Players who have claimed the Sunshine Double. ft Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic
The Sunshine Double is the feat of winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open in the same year. The name is called so, as the two tournaments are played under the hot summer sun of California (Indian Wells) and Florida (Miami) respectively.
The Sunshine Double is a tough feat to achieve, as it's played in physically taxing conditions and attracts the best players in the world. Moreover, the two tournaments - both in men's and women's singles - attract a singles field of 96, the most after the four Grand Slams, where 128 players compete.
Since the ATP Masters 1000/WTA 1000 series came into being, only a handful of players have achieved the Sunshine Double. Let's have a look at the 11 who have done so:
#1 Jim Courier - 1991
After a semifinal run in the first Indian Wells quarterfinal of the Masters 1000 era, Courier went all the way during the next edition in 1991, beating Guy Forget in five sets in the final.
At his very next stop, the then World No. 18 beat three consecutive American opponents to become the first player to win the Sunshine Double.
#2 Michael Chang - 1992
Michael Chang lost in the quarterfinals in his first Indian Wells Masters 1000 appearance in 1991. However, the American grabbed the trophy at the event's next edition in 1992.
Chang beat Andrei Chesnokov to win his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. Two weeks later, he beat Alberto Mancini to become the second player in as many years to win the Sunshine Double.
#3 Pete Sampras - 1994
Unlike the two players before him, Pete Sampras was already a Masters 1000 winner (1992 Cincinnati, 1993 Miami) when he arrived at the 1994 Indian Wells.
Sampras beat Petr Korda to win his first Indian Wells title. Two weeks later, he beat compatriot Andre Agassi to become the third male Sunshine Double winner in four years.
#4 Steffi Graf - 1994, 1996
Widely regarded as one of the finest players in the sport's history, Steffi Graf beat Amanda Coetzer to win the 1994 Indian Wells trophy. Two weeks later, the German beat Natasha Zvereva to emulate Sampras' feat of winning the Sunshine Double that year.
In 1996, Graf would venture into unchartered territory and beat Conchita Martinez to win her second Indian Wells title. A fortnight later, she beat Chanda Rubin to become the first player to complete the Sunshine Double multiple times.
#5 Marcelo Rios - 1998
Marcelo Rios had a banner year in 1998. After falling short in his maiden Grand Slam final (Australian Open), the left-hander went on a tear in the spring American hardcourt swing.
He beat Greg Rusedski to land his first Indian Wells title. Rios followed that up by beating Andre Agassi to win Miami. He became the World No. 1 player with the win, displacing Sampras.
#6 Andre Agassi - 2001
Andre Agassi finally emulated his compatriot and arch-rival Pete Sampras' Sunshine Double feat in 2001.
The American beat Sampras in the Indian Wells final before overcoming Jan-Michael Gambill in Miami to accomplish the feat.
#7 Kim Clijsters - 2005
Kim Clijsters beat Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Indian Wells final for her second title at the tournament in three years.
The Belgian then got the better of Maria Sharapova in the Miami final to emulate Graf and become only the second woman to win the Sunshine Double.
#8 Roger Federer (three Sunshine Doubles)
Widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the sport, Roger Federer beat Lleyton Hewitt to win the 2005 Indian Wells title. Two weeks later, he recovered from two sets down and within two points of defeat to beat a teenaged Rafael Nadal in the Miami final to win his first Sunshine Double.
A year later, Federer would repeat the trick, beating James Blake in Indian Wells and Ivan Ljubicic in three tiebreaks to win his second Indian Wells-Miami double. Incredibly, 11 years later, Federer would achieve the incredible achievement again.
#OnThisDay in 2017, @rogerfederer completed the Sunshine Double...
Enjoy extended highlights from an incredible run in Indian Wells and Miami👇
The then 35-year-old beat Stan Wawrinka for a record-equalling fifth Indian Wells title and Rafael Nadal in Miami for his third title of the year.
#9 Novak Djokovic - 2011, 2014-16
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat his arch-rival Rafael Nadal in both finals to win his first Sunshine Double in 2011.
Three years later, Djokovic beat Federer at Indian Wells and Nadal again in Miami for his second Indian Wells-Miami double. He would repeat the feat in the next two years.
Djokovic beat Federer again in the 2015 Indian Wells final and Andy Murray in Miami to become the first player to accomplish the feat thrice. A year later, he would beat Nadal in another Indian Wells final and Kei Nishikori in Miami to win a fourth Sunshine Double.
Another one!
Novak Djokovic wins the #MiamiOpen for the third year in a row. https://t.co/mNOXqRWQBi
The Serb will be absent this year from both tournaments because of his COVID-19 vaccination stance.
#10 Victoria Azarenka - 2016
Victoria Azarenka beat then World No. 1 Serena Williams to win her second Indian Wells title in 2016.
Only a fortnight later, she was at the winner's podium again - this time in Miami. Azarenka beat Svetlana Kuznetsova to become only the third woman to win the Indian Wells-Miami double.
#11 Iga Swiatek - 2022
Iga Swiatek produced one of the most dominant seasons by a WTA player in 2022.
The World No. 1 beat Maria Sakkari at Indian Wells to win her first title of the year before romping to the Miami title without dropping a set, beating Naomi Osaka in the title match.