Draper, Machac, Mpetshi Perricard, Tabilo up for Most Improved in 2024 ATP Awards
A tennis player is never finished fine-tuning their game. Our four Most Improved Player of the Year nominees in the 2024 ATP Awards took it to another level this season in their pursuit of greatness.
Jack Draper, Tomas Machac, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alejandro Tabilo showed big performance boosts throughout the year and made significant jumps in the PIF ATP Rankings.
| Player | Age | 2023 Year-end Ranking | Current Ranking |
| Draper | 22 | 61 | 15 |
| Machac | 24 | 78 | 25 |
| Mpetshi Perricard | 21 | 206 | 31 |
| Tabilo | 27 | 85 | 23 |
Nominees for Most Improved Player of the Year are determined by an International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA) vote. The winner is selected by players from the shortlist and will be announced during ATP Awards week, starting Monday, 9 December.
[ATP APP]Jack Draper
British No. 1 Draper, who will turn 23 on 22 December, broke through this season with his first two career titles this season in Stuttgart and Vienna. After injury struggles in 2023, he rose to a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 15 behind those two trophies, beating Matteo Berrettini and Karen Khachanov, respectively, in the finals. One week after his triumph in Austria, he celebrated with a Top 10 win against Taylor Fritz at the Rolex Paris Masters.
“I’ve had a lot of tough moments but I’ve always tried to stay strong,” Draper told ATPTour.com after claiming his maiden tour-level crown. “I think it shows my love for tennis and the amazing people I have around me to push me to keep on persevering and keep on moving forward.”
Draper set the tone for the 2024 season by reaching the Adelaide final in his first tournament of the year. He broke into the Top 50 by February and reached the Acapulco semi-finals in his first event as part of that group. The Briton finished the season with a 39-22 record.
Tomas Machac
Machac climbed 53 places in the PIF ATP Rankings this season to end the year as the World No. 25. The 24-year-old reached his first tour-level final in May in Geneva and also made two deep runs at the ATP Masters 1000 level, reaching the Miami quarter-finals and the Shanghai semis
At all three events, he left superstars in his wake. He beat Andrey Rublev and Andy Murray in Miami, Novak Djokovic in Geneva, and Tommy Paul and Carlos Alcaraz in succession in Shanghai.
“I knew that the level of my tennis would be great because I am playing [my] best right now, for sure,” he said after stunning Alcaraz in two tight sets. That October victory made him the fourth lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Shanghai history.
“I am really enjoying it and am happy that I can play against the best,” added Machac, who entered the Top 25 immediately following that run.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
The Frenchman’s first title came in storybook fashion, two months before his 21st birthday. In his hometown of Lyon, he saved a match point against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and ultimately won a third-set tie-break for the trophy.
“It means a lot. A lot of dedication, a lot of hard training, a lot of questions about my game,” Mpetshi Perricard said after his victory. “But I’m very happy to win this one in Lyon especially, my hometown.”
He backed up that performance with a second title in Basel in October, which lifted him to a high of No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Proving he belongs at that elite level, the big-serving Frenchman earned five Top 30 wins across his two title runs, including straight-sets wins against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune and Ben Shelton at the Basel ATP 500 in October. He also beat Frances Tiafoe at the Rolex Paris Masters, closing out his season back on home soil.
Alejandro Tabilo
Tabilo’s rise of 62 places in the PIF ATP Rankings this season is the most among players in the Top 30. The Chilean hit a career-high of World No. 19 in July and finished the year inside the Top 25 after starting it at No. 85.
After winning his first tour-level title in Auckland to start the season, he shared some of the key improvements that led to his milestone moment at the hard-court event.
“As a player I think lately I’ve learned more about how well I can play with counter-attacking, with how aggressive I can be,” he said. “I think my serve has been improving a lot more and it’s been a big help. I think as an overall player I have become a little bit more aggressive, which has helped me a lot.”
Those weapons would help Tabilo earn a second title on Mallorca’s grass courts and reach the final on the clay of Santiago. With success on all three surfaces, the 27-year-old showcased another improvement: his versatility.
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