‘Is there any tennis player better than Jannik Sinner at the moment?’ is the question going around in tennis at the moment. The 22-year-old Italian won yet another title this year, beating Grigor Dimitrov to win the Miami Open 2024. He joined tennis giants Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andre Agassi in an exclusive club featuring a massive hard court achievement featuring Miami and Melbourne, two of the fastest courts in the world.
Jannik Sinner became only the fourth player in the last 25 years to win the Australian Open and followed it up with a Miami Open win the same year. Sinner beat Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 in a fairly dominating performance to win the Miami Open on Sunday i.e. 31st March. The Bulgarian had no answers to his cross-shots, lob shots, or volleys. Sinner was simply sensational.
This win comes a few months after his Australian Open win over Daniil Medvedev in the final. There, Jannik Sinner struggled a bit at first, losing the first two sets 3-6, 3-6. But he bounced back strongly to win the next three sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, and win his first-ever Grand Slam.
Even the commentator on air said, “Jannik Sinner is a winning machine right now.”
Three other players apart from Jannik Sinner who’ve won the Australian Open and Miami Open the same year are as follows:
Roger Federer made 2006 his own and did it again years later in 2017
Roger Federer has achieved the feat of winning the Australian Open and the Miami Open back-to-back twice in his career. The first was in 2006 when he was in his prime. Federer played in the AO 2006 final against Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus and lost the first set 5-7. He came back strong to win the next three sets 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.
A few months later, he played in the Miami Open, then called the Sony Ericsson Open, where he reached the finals. He was up against Ivan Ljubicic, who was playing his first and to date his only Miami Open final. Federer was the defending champion, who successfully defended his title, beating Ljubicic 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6). 2006 remains the best year in Federer’s career.
Federer repeated the feat in 2017 when he had a renaissance of sorts in his career at the age of 35. He won the AO, beating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. At the Miami Open, Federer beat Nadal again, this time by 6-3, 6-4.
Andre Agassi achieved this feat thrice; twice in the last 25 years
In 2001, Andre Agassi was 30 years old, and played in the AO final against Arnaud Clement of France. Agassi had no problem in winning that match, and thereby the title, by 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. When he entered the Miami Open that year, Agassi faced fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill. He struggled to beat Gambill in the first set, winning it eventually by 7-6 (7-4). The next two sets were a walk in the park for Agassi, winning it 6-1, 6-0.
Agassi repeated the feat in 2003, when he won the AO against Rainer Schuttler 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the final. And at the Miami Open final, Agassi faced Carlos Moya of Spain and beat him in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. This completed a hat-trick of Miami Open title victories for Agassi (2001-2003).
In 1995, Andre Agassi had done it as well, but it wasn’t in the last 25 years. He beat his arch-rival Pete Sampras in both the Australian Open and Miami Open finals that year to win the titles. Agassi won 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 in the AO final and 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in the Miami Open final.
Novak Djokovic achieved this feat the most number of times i.e. 4
World No.1 Novak Djokovic won his 2nd Australian Open title in 2011. He beat a then-in-form Andy Murray quite comfortably in the final, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. At the Miami Open two months later, Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to win his 2nd title in Florida.
The very next year in 2012, Djokovic repeated the same feat. He won the AO against Rafael Nadal in a stunning five-set match. Djokovic lost the first set 5-7 and won the next two 6-4, 6-2. Just as it looked like he would win the fourth set and finish it off there, Nadal came back strongly to win it by 7-6 (7-5). Djokovic wins the fifth set 7-5, though, and wins the AO.
The Serb then beat Andy Murray in the Miami Open final by 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) to win both titles in back-to-back years.
Djokovic was third time lucky in 2015, another one of his monster seasons. Once again, facing Andy Murray in the AO final, Djokovic won it 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0. The first two sets were an intensifying battle between the two. At the 2015 Miami Open, Djokovic faced Murray again, and once again the first set was a tie. The Serb won it eventually by 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-0, losing the middle set.
Finally, Djokovic achieved this rare feat for the fourth time in his career in 2016. He won the AO against Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), and Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3 in the Miami Open final. Safe to say, Murray must’ve been his favorite opponent, having won against him so many times.
Jannik Sinner will be happy to be in this rare, special, and exclusive group of such esteemed and legendary players.
