The Sunshine Double is a rare feat in tennis. It is completed when a player wins both the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles in the same year.
The prestigious tag came into being since1985 when the Miami Open joined the ATP calendar, and the Indian Wells became part of the WTA circuit in 1989.
The difficulty in achieving this feat is due to the stark contrast between the conditions of the two tournaments. While the Indian Wells Open features slower courts that allow extra time for shot-making, the Miami Open is played on hard courts that provide a faster pace, favoring hard hitters. Winning both the tournaments requires exceptional ability to adapt to different conditions and versatility.
The lists of players who have completed Sunshine Double are full of all-time greats. The 10 of the 11 players have won Grand Slam titles (the only exception being Marcelo Rios, a former Grand Slam finalist). Also, 10 of the 11 players have reached No. 1 (the only exception being Michael Chang, who reached No. 2).
Only two players have won the Sunshine Double in back-to-back years—Roger Federer did it two years in a row in 2005 and 2006, while Novak Djokovic did it an incredible three years in a row from 2014 to 2016.
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Let us have a look at players who have achieved Sunshine Double:
Men’s Singles
Sr. No | Winner | Year(s) |
1 | Jim Courier (USA) | 1991 |
2 | Michael Chang (USA) | 1992 |
3 | Pete Sampras (USA) | 1994 |
4 | Marcelo Ríos (CHI) | 1998 |
5 | Andre Agassi (USA) | 2001 |
6 | Roger Federer (SUI) | 2005–06, 2017 |
7 | Novak Djokovic (SRB) | 2011, 2014–16 |
Women’s Singles
Sr. No | Winner | Year(s) |
1 | Steffi Graf (GER) | 1994, 1996 |
2 | Kim Clijsters (BEL) | 2005 |
3 | Victoria Azarenka (BLR) | 2016 |
4 | Iga Swiatek (POL) | 2022 |
Men’s Doubles
Sr. No | Winners | Year(s) |
1 | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) / Mark Woodforde (AUS) | 1996 |
2 | Wayne Black (ZIM) / Sandon Stolle (AUS) | 1999 |
3 | Mark Knowles (BAH) / Daniel Nestor (CAN) | 2002 |
4 | Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) | 2014 |
5 | Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) | 2016 |
Men’s Doubles (Individual)
These players achieved the Sunshine Double by winning both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open in the same year but with different partners in each tournament.
Sr. No | Winners | Year(s) |
1 | Jakob Hlasek (SUI) | 1989 |
2 | John Isner (USA) | 2022 |
Women’s Doubles
Sr. No | Winners | Year(s) |
1 | Jana Novotná (CZE) / Helena Suková (CZE) | 1990 |
2 | Lisa Raymond (USA) / Rennae Stubbs (AUS) | 2002 |
3 | Lisa Raymond (USA) / Samantha Stosur (AUS) | 2006–07 |
4 | Martina Hingis (SUI) / Sania Mirza (IND) | 2015 |
5 | Elise Mertens (BEL) / Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | 2019 |
Women’s Doubles (Individual)
These players achieved the Sunshine Double by winning both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open in the same year but with different partners in each tournament.
Sr. No | Winners | Year(s) |
1 | Natasha Zvereva (BLR) | 1997 |
2 | Martina Hingis (SUI) | 1999 |
3 | Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) | 2016 |