Winning two Sun Double tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in one season is a difficult task that few tennis players in history have achieved. This is what Jim Courier (1991), Michael Chang (1992), Pete Sampras (1994), Marcelo Ríos (1998), Andre Agassi (2001), Roger Federer (2005, 2006, 2017) and Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014) have done. , 2015). , 2016).
This year, in theory, 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz could join them. In 2023, Carlos was close to his goal: he won the Indian Wells Masters, but lost to Jannik Sinner in the Miami semifinals. At the same time, Alcaraz still wrote his name in tennis history: he became the first player to win 10 matches in the Solar Double tournament without losing a set to his opponents.
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The Indian Wells courthouse is considered quite convenient for Alcaraz. Carlos’ title in this 2023 Masters was not a surprise. He was only 19 years old, but he had already won his first Grand Slam tournament at the 2022 US Open and was the number one seed in California.
On the way to the cup, Alcaraz easily faced Thanasi Kokkinakis, Tallon Grickspor, Jack Draper, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev. Only Grixpor and Sinner took Carlos to the tiebreaker, but overall the Spaniard’s advantage over all opponents was overwhelming. The victory over Medvedev in the final seemed especially safe 6:3, 6:2.
Carlos Alcaraz with the Indian Wells Masters trophy in 2023
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Alcaraz traveled to Miami to complete the Sunny Double, and at the same time defend the points from last year’s title in Florida and the first line of the ATP rankings. Everything was going great. Carlos took turns facing Facundo Bagnis, Dusan Lajovic, Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in two matches. In the first two cases, he even kicked out his opponents.
Thus, the Spaniard dominated the 10-match streak in the Solar Double tournament, without losing a single set. Courier, Chang, Sampras, Ríos, Agassi, Djokovic and Federer, upon completing the Solar Double, gave up at least one game to their rivals already in Indian Wells and a couple of times before the Miami semifinals (Federer in 2005 and 2017) . At the same time, Carlos failed to cap his dominant period with a title in Florida.
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In the semifinals, Alcaraz faced Sinner again. Carlos barely won the first set in the tiebreaker, but in the next two he lost to the Italian 7: 6, 4: 6, 2: 6. During the match, the Spaniard suffered cramps and had to go to the bathroom, which, by his own admission, only hurt him and took away his rhythm. The points for the title were burned in Miami in 2022, the Spaniard once again ceded the status of first racket in the world to Novak Djokovic, but he was not particularly bothered.
“For me it is simply a defeat in the semifinals. Of course, it’s a shame not to do the Sunny Double, but I have many years ahead of me to achieve it. But the only thing I can think about now is how to improve my level so I can beat Yannick next time. Yes, for me it is simply a defeat in the semifinals,” Alcaraz said after the match.
Carlos Alcaraz lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Miami Masters 2023
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Carlos did not achieve the sunny double in 2023, although he established an impressive record of a series of victories without losing a set. Alcaraz already won Indian Wells this season and is one of Miami’s favorites along with Sinner and Medvedev. It is noteworthy that in 2024, Carlos immediately lost the opportunity to surpass his last year’s achievement: he lost the set in the first Indian Wells match with the Italian Matteo Arnaldi (6: 7, 6: 0, 6: 1 ).
Alcaraz will not be angry if he wins the title in Miami and achieves the Solar Double for the first time since Federer in 2017. And the young Spaniard still has plenty of time to beat his 2023 record and try to take all the matches of the California Masters and Florida without losing a set.
