5 men’s players to win Australian Open and triumph at either Indian Wells Masters or Miami Open in 21st century ft. Andre Agassi, Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner’s impressive streak on the 2024 ATP tour has persisted, as he claimed his second Masters 1000 victory at the Miami Open on March 31.
At the 2024 Miami Open, Jannik Sinner was ranked as the second seed and achieved a remarkable victory by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) in the final. He secured the win by successfully converting four breakpoints during the match, despite Dimitrov’s strong performance.
Following his victory at the Miami Open, Jannik Sinner joined the elite group of men who have won both the Australian Open and either the Indian Wells Masters or the Miami Open in the same year, making him the fifth man to do so in the 21st century. Below is a list of the other accomplished players who have achieved this impressive feat.
#5 Rising Star: Jannik Sinner
Instead of participating in the warm-up tournaments, Jannik Sinner chose to begin his 2024 season directly in Melbourne at the Australian Open. As the No. 4 seed, the young Italian dominated his opponents, including Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper De Jong, Sebastian Baez, Karen Khachanov, Andrey Rublev, defending champion Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev, to claim his first ever Grand Slam title.
At the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open, the 22-year-old made it to the semifinal and emerged as the champion in the Sunshine Double. Jannik Sinner overcame tough opponents such as Andrea Vavassori, Tallon Griekspoor, Christopher O’Connell, Tomas Machac, Medvedev, and Dimitrov to claim the title in Florida.
Prior to winning the Miami Open title this year, Jannik Sinner had also made it to the final of the tournament in both 2021 and 2023.
#4 Spanish Tennis Star – Rafael Nadal
In 2009, Rafael Nadal became one of the few players to win both the Melbourne and either Indian Wells or Miami tournaments in the same year. Despite being the top seed at the Australian Open, the Spaniard faced a tough challenge from compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals, but managed to come out victorious after a grueling five-set match. In the final, Nadal also had to battle through another five-setter against No. 2 seed Roger Federer to claim his first Australian Open title.
Nadal’s impressive performance at the Indian Wells Masters continued. Despite being the top seed, he only lost one set on his way to claiming his second title in the Californian desert. He outperformed top players such as David Nalbandian, Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray.
#3: Legendary Tennis Player Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi, a renowned American tennis player, achieved the impressive feat of winning both the Australian Open and the Sunshine Double in a single calendar year. Not only did he accomplish this once, but he also repeated it twice. Agassi successfully defended his title at the 2001 Australian Open by defeating Arnaud Clement from France in the final match.
In 2001, he participated in the Sunshine Double where he emerged victorious in the final of the Indian Wells Masters against Pete Sampras and in the Miami Open title contest against Jan-Michael Gambill.
Agassi’s final victory at the Australian Open occurred two years later, along with his triumph at the 2003 Miami Open where he had previously achieved back-to-back wins. This marked Agassi’s sixth championship at the ATP 1000 tournament in Florida.
#2 Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer matched Andre Agassi’s achievement of winning both the Australian Open and Sunshine Double in the same year, but he took it a step further. In 2004, the Swiss legend replicated Agassi’s feat by triumphing at the Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters.
In 2006, Federer achieved the title trinity by winning the Melbourne title match against Marcos Baghdatis, the Indian Wells final against James Blake, and the Miami Open final against Ivan Ljubicic.
Over ten years had passed when Roger Federer once again captured the attention of the tennis world in 2017. He achieved this feat by winning his fifth Australian Open title, along with his fifth and third titles at Indian Wells and Miami, respectively.
#1 Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic
Despite fierce competition, Novak Djokovic remains at the top of the list of players who have achieved the impressive feat of winning both the Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters/Miami Open in the same year. Throughout his career, he has accomplished this incredible feat five times. In 2008, Djokovic claimed his first Australian Open title by defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, and he continued his success by triumphing over Mardy Fish in the championship match at the Indian Wells Masters.
In 2011, Djokovic achieved his second win at the Australian Open and also secured his first Sunshine Double. He successfully defended his titles in Melbourne and Miami in 2012. Additionally, he dominated all three tournaments in 2015 and 2016 as the current World No.1, defeating Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Kei Nishikori in each title match.
Surprisingly, Novak Djokovic’s winning streak at the Australian Open has continued since 2016, with titles in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023, but he has not been able to secure a win at Indian Wells or Miami during this time.
Leave a Reply