The Sunshine Double represents one of the most difficult feats in tennis, with only 11 players having managed to get over the line.
Seven men have completed the Sunshine Double, which involves winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same season, along with four women.
Remarkably, all but one of the 11 Sunshine Double winners have also won a Grand Slam, with Marcelo Rios representing the anomaly.
Alexander Zverev is the greatest player to never win a Grand Slam title – who else is in the conversation?
Marcelo Rios is the only Sunshine Double champion without a Grand Slam
Rios completed the Sunshine Double in 1998, following in the footsteps of Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras.
The Chilean beat Greg Rusedski in the final of Indian Wells, before securing the Miami Open title with a final win over Andre Agassi.
He started the season ranked 10th in the world, but soared all the way to number one following his stunning Sunshine Double efforts.
However, unlike fellow champions Courier, Chang, Sampras, Agassi, Djokovic and Federer, he was unable to clinch a Grand Slam title.
All four female Sunshine Double champions – Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek – also managed success at Grand Slam level.
Do you think Iga Swiatek will win a Grand Slam this season?
Marcelo Rios is one of the best players to never win a Grand Slam
Rios did indeed come agonizingly close to Grand Slam success, fittingly in the same year as his fantastic Indian Wells and Miami feats.
The Chilean icon made it all the way to the final of the Australian Open in 1998, but was beaten 2-6, 2-6, 2-6 by Petr Korda.
That represents his best Grand Slam finish, with Rios never making it beyond the French Open and US Open quarterfinals, and the fourth round of Wimbledon.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2001 | 2 | Hong Kong (Outdoor/Hard) Doha (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2000 | 1 | Umag (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 1999 | 3 | Singapore (Indoor/Hard) St. Polten (Outdoor/Clay) ATP Masters 1000 Hamburg (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 1998 | 7 | Singapore (Indoor/Hard) Grand Slam Cup (Indoor/Hard) St. Polten (Outdoor/Clay) ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Outdoor/Clay) ATP Masters 1000 Miami (Outdoor/Hard) ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/Hard) Auckland (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 1997 | 1 | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 1996 | 1 | St. Polten (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 1995 | 3 | Kuala Lumpur (Indoor/Carpet) Amsterdam (Outdoor/Clay) Bologna (Outdoor/Clay) |
With 18 titles and a rise all the way to number one in the ATP rankings, Rios is undoubtedly one of the best players to never win a Grand Slam title.
Current ATP star Alexander Zverev is doing his best to challenge the Chilean for the top spot in that unwanted list.
The German, who is in the field for Indian Wells this year, has reached three Grand Slam finals, losing all three.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 2020 | US Open | Dominic Thiem | 6–2, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(6–8) |
| Loss | 2024 | French Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 3–6, 6–2, 7–5, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2025 | Australian Open | Jannik Sinner | 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 3–6 |
He will certainly want to avoid the same fate as Rios, who incidentally was unfortunately forced to retire early due to injury.
Back and leg issues led to him calling time on his fantastic career in 2004 at 28, Zverev’s current age, although Rios was able to return to the court on the ATP Champions Tour.
