but in different weeks, she can lose early, too. In 2025, she knows she has won many matches but has not gone deep at the Slams. She must be thinking about it. Try to do different things, like when she returns, into the corners, for a winner.  

No. 8: Emma Navarro

The American had a fine year, as she looked much better going into the semis at the US Open. She was intense, moving quickly and nailing it with her strong backhand and forehand. She can also hustle and put it away early. However, there were weeks when she lost early, as she is only 23 years old, so she is still learning how to play. She beat Coco Gauff twice this year, which was impressive, as both wanted to smash the ball from the backcourt. At the start of the year, Navarro won Hobart, so in January 2025, maybe she can win it again. If she does, she will undoubtedly go into the second week at the Aussie Open, and there, she could chop down one of the top 5 players. However, she has to pull it up.

No. 7: Jessica Pegula

At the US Open, the veteran finally made it into the final at a Grand Slam, and this time, she was totally into it at the US Open. The 30-year-old knocked off Iga Swiatek and Krejcikova before she lost against the current No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, 7-5, 7-5. Close, but not accurate enough. 

She has been working on it for years and is now more aggressive and thoughtful. During the summer, she won Toronto and reached the final at Cincinnati. She was finally ready to attempt to nail it whenever she could. However, in the first six months, she can push the ball and hope that her opponents will miss it. Yes, she is steady, but her serve isn’t hard enough. In the fall, she didn’t do much, so she can go to Australia and be fresh next year. Hopefully, Pegula will sprint and be much more accurate.

No. 6: Elena Rybakina

When healthy, she can out-hit all of them, cracking her forehand and backhand. Two years ago, she won Wimbledon,  and when she did it, it looked like she would do it at the other three Grand Slams. However, she hasn’t done it, although she did reach the 2023 Australian Open. But she lost,  as Sabalenka smacked her. Just before that, Rybakina beat Sabalenka to win Brisbane. They know each other a lot, playing on the clay in Madrid, and in the final, Sabalenka edged her 7-6 (5). Take about close. She can be accurate and powerful, so if the 25-year-old can lock in, Rybakina will certainly have a chance to win another Slam. But to do it, she must be more patient.

No. 15: Jelena Ostapenko

The strong veteran can nail the ball with her variable strokes. The Swiss has gone deep when she is on top of it. Eight years ago, she won the Roland Garros, but she lost somewhat earlier, becoming when she is frustrated. The Latvian has been with some super long matches and pulled it off, but she also has lost, with some odd decisions. She does have an opportunity to do very deep at the Slams again, but to do it, then she will have to be much more calm and thoughtful. 

No. 14: Anna Kalinskaya 

She can go up and down, month after month, but the Russian played in Dubai in February, winning seven matches until she finally lost in the finals. She upset with Ostapenko, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek before she went down against Jasmine Paolini 7-5 in the third. So clearly, her legs are strong. However, she can drop for months, losing way too early, but in June, she reached the final again, in Berlin, out-hitting Vika Azarenka and finally losing versus Jessica Pegula. After that, she struggled, playing way too much. If she can change a few things, then in the court, and to be more suitable, she can go deeper weekly. She will have to.

No. 13: Diana Shnaider 

The 20-year-old is already rising, ending the year when she won Hong Kong. She always seems to push herself; even then, she can lose against the top players, but she will try to play spectacularly, even when losing. She upset Coco Gauff in Toronto, even though she was feeling good when she lost in the semis against Pegula. But that is not week after week. The lefty is learning to be more proper, and in the event in Germany, she beat Paula Badosa, Emma Navarro and Donna Vekic to win it all. That was pretty darn good. The quick hitter also won another two tournaments, with different areas, so she must be intense and with some cool shots.  It is hard to say when the young players can always be terrific, but Shnaider will try to serve harder and at the net, too. If she does, the top 5 will come very soon. 

