Will a 2025 Indian Wells-Miami double happen on the ATP or WTA tour?

With the Sunshine Swing about to get underway—the 2025 BNP Paribas Open begins on Monday, March 2—our writers and editors tackle the most important questions heading into Indian Wells and Miami.

Next up: Will a 2025 Indian Wells-Miami double happen on the ATP or WTA tour?

PETE BODO: This is an easy one: ATP. Now that Jannik Sinner is sitting out a three-month suspension, Carlos Alcaraz is nicely positioned to sweep the two hard-court Masters events because nobody on either tour at the moment has anything like Alcaraz’s level of consistency. He’s lost just one match this year, to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. But even more relevant, among his rivals only Alexander Zverev is playing really dangerous tennis. Some of the usual suspects near the top of the game—Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz—have been spinning their wheels. As for the WTA, some of the biggest stars, including Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, have been off-form since leaving Australia. Any of them would be thrilled to win just one of the upcoming Masters, never mind both.

STEPHANIE LIVAUDAIS: There’s a power vacuum at the top of the ATP, but no one seems eager to fill it with Alcaraz, Zverev, Medvedev and Djokovic all looking out of sorts in February. The WTA’s very own Aryna Sabalenka, who won 11 matches in a row to start the year, is best poised to achieve the feat.

JOEL DRUCKER: It's extremely tough this year to determine if a man or woman will pull off the Sunshine Double. On the men’s side, the absence of Jannik Sinner removes tennis’ most dominant player of the last 15 months. Surely that will stir possibilities among many contenders, most likely for Carlos Alcaraz, who’s won each of these titles (Miami ’22, Indian Wells ’23-’24). As far as the WTA goes, Iga Swiatek was the last player—male or female—to pull off the Sunshine Double, a feat she accomplished in 2022. Certainly, she has the skills to do this again. But as Madison Keys’ victory in Australia proved, there’s always the possibility of a surprise. Amid a coin flip decision, I’ll say that in ’25, it’s more likely for an ATP player to earn these two titles.

DAVID KANE: The ATP's top players may be historically more dominant, but the current crop of WTA stars have largely kept pace over the last 24 months and are all capable of hitting hot streaks. Iga Swiatek swept Indian Wells and Miami only three years ago and both Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are two of the tour's premier hard-court players. Jannik Sinner's presence might have made me inclined towards the ATP, but after quiet stints in the Middle East, any of the WTA's Top 3 could catch fire and win both Indian Wells and Miami.

JON LEVEY: The betting odds on it happening on either tour should be just short of winning the lottery. As difficult as it has proven to achieve, the players themselves don’t seem all that driven to pull it off. Whoever wins in Indian Wells is justifiably satisfied when they get to Miami, and often decide to hit eject before even hitting their first ball. If the double is to be a reality, Jannik Sinner’s absence makes an ATP player a likelier candidate. Not only does Sinner sit atop the rankings, but he’s without question the best hard-courter. That’s a gaping hole in both draws that an in-form player riding a hot streak (Alcaraz or Zverev?) could take advantage of.

LIYA DAVIDOV: ATP. This year, it is highly unlikely that either tour will see a Sunshine Double as both fields are relatively stacked. However, considering the ATP's perhaps more seasoned players like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, it’s marginally more likely that the men's side will see similar names go deep at both tournaments. Considering the tennis so far in 2025, it would be much more surprising to see one woman take the Sunshine Double than for a man to persevere.

ED MCGROGAN: The WTA, and it’s not particularly close. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has yet to win either tournament (nor has she reached the final in Miami), so she’ll be highly motivated at both. Iga Swiatek completed the double just three years ago, and Elena Rybakina came close in 2023. That same year, Coco Gauff reached the quarterfinals or better at all four North American 1000s. With Jannik Sinner sidelined, only Alexander Zverev or Carlos Alcaraz feels like a legitimate candidate to go back-to-back, but neither player is in imperious form.