Sun shining on Swiatek as the top player in the world attempts to complete the "Double"

 Sun shining on Swiatek as the top player in the world attempts to complete the "Double"

Tennis - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - February 23, 2024 - WTA 1000 - Dubai Tennis Championships Iga Swiatek of Poland competes against Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in her semifinal match. Amr Alfi Ky/REUTERS/FILE PHOTO

Miami: Only 11 players have accomplished the "Sunshine Double," winning both the Miami Open and Indian Wells back-to-back. However, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek is hoping to join an even more select group of those who have pulled off a double-double when she travels to Florida.

Steffi Graf (1994 and 1996) is the only woman to have won the double. Only two men, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, have done so more than once.

If the top-seeded Pole can hoist the Miami title once more and few aretailing her, she might find herself in elite company after snatching her first double in 2022.

Swiatek finished the first part of the double in commanding fashion on Sunday, winning Indian Wells without dropping a set and capping her competition with a crushing 6-4, 6-0 victory over Maria Sakkari.

But Swiatek was being careful, having only recently moved to Miami and not yet seen a court.

A cautious Swiatek said, "I don't feel we should talk about this," at a press conference on Wednesday. "Since I haven't even practised here, I won't go ahead and start thinking about winning the trophy; instead, I will proceed step-by-step as usual.

"Obviously, it would be a dream come true. It's not an easy challenge, and this time, I'm going to do everything the same way because I felt like I overachieved two years ago.

She continued, "I still have a lot of matches to play."

Swiatek will make her debut on Thursday or Friday against Italian veteran Camila Giorgi, whom she has faced twice and defeated once, after receiving a first-round bye.

Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time Grand Slam champion, will take on Roberto Carballes Baena or Aleksandar Vukic in the opening round in an attempt to become the first man to accomplish the double since Roger Federer in 2017.

Swiatek has changed since her last visit to Miami two years ago, when she was starting to establish herself as one of the best players in the game and the Sunshine Double helped propel her to the top of the world rankings.

This time, Swiatek claims she is at peace and returns without anything to prove.

"I've learned a lot and proved a lot, that was the main theme at the time two years ago to prove to everybody I am in the right place," Swiatek said. "I feel like I kind of completed my job, so I don't feel like I need to do it anymore.

"I feel more peaceful, I am in the right place and I am doing a great job."