Top seven players to complete Sunshine Double in men's singles

Marcelo Rios was the first non-American player to complete the Sunshine Double.

The Sunshine Double is a term used in tennis to describe winning the Indian Wells and Miami titles in the same year. This feat is considered rare as only 11 players in history have accomplished this feat. In 1985 the Miami Open joined the ATP calendar along with the Indian Wells Masters.

Since then, seven men and four women have completed the milestone. Only two of the seven ATP stars have accomplished this feat more than once. On that note, let’s take a look at the seven players who have completed the Sunshine Double.

Jim Courier (1991)

The first tennis star to complete the Sunshine Double, Jim Courier reached the memorable milestone at the age of 20. The American tennis legend was in his prime in the early 90s, winning four Grand Slam titles in three years (between 1991 and 1993).

Additionally, he completed the Double by beating France’s Guy Forget in Indian Wells 4–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 (7–4) and later stunning David Wheaton in a summit clash in Miami. Jim Courier won the Indian Wells Masters for the second and last time in 1993.

Michael Chang (1992)

Michael Chang holds the record for being the youngest tennis star to complete the Sunshine Double, at the age of 20 years and 1 month. He is also the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam. Just one year after Jim Courier completed the Double, Chang became the second and the youngest to reach the rare feat.

Michael Chang won the Indian Wells Open final over Andrei Chesnokov (he won two more in 1996 and 1997). Meanwhile, he later defeated Alberto Mancini 7-5, 7-5 to win his only Miami Open title in 1992. However, Chang is the only one in the entire list to have failed to become World No. 1.

Pete Sampras (1994)

After two years, Pete Sampras became the third American tennis star to complete the Sunshine Double. In 1994, the former American tennis star defeated Petr Korda in a five-set battle to win his first Indian Wells title (he won one more next year).

After a few days, he defeated arch-rival Andre Agassi in the Miami Open final to capture his second Masters title in Florida, while completing the Sunshine Double. Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras has three Maimi Open and two Indian Wells titles.

Marcelo Rios (1998)

The first non-American player to complete the Sunshine Double was Marcelo Ríos of Chile. In 1998, he gave a stellar performance in California by winning the Indian Wells Masters, with a triumph over Greg Rusedski in the final.

Of all the seven players to have achieved this feat, only Marcelo Ríos has failed to win a Grand Slam. His best finish came in the 1998 Australian Open, where he lost in the final to Czechia’s Petr Korda 6–2, 6–2, 6–2.

Andre Agassi (2001)

Andre Agassi won the Miami Open six times but completed the Double only once, which came in 2001. Additionally, from 2001 to 2003, the former American tennis ace won three consecutive titles, denying the likes of Jan-Michael Gambill, Roger Federer, and Carlos Moya.

In 2001, he got the better of Pete Sampras in Indian Wells before he got the better of Jan-Michael Gambill at Key Biscayne a week later. Andre Agassi is also a seven-time Grand Slam champion and has also completed a career Golden Slam.

Roger Federer (2005, 2006, 2017)

Roger Federer lifted the Miami Open title four times, with his first coming in 2005. He defeated Rafael Nadal 2–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–3, 6–1 in a hard-fought game to win the crown. He continued his form the next year and later, gave a similar performance in his returning years, where he stunned Rafael Nadal in California and defeated Stan Wawrinka in the Miami Open final.

His last Miami Open title came in 2019, where he defeated John Isner. Roger Federer is a five-time Indian Wells Masters winner and won four times in Key Biscayne.

Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016)

Novak Djokovic‘s prowess on hard court has been second to none. He denied Rafael Nadal twice from winning the Miami Open and also didn’t let Japan’s Kei Nishikori from taking home the Masters crown. Between 2014 and 2016, Djokovic was in his prime, dominating the whole hardcourt season.

Interestingly, when the Serbian tennis star completed the Sunshine Double in 2016, he dropped only one set, the fewest by any ATP player. Djokovic is also the only player to win the doubles three times in a row. The Serb has won the Miami Open six times, while he is a five-time Indian Wells champion.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram