Every March, two prestigious non-Grand Slam tennis tournaments take place back-to-back in the United States. First up is the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California; then the Miami Open in Florida. If you win both in the same year, you complete what is known as the Sunshine Double. For fans who follow the action closely, including those who use trusted sports betting apps, these two events are a big part of the tennis calendar.
This article covers what these two tournaments are, why they are important, and a small group of players who have managed to win them both.
What is Sunshine Double?
The Sunshine Double refers to winning both the Indian Wells Open in California and the Miami Open in Florida in the same year. The two tournaments run back-to-back throughout March, with Indian Wells finishing just as Miami begins, and finishing both is considered one of the most demanding achievements in sports.
Both events are ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments, placing them directly below the Grand Slams in terms of ranking points and prestige. The fields are huge, 96 singles players are drawn in each event, and the best players in the world are almost always there.
Indian Sources
Indian Wells runs from March 1-15, 2026 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the California desert, about 125 miles east of Los Angeles. The venue holds more than 16,000 spectators in its main arena, the largest tennis court in the world. It is often referred to as the fifth Grand Slam, partly because of the size of the event and partly because of the atmosphere it generates in the desert heat.
In 2026, defending champion Jack Draper returns after winning his first Masters 1000 title here in 2025. He is coming back from a long injury, making his title defense one of the most watched stories of the spring. Carlos Alcaraz, the world number 1 and two-time Indian Wells champion, has been drawn against Novak Djokovic, who has won the tournament five times.
Miami
The Miami Open runs from March 15-29, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The area is best known as the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team, and the tennis setup surrounds the stadium.
The conditions in Miami are markedly different from Indian Wells, with high humidity and heavy winds, which change the way the ball travels and how the players have to move. That change in circumstances is a big part of what makes the Sunshine Double so difficult to achieve.
Who won the Sunshine Double?
Only 11 players in the history of tennis have managed to win both titles in the same year, seven men and four women.
On the men’s side, the list begins with Jim Courier, who became the first player to finish twice in 1991. Michael Chang followed in 1992, Pete Sampras did it in 1994, and Marcelo Rios achieved the feat in 1998, becoming the only player on the list to never win a Grand Slam. Andre Agassi completed the double in 2001. Roger Federer then won it three times in 2005, 2006, and 2017, while Novak Djokovic holds the record for four Sunshine Doubles, achieved in 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Djokovic is the only player to win three years.
On the women’s side, Steffi Graf was the first, winning twice in 1994 and again in 1996, making her the first player of either gender to do it twice. Kim Clijsters completed it in 2005, Victoria Azarenka in 2016, and Iga Swiatek became the latest player to win the title in 2022, doing so at the age of just 20.
Ten of the 11 players on that list have won at least one Grand Slam title, giving a clear picture of the level required to win back-to-backs in March.
