Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova are two of the most popular and decorated players in recent times. However, they share an unenviable stat at the Miami Open. They hold the ATP and WTA singles records, respectively, for the most runner-up finishes. They never won the title but lost the final five times each.
Four of Nadal’s five losses came against either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. He reached the Miami Open final for the first time in 2005 and faced his Swiss competitor in only the second match of the famous 40-match Fedal rivalry. After a gruelling 3 hours and 43 minutes that saw Nadal squander a two-set lead, Federer came out on top.
Ironically, Nadal’s last final appearance at the Miami Open 2017 was also against Federer. The latter won in straight sets for his third title in Florida. Between these two losses to his famed rival, Nadal fell to Djokovic in the 2011 and 2014 finals. His 2008 defeat against Nikolay Davydenko remains his only Miami Open championship match loss against a non-Big 3 opponent.
Joining Rafael Nadal from the WTA side is Maria Sharapova. However, what sets her unwanted feat apart is that her five Miami Open final losses came against five different opponents. Like Nadal, she also reached the summit clash for the first time in 2005, only to get outdone by Kim Clijsters. The Russian was back next year, again making it to the final in 2006. This time, though, compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova trounced her.
Sharapova returned to Miami in 2011 after a three-year absence. She then reached three finals on the trot, agonizingly losing each time. Victoria Azarenka beat her in 2011 while Agnieszka Radwanska got the best of her in 2012. Great rival Serena Williams defeated Sharapova in the Miami Open 2013 final to complete a hat-trick of runner-up finishes for the latter. That proved to be the last final in the WTA 1000 tournament for the five-time Grand Slam winner.
Carlos Alcaraz could achieve feat that eludes Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova
As seen above, Nadal and Sharapova made it to the Miami Open final five times, but could never go all the way. Despite having 36 and 14 1000-level trophies, respectively, they could not get their hands on this one. In fact, it is one of the two ATP Masters titles the Spaniard lacks in his pursuit of a Career Golden Masters. The other is the Paris Masters, where he has finished second once.
Their inability to lift the Miami Open meant Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova never completed the famous Sunshine Double. It refers to winning the Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year. Players to have achieved this double include Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf among few others.
Iga Swiatek became the latest to accomplish the Sunshine Double, winning both titles in 2022. She again won the Indian Wells this year and hence, could bag her second Sunshine Double.
Carlos Alcaraz has a golden opportunity to surpass his idol Rafael Nadal, and also Maria Sharapova, by winning the Miami Open 2024. He successfully defended his Indian Wells title last week. Hence, he could complete the Sunshine Double by winning the ATP 1000 tournament in Florida. That would make him only the eighth man to do so, an achievement Nadal could never bag.
Rafael Nadal missed out on playing in the Miami Open for the fifth year in a row after opting out of Indian Wells too in 2024 due to not being fit to play in the two tournaments.
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