{"id":62113,"date":"2024-01-01T08:30:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T13:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=62113"},"modified":"2023-12-31T22:09:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T03:09:42","slug":"ten-things-to-look-forward-to-in-tennis-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2024\/01\/01\/ten-things-to-look-forward-to-in-tennis-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Things To Look Forward To In Tennis in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

For his final end-of-year piece, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, looks forward to next season.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ten Things To Look Forward To In Tennis in 2024<\/h2>\n

1.The Return of Rafa<\/h4>\n

Rafael Nadal is scheduled to return to the ATP Tour any day now, in the run-up to the Australian Open<\/a>. Whether that leads to more Major Singles titles to add to his already staggering total of 22 (making him second only to Novak Djokovic in the battle to be the GOAT) or is simply the beginning of a farewell world tour, as Nadal himself has already hinted<\/a> could be the case, it will still be fabulous to see the great Spaniard back on court. And if he could somehow recover both fitness and form sufficiently to win a 15th French Open in Paris, that would surely be the perfect moment for him to bow out, safe in the knowledge that it is one sporting record that will probably never be matched, let alone beaten.<\/p>\n

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    Novak Djokovic Becoming The First Tennis Player To Win 25 Major Singles Titles<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Of course the biggest obstacle to Nadal winning another Major is his greatest nemesis, Novak Djokovic, who has already surpassed his total of 22 Major Singles titles. Indeed, Djokovic has now won a total of 24 Major Singles titles after winning every Major in 2023<\/a> except Wimbledon<\/a>, and he is the firm favorite to win an 11th Australian Open title next month. If he does so, he will become the first tennis player, male or female, to win 25 Major Singles titles, which might be another record that would stand for decades, if not all time.<\/p>\n

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      The Continuing Tussle To Be Women\u2019s World No.1<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      For so long, men\u2019s tennis has been dominated by “The Big Three,” who, in the shape of Novak Djokovic, are fast becoming The Giant One. By complete contrast, women\u2019s tennis for the last half a decade or so has been far more unpredictable, first with Serena Williams trying (and ultimately failing<\/a>) to match Margaret Court\u2019s record of 24 Major Singles wins, then the brief interregnum of Ash Barty and, after Barty\u2019s shock retirement<\/a> in 2022, the emergence of Iga \u015awi\u0105tek as a new and seemingly dominant World No.1. Fortunately for women\u2019s tennis and its fans, \u015awi\u0105tek has not been as utterly dominant as had been feared, as proven by the fact that there were four different winners of the women\u2019s Majors in 2023. In 2024, \u015awi\u0105tek will be challenged more than ever by Aryna Sabalenka (who briefly replaced her as World No.1<\/a> in 2023), Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff, who are all now Major-winners themselves, suggesting that there could be a four-way fight in 2024 for the title of world\u2019s best female tennis player.<\/p>\n

      Embed from Getty Images<\/a>