Sinner and Sabalenka, 'Sunshine Double' target

Pedro de Pablos | 23 Mar 2026 | 16.24

Sinner and Sabalenka, aim for 'Sunshine Double'

Streaming ATP Bastad live tennis

🎾 Max Dahlin vs Sebastian Baez

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka have a clear goal for the Miami Open 2026. Both won the Indian Wells tournament a few days ago and have the chance to make history by completing the 'Sunshine Double' together, something that has happened few times throughout history and they have a good chance of achieving.

Jannik Sinner, who did not play either of the two tournaments last year due to suspension, arrives with high morale and without the pressure of having Carlos Alcaraz on the other side of the draw (he was eliminated yesterday by Sebastian Korda). Aryna Sabalenka, on the other hand, is the reigning champion of the Miami Open 2026 and the clear dominator of the women's circuit. The only one capable of giving her a challenge so far this season has been Elena Rybakina, who is presumably the other top favorite and clear candidate to prevent Sabalenka's 'Sunshine Double'.

What is the Sunshine Double and which tennis players have achieved it?

Basically, the 'Sunshine Double' consists of winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same season, which is one of the greatest feats a tennis player can accomplish. Winning 12 consecutive matches in just three weeks, half on the west coast and the other half on the east coast. Two oceans as witnesses to an exciting journey through seas of glory that only a privileged few have sailed.

The biggest challenge of this feat lies in the change of conditions from one tournament to another. Indian Wells is slightly faster, and adapting so immediately is a great challenge for those who have little time to adjust, as is the case with Sinner and Sabalenka. A total of 11 individuals have achieved this feat (7 men and 4 women), of whom 10 were world No. 1s, with Michael Chang being the only one who did not accomplish it, and 10 were Grand Slam champions, with Marcelo Ríos as the only exception.

Jim Courier - 1991
Michael Chang - 1992
Pete Sampras - 1994
Steffi Graf - 1994 and 1996
Marcelo Ríos - 1998
André Agassi - 2001
Kim Clijsters - 2005 (won 14 matches as a non-seeded player)
Roger Federer - 2005, 2006, and 2017
Novak Djokovic - 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016
Victoria Azarenka - 2016
Iga Swiatek - 2022

How many times has a double 'Sunshine Double' been achieved?

As seen in the list, a 'Sunshine Double' has been achieved on three occasions in the same year. The first was by Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf in 1994, followed by Kim Clijsters and Roger Federer in 2005, and later by Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka. In fact, of all the times a female player has achieved the 'Sunshine Double', only once has she not shared the spotlight with a male player, and that was Iga Swiatek in 2022.

Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are the clear favorites in their respective draws to achieve it, aside from being the two top-ranked players, but other factors such as fatigue and the added pressure of knowing they can make history must be taken into account when analyzing a possible outcome. Although they will by no means be the youngest to achieve it, for both, it would be a morale boost heading into the clay court season, seemingly their less favored surface.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sinner y Sabalenka, objetivo "Sunshine Double"

ATP