The five players to watch in the end of the 2024 season

Carlos Navarro | 19 Sep 2024 | 21.10

Grigor Dimitrov was already the champion of the ATP Finals in 2017. Source: Getty

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The conclusion of the Grand Slams season does not mean that tennis comes to an end in 2024. The wheel of the tennis calendar keeps turning and will take us over the next two months to some well-known places for fans, with events that could be turning points for some players' careers and, due to the accumulated wear and tear of many top players, an opportunity for others to assert themselves and capitalize on the chaos. Shanghai, Paris-Bercy, the ATP Finals... names like Grigor Dimitrov or Alex de Miñaur seek to confirm their great year, and we analyze and highlight them as part of the five big names to follow at the end of the season.

- GRIGOR DIMITROV (#10 in the ATP Race): Just 500 points separate the Bulgarian from the current eighth position on the Race. The objective seems clear: to return to the ATP Finals, which would serve as confirmation that Grigor's second youth is more alive than ever. Is this goal feasible? Certainly: the end-of-season tour has always been a favorite time for Dimitrov, with performances like the one he delivered against Alcaraz in Shanghai 2023, the final reached in Paris-Bercy last year, and, of course, the peak of his career, that Masters title in the 2017 ATP Finals. Minor physical discomfort at the beginning of the second half of the season also gave Dimitrov some rest time, as he did not compete in the Olympic Games, arriving somewhat fresher than several of his teammates for this time of the year.

- ALEX DE MIÑAUR (#8 in the ATP Race): Qualifying for the year-end tournament is also the main goal for one of the most improved players of the year, someone who has carried consistency as a flag and has shown great regularity, especially in Grand Slams. The Australian also suffered a significant injury, halting his excellent form entirely; however, this has also allowed him to arrive with more rest for the last tournaments of the season. The surfaces of the Asian tour, particularly medium-speed courts with a low bounce, should suit him perfectly, and his fast-paced tennis could also find success in places like Basel (where he was already a finalist) or Paris-Bercy.

- GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD (#45 in the ATP Race): Like a bull in a china shop. That's how the French giant entered the big leagues, by surprisingly winning his first ATP title (even more impressive on clay) and astonishing fans with an absolutely devastating serve. If the circuit needed a big server after the departures of names like Isner or Karlovic, Gio has arrived to meet those expectations... and, of course, being French, all eyes will be on a potential strong performance in Paris-Bercy. Overall, indoor fast court tournaments could be the definitive boost for Mpetshi, who could secure a seed in the Australian Open 2025 if he performs at a high level.

- DENIS SHAPOVALOV (#91 in the ATP Race): A risky bet, but one who knows perfectly well how to perform in this final stretch of the year. His victories over Cerúndolo and Daniel Evans in the Davis Cup, where he did not even drop a set, are a testament to the talent still within a player who elevates his game when playing indoors. His only Masters 1000 final, in fact, came in Paris-Bercy, a tournament that can evoke all kinds of memories and serve as a motivation to approach, after a very erratic season, the top 50 in the world. Moreover, the Málaga Davis Cup Finals, where he has already been a champion with Canada, could be where we truly see the most focused Shapovalov again. And, of course, when Denis is focused... they should be very careful.

- JOAO FONSECA (#137 in the ATP Race): He is probably the most exciting project in men's tennis right now, and the end of the season could be the perfect opportunity to showcase his versatility. He caught everyone's attention in the final phase of the Davis Cup, where he secured two victories on a carpet, a hard indoor surface, with minimal prior experience. But Joao has more than enough weapons to hold his ground in all kinds of venues, and capitalizing on that wave of confidence could mark the definitive leap towards the top 100. It remains to be seen if tournaments like Stockholm or Antwerp, which often dare to offer invitations to young talents, could give him a tremendous opportunity to prove himself again at the ATP level; meanwhile, Joao shows his maturity and will return to the circuit on October 7, having signed up for a Challenger in France... on a hard indoor surface. Is this a statement of intent for what could be his end of the year?

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los cinco jugadores a seguir en el final de temporada 2024