Indeed since 1985, the year Miami joined Indian Wells on the ATP calendar, only seven men have managed to win both titles in the same year. The last male to do it was Novak Djokovic in 2016.
Alas, Novak certainly will not be doing it this year after losing to lucky loser Luca Nardi at the BNP Paribas Open. Nardi stunned his boyhood idol with a phenomenal 6-4 3-6 6-3 win in the third round in the desert, a result that is going to take some topping in the '2024 Tennis Upsets of the Year' awards.
As far as the bookies were concerned, this one was right up there to rank alongside David blasting out Goliath back in the day.
Djokovic was cooked as a -5000 money line favourite, and as a result there is a slightly more open feel to the second combined WTA and ATP 1000 event of the month.
Historically Djokovic has always done well here, and he has had more time than usual to prepare for the Miami Masters, an event he has won a record six times.
There have only been a couple of shock winners in the men's event in recent times. Big John Inser was an unlikely victor in 2018; while in 2021 another huge server, Hubert Hurkacz, shocked Jannik Sinner in the final.
Sinner's form so far this year has been scarily good. Indeed, watching the Italian in recent weeks has been as exhilarating as watching Muhammad Ali circa 1965 or Usain Bolt in 2008. His level is just extraordinary.
In beating Ben Shelton to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, he became the first man born in the 2000s to record 150 career hardcourt wins. Sinner has the calm, cool energy of a Roger Federer and the fiery, explosive intensity of a peak Marat Safin.
His unbeaten start to 2024 ended in a fine match against Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semis on Saturday. Alcaraz's 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win ended Sinner's 19-match winning streak and ended the Italian's flawless 16-0 start to this season.
Sinner suffered a wrist injury in the process, which could hamper his participation at Miami – punters should take note.
Alcaraz looks back to his best and was brilliant at Indian Wells. He looked like being overwhelmed in that semi-final against Sinner early on, but showed skill, heart and mental toughness to turn things around.
In beating Fabian Marozsan in Indian Wells last week, Alcaraz notched his 50th win in ATP 1000 tournaments. In doing so, he became only second player under the age of 21 to achieve the feat.
The defending champion is Daniil Medvedev, a hardcourt specialist, a counter-puncher who hits long and flat groundstrokes and who can wear opponents down with lengthy baseline rallies.
British fans can expect to see the four highest ranked British male players contest the men's singles title here, with Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper, Dan Evans and Andy Murray all set to feature.
It looks like just about the end of the road for Murray, who can barely string two wins together these days, but current British No.1 Norrie has made a strong start to his 2024 campaign having reached the semis at the Rio Open recently.
In terms of a men's winner, Alcaraz looks to be holding all the aces. It is crazy to think that a month ago people were in panic mode because a 20-year-old with two Grand Slams and four Masters titles to his name seemed to be struggling.
The amount of disrespect 'Carlitos' had been catching was insane due to not picking up a title since Wimbledon. However, the wind seems to have changed after his super show at Indian Wells and he will be full of confidence here.
When he changes the complexion of rallies, grows into the baseline points by introducing more variety into his game, and ends things suddenly with that brutal forehand or a fizzing backhand down the line, you just need to sit back and accept he is a rare talent who should be enjoyed.
Best Bet: Carlos Alcaraz to win the Miami Open at 2/1
