There were records galore at Indian Wells as 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz managed to successfully defend his title. He beat Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in the final and retained his title in a rematch of the 2023 final. Carlos Alcaraz also happens to be the defending Wimbledon champion, and these twin victories i.e. Wimbledon 2023 and Indian Wells 2024, puts him in an elite club of sorts for a rare achievement.
The club consists of only 4 other players. They are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras, and Lleyton Hewitt. The record is to win an Indian Wells title months after their debut Wimbledon win. Here are the details about other players in descending order:
Carlos Alcaraz (Wimbledon 2023 & Indian Wells 2024)
Carlos Alcaraz was already a US Open 2022 winner when he entered the Wimbledon arena in 2023 to play the final against Novak Djokovic. Against all odds, Alcaraz won the final set 6-4 in a thrilling 5-set final and took home his maiden Wimbledon title.
At this year’s Indian Wells though, things weren’t so dramatic. Alcaraz defeated Medvedev 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in the final, where Medvedev could only match up Alcaraz’s fight in the first set. The second set was a walkway for the Spaniard. Thereby, he won both Wimbledon and Indian Wells in less than a year now. Alcaraz also won the Indian Wells 2023, just a few months before his maiden Wimbledon title.
Rafael Nadal (Wimbledon 2008 & Indian Wells 2009)
In his 22 Grand Slam wins, Rafael Nadal has won only 2 Wimbledons. His first was in 2008 when he beat his then in-form archnemesis Roger Federer in the final.
Prior to that, Nadal had already won the 2007 Indian Wells title, his first of that Masters. And he won his second in 2009, defeating Andy Murray in the final. Quite opposite to his 2008 Wimbledon final against Federer, this was not a closely fought contest at all. Nadal dominated Murray 6-1, 6-2 and walked away with an easy victory.
Roger Federer (Wimbledon 2003 & Indian Wells 2004)
Roger Federer started his 20-time Grand Slam-winning journey with the 2003 Wimbledon. It was not only his first Wimbledon but also his first Grand Slam. Federer faced Mark Philippoussis from Australia in the final, and although the Australian put up a good contest in each set, Federer finished off the game in straight 3 sets. He won 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). The world saw the birth of a tennis superstar.
Taking his stardom to another level, Federer won his first Indian Wells title in 2004. He beat Tim Henman of the UK, currently a broadcaster, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Lleyton Hewitt (Wimbledon 2002 & Indian Wells 2003)
Just a year before Federer, Australian star player Lleyton Hewitt had registered the same record. He won his maiden Wimbledon title, also his 2nd and last Grand Slam, in 2002 against David Nalbandian of Argentina. Hewitt was outstanding from the beginning, not letting Nalbandian any breathing space during the match. He won the match 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in a synchronized manner.
The following year, Hewitt won his 2nd and final Indian Wells trophy, beating Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil in the final. It wasn’t much of a contest, as Hewitt, then a terrific form, beat him 6-1, 6-1 to lift the cup. His coach back then was Darren Cahill, the famed coach behind Jannik Sinner’s recent success.
Pete Sampras (Wimbledon 1993 & Indian Wells 1994)
The first player to register such a unique feat was American legendary player Pete Sampras. This 14-time Grand Slam winner won his first Wimbledon in 1993, before going on to win 6 more in the future. In the 1993 final, he met fellow American rival, now a famous commentator, Jim Courier.
At the Indian Wells 1994, Sampras faced a tougher challenge than the one for his maiden Wimbledon title. It was a contrast from all the other players on this list, as they had a tough time in Wimbledon, but the Indian Wells following that was a cakewalk. But Sampras’s opponent was Petr Korda, father of current rising American tennis star Sebastian Korda.
It was a see-saw contest with Korda winning the first set 6-4, and Sampras the second one 6-3. Korda won the third set 6-3, and Sampras won the fourth set 6-3 too. The game was balanced 2-2 when Sampras won the final set in a dominating fashion by 6-2 and won the trophy.
