The Sunshine Double: A Challenge for Carlos Alcaraz

After become champion in Indian Wells, Carlos Alcaraz now has the challenge of also succeeding in Miami in the same year. The Murcian already won the tournament Florida in 2022, so what he is looking for now is to emulate the achievement achieved by six men and four women: a double that in English is known as Sunshine Double.

The first to win both US tournaments in the same season was Jim Courier, in 1991. And the one who has achieved it the most times (four) is Novak Djokovic, the last one to do so, in 2016. Roger Federer did it three times. As for girls, only the German Steffi Graf has two doubles and Iga Swiatek obtained hers last year. The Polish, number one in the world, will not be able to add one more to her record, because she fell in the Indian Wells semifinals last week. Who can do it for the first time is the Kazakh Elena Rybakinawho beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Sunday.

The milestone that Alcaraz already treasures, being a winner in Indian Wells and Miami in different years, like the American Andre Agassi, among others, has not yet been able to be achieved by Rafa Nadal himself., who has never succeeded in the second. It is one of the three Masters 1,000 that do not appear in his record, along with Shanghai and Paris.

He Sunshine Double It is a physically and tennis-wise complicated challenge, in consecutive weeks and with draws of 96 tennis players, among whom are, in general, the best in the world, as they are mandatory tournaments on the calendar. The proof is that the great Andy Murray, winner of three Grand Slams and 14 Masters, has never been able to add that of Indian Wells to his record.

The youngest to achieve the three ‘big’

The United States is a country that will forever be linked to the career of Carlos Alcaraz, because Spaniards are very good at it. There he has obtained the most important victories of his still short career. Last year he was champion in Miami and at the US Open, and on Sunday he did the same in Indian Wells. Thus, at 19 years old, he became the youngest tennis player to win the American treble, ahead of Pete Sampras, who did it with 22, and Roger Federer, with 23.

Winning the three most important tournaments held in that nation brings prestige. In fact, for many years the Key Biscaynewhere the Masters 1,000 that is now held in Miami was previously held, was considered the fifth Grand Slam. Now it is Indian Wells that has that consideration from active tennis players and legends like Bjorn Borg.