Top ATP Contenders for Miami Open 2024 - Who Will Win? - Carlos Alcaraz’s Second Attempt to Complete the Coveted Sunshine Double

By Nikhil Kalro

18 Mar 2024

Nikhil Kalro 18 Mar 2024

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Carlos Alcaraz, World No. 2, aims for the Sunshine Double at Miami Open 2024 following his win at Indian Wells.
Top contenders include Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev, aiming to thwart Alcaraz's Sunshine Double attempt.
Novak Djokovic's withdrawal from the competition opens up opportunities for underdogs and other top contenders.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain holds his winners trophy after his straight sets victory against Daniil Medvedev in the Men's Final during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells (Getty Images)

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz managed to defend his Indian Wells title successfully and now turns his sights on completing the coveted Sunshine Double at the 2024 Miami Open.

Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner
Daniil Medvedev
Alexander Zverev
Andrey Rublev
Underdogs

A fantastic fortnight of scintillating tennis just concluded as the first half of the 2024 Sunshine Double wrapped up in Indian Wells. Carlos Alcaraz, playing out-of-this-world tennis, successfully defended his BNP Paribas Open ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells with an emphatic victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final. He also managed to stave off a challenge for the World No. 2 position from 2024 Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner by besting him in the semifinal.

The race for the 2024 Miami Open ATP Masters 1000 title is heating up, with several men in contention after their performance in Indian Wells. No man has clinched the Sunshine Double since the legend Roger Federer achieved the feat in 2017. Novak Djokovic did it in 2016; however, the Serb has withdrawn from this year’s competition after an early defeat to 103-ranked Nardi in the Indian Wells second round, citing scheduling issues.

With the World No. 1 out of the running, Carloz Alcaraz becomes the automatic favourite to claim the Miami title. However, his rivals Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune will all be battling for a piece of glory in the Miami summer. Let’s take a look at the favourites for the 2024 Miami Open title on the men’s side.

Carlos Alcaraz

Spanish tennis boy Wonder continues to enthral all tennis fans worldwide with his skills on the court and his boyish charm off it. The 20-year-old has already tasted more glory than many players do throughout their careers. The two-time Grand Slam champion enters the Miami Open as the top favourite for the title after his triumph in Indian Wells and Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament.

The Spaniard clinched his first title of 2024 in Indian Wells and 13th overall. He now stands at a win-loss record of 12-3 in 2024. After overcoming Alexander Zverev, Sinner, and Medvedev in the last three rounds, the youngster looks to be in prime form to take on anyone.

Jannik Sinner

The young Italian has impressed in 2024 after overcoming Djokovic in the semifinal, and a two-set deficit against Medvedev in the final to claim his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open. He climbed to his career-high ranking of World No. 3 following his triumph at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam immediately after the Australian Open victory.

Sinner has lost just once this year to Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semifinal, which broke his 16-match unbeaten streak. The 22-year-old is a strong contender to stop Alcaraz from becoming the first man since 2017 to clinch the Double in the USA.

Daniil Medvedev

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev is amazing on hard courts and is known to slay giants like Djokovic on them. He defeated Sinner in straight sets to clinch the title last year. Despite a heartbreaking loss to Sinner in the Australian Open final, Medvedev has remained strong as ever and continues to play amazing tennis.

The Russian reached the Indian Wells Masters final, where he was defending champion Alcaraz. The World No. 4 has a win-loss record of 14-3 in 2024 but has not won a title this season yet. He came close in Melbourne and in Indian Wells and will be hungry for his first title this year by defending his Miami crown.

Alexander Zverev

The German started 2024 strong by winning the United Cup in January, followed by a semifinal run at the first major of the year in Melbourne. He also got the best of World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz en route to the semifinal in Melbourne, defeating him in four sets in the quarters. The 26-year-old has a 14-5 win-loss record in 2024 and is in great shape to make a deep run in Miami.

The World No. 5 had a disappointing campaign at the 2023 Miami Masters, where he was ousted in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 by Japanese Taro Daniel in the second round. Zverev will look to right that wrong this time around.

Andrey Rublev

The Russian World No. 6, has had a good season so far in 2024, and he can certainly pack a punch on the hard courts of Miami. Rublev has a win-loss record of 15-5 this year, and has bagged a title already at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Emil Ruusuvuori.

He overcame the great fighter Andy Murray in the round of 64 but suffered a disappointing exit from Indian Wells in the round of 32 at the hands of Jiri Lehecka, who beat him 6-4, 6-4. The Russian will be looking to turn things around in Miami and make a deep run. Last year, eventual finalist Sinner ousted him in the round of 16, who is also another favourite for this year’s tournament.

Underdogs

The ATP tour has always been full of big upsets and multiple surprises. An example of this is when World No. 103 and 20-year-old Luca Nardi bested World No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the round of 32 of the Indian Wells Masters last week. Though the qualifiers are still underway, there is no doubt that unexpected contenders will challenge the favourites.

Home favourites Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe will both give the top contenders a run for their money in the tournament. Meanwhile, Ben Shelton is another home-grown youngster capable of slaying these giants. Last year’s French Open finalist, Casper Ruud is also a contender participating in the tournament. Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur, who is having a brilliant 2024 season, could also cause a few upsets.

Despite the multitude of contenders for the Miami crown, the odds are definitely stacked up in favour of Carlos Alcaraz going all the way and bagging his first Sunshine Double.

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