It was a satisfying season for the American tennis players, but who were the best of the season? Tennis World USA has selected six, three women and three men.
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Coco Gauff closed the season with the triumph at the WTA Finals and a total of three titles (including ASB Classic and China Open). Despite many ups and downs during 2024 and the change of coach, the 20-year-old still gave a decisive boost with the triumph at the year-end Masters of Riyadh.
"I've never been a person who thinks about the ranking, I only want the Grand Slams, but yes, I know I have that possibility. But honestly I don't think about the number one," she said after beating Qinwen Zheng at the WTA Finals.
Jessica Pegula triumphed at the National Bank Open in Toronto and ecoTrans Ladies Open (on hard-court and grass-court), playing the final at the Cincinnati Open and -most importantly - at the US Open (her first career Major final), losing in both cases to the new WTA No.1 Aryna Sabalenka
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"I didn't think it would ever happen, but there were definitely moments where I didn't want to play tennis anymore, difficult moments. I had some, but in the end I always came back, I always reversed the script, I was good at doing it. That's why I was able to come back from all those challenges much better than before," said Pegula on the eve of the US Open final.
Then there is of course Danielle Collins, who won the Miami Open and the Credit One Charleston Open. The 30-year-old had announced, after the historic triumph in Miami Gardens, her farewell at the end of the season. A decision that was then changed just a few weeks ago: she will continue to play in 2025.
"Hey everyone, I've been a bit absent the last few weeks, so I wanted to give you an update. While I was excited and eager to end my tennis career on a high this year and dive headfirst into the next chapter of my life, things didn't go as I had planned. I will be back on Tour in 2025. While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on the momentum of 2024 and continue to play until there is more certainty on my path. The only guarantee for now is that there will be more epic challenges," she wrotein an Instagram post.
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Among the men, the first is certainly Taylor Fritz. Final at the US Open and the ATP Finals, losing both to Jannik Sinner, triumphs at the Delray Beach Open and Eastbourne International, as well as a bronze medal in doubles at the Paris Olympics. A season that has seen him emerge as the new face of American men's tennis.
"It's been a really good week for me. It gives me confidence. I feel like I've stepped up a level and I'm much more confident in my game. When I was ranked No. 5 in 2023, I often said to myself that a lot of people behind me were probably better than me. I was No. 5 but I didn't feel like I was. Now I feel like I belong in this category. It's been a great year. It gives me a lot of confidence to have that belief," he said after the ATP Finals.
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Tommy Paul won the prestigious Queen's Club Championships and the Stockholm Open, reaching the quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships and proving his feel for grass-courts. Can he be the real man to beat in the 2025 grass-swing?
"I'm really happy to have won this title. When I arrived at the beginning of the week and saw the names of all the champions in history, I said to myself that I wanted to be part of that group. I think I played at a high level and I took advantage of the great confidence in myself," he said after the success at the Queen's Club in London.
Finally, I choose Frances Tiafoe: although he did not win a title, he was the protagonist of the All-American semifinal at the US Open, lost to Fritz, and played in the finals at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships and Cincinnati Open.
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"It's going to hurt a lot for a while, I know. I have to learn from this and I will approach the next tournaments with the ambition to do great things. I know that a disappointment like this will make me work even harder and I will not go back to anticipating events and thinking about how close I am to achieving something important in my career. That's what happened. I lost the concentration to take one point at a time when I was close to winning and my body was overwhelmed by nerves," he said, after the historic semi-final in Flushing Meadows.
A special mention goes to Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton, who have the opportunity to write important pages of US tennis, starting from 2025.