No. 12: Paula Badosa

The Spaniard had a fine year, going bottomless all over the place, running hard and knocking it back. Perhaps she is not a mammoth hitter, but she can put it away on the lines. She won Washington, and she reached the semis at Cincinnati. She did go into the quarters at the US Open, and later, the steady hitter went into the semis at Beijing. She has been for a decade, and her forehand has finally been stronger, but if she can mix it up more, then it is possible that she can finally go into the final at the Slams. Yet she will have to show it.

No. 11: Danielle Collins

We all thought that the American was going to retire, month after month, but then, during the fall, she decided to continue to play again. Her body was breaking down, yet suddenly, she felt good again.  Now she is there, so hopefully, she will be healthy, a lot, as during the fall, she lost quickly. The huge hitter put together some terrific wins in the first four months, winning Miami and Charleston. She is very aggressive and tries to put it away in the corners. She has never won a Slam, but she did come somewhat close at the 2022 Australian Open. In 2025, she will have another chance to snare it, but to do it, she will have to be super fit or lose.

No. 20: Arthur Fils

The Frenchman is very young, and he is already pretty intelligent. Of course he needs to improve with everything, but he already is a lot of variety. However, year after year, the green players can rise up fast, but to get into the top five is a huge challenge, and many people fail. The is reality. The good thing is that in the summer and the fall, he won Hamburg, beating the current No. 2 Alexander Zverev, and in Tokyo, he beat Holger Rune and Ugo Humbert. That was impressive. Fils did lose here and there, but he can laud it on, week after week. Assuming that the 20-year-old will keep healthy, then next year, the top 10 is waiting. 

No. 19: Karen Khachanov

The veteran Russian had a fine fall, reaching the final at the 1000 Paris, before Ugo Humbert overcame him. He also reached the final in Vienna, and earlier in October, he won Almaty. He must have been fantastic. However, he plays a lot, when he looks good, but there are others events that when he is playing, he can get very frustrated.  Back in February, he did win Doha, but right after that, then he lost way to early. Perhaps next year, he can exploit again, or just hanging around, with the same type, forehand and backhand. 

No. 18: Frances Tiafoe

This has not been a spectacular year, but there were some wild, very good events.   Coming at the start of the season, it was thought that when he was ready to go into the top five, then he could be super consistent, all the time. However, week after week, he lost early, from January through July.  But in August, almost out of nowhere, he reached into the final at the ATP 1000 Cincinnati, beating Holger Rune in the semis, until the current No. 1, Jannik Sinner beat Tiafoe in straight sets. Then, three weeks later,  he reached into the US Opens semis, playing great, but in the end, he lost against his friend, Taylor Fritz, 6-1 in the fifth set.  He could not raise his game again, which disappointed him.  The good thing is that he really likes to play, on court, or when he is practicing. He has some new shots, but he can back off, and then he can miss some odd strokes, way out.

 In 2025, the American will have a chance to go into the finals again,  but will Tiafoe win a ATP 250, or 1000? He has to be prove it, again.

No. 17: Lorenzo Musetti

The Italian man is only 22-years-old, so over the past three years, he actually has enhanced his backhand, down the line, and at the net, which he needed it. Of course his forehand is excellent, and he can return somewhat deep, but mentally, he can be up and down. He did reach into the semis at Wimbledon, upsetting Taylor Fritz in the quarters, until he lost versus Noval Djokovic in straight sets. Musetti did reach into the final in Turin, Italy, and also in Cagliari. Yes, when he is feeling good, then he can bash the ball, but he has to be more aggressive. The other Italian, the No. 1 Jannik Sinner, it took him at least a few years to be more solid, and also, with variety. Eventually it did, so now, Musetti can be more suffering, and then, at the end of 2025, he can be at least in the top 10.

No. 16: Hubert Hurkacz

That was an odd year, very good early, and then so-so in the end. He did win Portugal on clay, and in Halle, in the grass, he reached into the final, upsetting Alexander Zverev before he lost against  Sinner. Even at the start of the year, he reached into the final at the United Cup, in Australia. So it should have been great, but it really didn’t, as in the fall, he went down, early. Perhaps his body collapsed, so next year, he can jump up high again. Or maybe not.