What constitutes a ‘Sunshine Double’? Clarifying the uncommon achievement of Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka
Over the weekend, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka both achieved the rare “Sunshine Double,” making them the eighth man and fifth woman in the history of tennis to accomplish this feat.
The “Sunshine Double” entails winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles consecutively. This remarkable achievement is seldom seen in tennis, with many of the sport’s modern legends, including Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, having never attained it during their celebrated careers.
Men’s world No.2 Sinner and women’s world No.1 Sabalenka have now entered an elite group alongside tennis legends such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Steffi Graf.
Only two players have managed to secure the “Sunshine Double” in consecutive yearsβFederer in 2005 and 2006, and Djokovic in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Sinner triumphed over Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka with a score of 6-4 6-4 in the Miami Open final, becoming the first man since Federer in 2017 to achieve the coveted “Sunshine Double.” Meanwhile, Sabalenka secured her title by defeating local favorite Coco Gauff 6-2 4-6 6-3 in a rematch of the 2025 French Open, which Gauff had won.
Prior to Sabalenka, the last woman to complete the “Sunshine Double” was Iga Swiatek in 2022.
Complete list of players who have accomplished a “Sunshine Double:”
Men:
Jim Courier (1991)
Michael Chang (1992)
Pete Sampras (1994)
Marcelo Rios (1998)
Andre Agassi (2001)
Roger Federer (2005-06)
Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Jannik Sinner (2026)
Women:
Steffi Graf (1994, 1996)
Kim Clijsters (2005)
Victoria Azarenka (2016)
Iga Swiatek (2022)
Aryna Sabalenka (2026)
Information from Press Association was utilized in this report.
Source: espn.com
