Novak Djokovic’s Three-Year Sunshine Double…

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A feat only accomplished by 11 singles players, the Sunshine Double might be the most prestigious achievement outside the Grand Slams.

Ten of those 11 players are former world No. 1s, including greats like Roger Federer and Steffi Graf who have won the Indian Wells and Miami titles in the same year on multiple occasions. However, none have had a hold on the Sunshine Double like Novak Djokovic.

The 24-time major champion won his first Sunshine Double in 2011. Then, starting in 2014, Djokovic became unbeatable on the courts of Indian Wells and Miami.

At the 2014 BNP Paribas Open, the Serb survived a few tough matches en route to his return to the final, defeating Marin Cilic from a set down in round four then later beating home favourite and 2012 finalist John Isner in three sets in the semis.

For the title, Djokovic again managed to send the match the distance after dropping the opening set to Federer, winning the third-set tiebreaker to get his hands back on the Indian Wells trophy thanks to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory.

The world No. 2 completed his second Sunshine Double the following week at the Miami Open, taking down the two other members of the “Big Four” with straight-set wins over Andy Murray in the quarters and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the final.

The next year, Djokovic set out to do the same thing. Heading into the 2015 season, Federer was the only player to accomplish back-to-back Sunshine Doubles from 2005-06.

Djokovic was on his way to join the 20-time major winner, once again beating Murray in straight sets to set up a repeat final against Federer. The title match needed a decisive set and the world No. 1 cruised, sealing the contest 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 and successfully defending his title.

One win away from two-straight Sunshine Doubles in Miami, Djokovic met a revengeful Murray, this time, for the title. On this occasion, the Brit forced a decider after dropping the tight opening set, but Djokovic’s dominance in the third was on display again, earning a bagel to become the third singles player in history with multiple Sunshine Doubles thanks to the 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-0 victory.

But Djokovic wasn’t finished there. The world No. 1 planned to make his own history in 2016 but nearly had a shock in his opening match in Indian Wells.

The two-time reigning champion lost the first set 6-2 against world No. 149 Bjorn Fratangelo before managing to comfortably turn things around. Djokovic then didn’t drop a set the rest of the way, defeating the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nadal prior to the final. The Serb conceded just two games to Canadian No. 1 Milos Raonic as he secured a third-straight Indian Wells title, the first with three consecutive trophies at the event since Federer from 2004-06.

However, Miami was where records were created. There was no stopping Djokovic from achieving his third-straight Sunshine Double as he went perfect throughout the event, recording straight-set wins over Dominic Thiem, Tomas Berdych, and lastly, world No. 6 Kei Nishikori to complete his remarkable Sunshine Double dynasty.

Djokovic became the first and only player to win three-straight Sunshine Doubles and holds the record for the most across singles and doubles with four.

The Tour has not seen a Sunshine Double since Iga Swiatek did so four years ago, but will 2026 see a 12^th name accomplish the feat?

Eyes will surely be on Carlos Alcaraz as the world No. 1 has previously gotten his hands on silverware in Indian Wells and Miami, though, never in the same year. Unbeaten so far this season, Alcaraz will look to continue that run and add another remarkable achievement to his ever-growing resume.

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