Sinner and Sabalenka chasing the Sunshine Double

MIAMI GARDENS – Both Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are hopeful of joining the exclusive club of players to have completed the arduous task of winning the Sunshine Double.

Only seven men have won both the Indian Wells and Miami Open Masters 1000 series event in the same year, but none since 2017 when Roger Federer did it for the third time.

Novak Djokovic, a six-time Miami Open champion, did it a record four times (2011, ’14-‘16). Other club members are Andre Agassi (2001), Marcelo Rios (1998), Pete Sampras (1994), Michael Chang (1992) and Jim Courier (1991).

The weather is quite different in the two prestigious events. While Indian Wells’ desert location is extremely hot and dry, Miami is windy and known for its oppressive humidity. The rain and chilly temperatures for the first days of the 2026 tournament are rare.

In addition, the men’s matches are longer than ever and filled with extensive, hard-hitting rallies from the baselines, taxing the players’ bodies more than in the past when many of the points were settled after a serve and volley.

“We all hope for the best possible result,’’ Sinner said during his media roundtable session held in the Paddock ballroom of Hard Rock Stadium Wednesday afternoon. “Let’s see. For me, the most important [thing] is to prepare myself in the best possible way, and then we’ll see what turns out.

“Of course, I try to, as always, give 100 percent. That’s the only thing I can control, and the rest I can’t control. I try to adapt, you know? So, they’re all very tough challenges in front of me. Let’s see who my first-round opponent is and hopefully I will be ready.”

The soft-spoken Italian with the monstrous groundstrokes is tentatively scheduled for the day session on Saturday against the winner of Ignacio Buse of Peru and Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later in his quarter of the bracket are potential roadblocks with Tomas Machac, 15^th-seed Andrey Rublev (who was roaming the wet grounds Wednesday with singer Jon Bon Jovi), or 23^rd seed Cameron Norrie. And of course, No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner’s affable rival, could be his final landmine.

Only four women have swept the Sunshine Double that features difficult conditions, weather fluctuations, different balls and a change in court speeds. Steffi Graf, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, did it in 1994 and ‘96; Kim Clijsters (2005), Victoria Azarenka (2016) and most recently Iga Swiatek (2022), are the others.

Of Sabalenka’s 23 titles, 20 have come on hard courts.

“The last couple of weeks gave me so much and I just want to carry that energy into the season,’’ said Sabalenka, who along with the trophy, gained a dog named Ash and a fiancé during Indian Wells. “It’s always a great time here, staying in [my] house [in Miami].

“Also, I like being in Miami. I love this city. I love to spend time here on and off the court and I just hope the weather is going to be a little better. Not much training but I’m super-excited for this tournament.”

Sabalenka, who like all 32 seeds received a first-round bye, will play the winner of Pennsylvanian Ann Li and qualifier Kimberly Birrell of Australia, most likely in the Friday day session. A fourth-round opponent could be 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who edged Sabalenka in the Aussie final.

If not Keys, then possibly Chinese star Qinwen Zheng could stand in her way. Sabalenka defeated Zheng in the quarterfinals here last year and in the 2024 Australian Open final.