With Wimbledon beginning Monday, here’s a timely pop quiz for tennis history buffs: How many players have won the Indian Wells and Wimbledon singles titles in the same year (since 1990)?

Success in Tennis Paradise, known for its palm trees, mountain backdrop and sun-drenched desert setting, has not often translated to a same-year victory for WTA stars on the grounds of the All England Club, where manicured lawns, ivy-clad walls and traditions stretching back 150 years create one of sport's most distinctive stages. 

Only Martina Navratilova in 1990 and Steffi Graf in 1996 have won both titles in the same year.

However, it’s a totally different story for men. Six players have accomplished the feat a total of 14 times since the creation of the ATP Masters 1000 series, with Roger Federer (five times) and Novak Djokovic (three times) accounting for more than half those dual successes. Stefan Edberg (1990), Pete Sampras (1994, ‘95), Lleyton Hewitt (2002) and Carlos Alcaraz (2023, ‘24) complete the list.

That sets the stage for this year’s first-time BNP Paribas Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner to get in on the action.

Sabalenka has the chance to end the 30-year-drought among WTA players when she returns to the All England Club as World No. 1 looking for her first Wimbledon crown. In contrast, defending champion Sinner will be looking to make it three times in the past four years for the men, following rival Carlos Alcaraz’s back-to-back dual triumphs in 2023 and 2024.

Notable ‘Double-Ups’ in Indian Wells & Wimbledon
Steffi Graf, who needed two tie-breaks in the 1996 Indian Wells final to defeat former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez in the desert, dropped just one set to Kimiko Date in the semi-finals on her way to ‘96 Wimbledon glory. That was a remarkable turnaround from two years earlier when Graf won her first first Indian Wells title in 1994 but four months later suffered a shock first-round exit to unseeded American Lori McNeil, marking the first time in Grand Slam history that a defending women’s champion fell in the first round.

Roger Federer won five BNP Paribas Open titles (2004-06, 2012, 2017) and each time backed up later in the year to win Wimbledon. In 2005 the eight-time Wimbledon champion beat Hewitt in the Indian Wells final - which featured one of the greatest points in tournament history (see below) - and took down the Aussie again in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Djokovic claimed three of his seven Wimbledon titles in years that he won Indian Wells (2011, 2014, 2015). And he backed up wins against his greatest rivals each time in those finals.

In 2011 the Serbian came from a set down to beat Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells before beating the Spaniard in four sets at Wimbledon. In 2014 he beat Federer in a third-set tie-break in the championship match in Indian Wells and pipped the Swiss again 6-4 in the fifth in the Wimbledon final.

In 2015 Djokovic beat Federer in three sets in the desert and in four sets at the All England Club

Five Things to Watch at Wimbledon in 2026

No. 1 WTA Ranking at Stake
Sabalenka, who has reached the semi-finals the past three years, is at risk of surrendering the No. 1 WTA ranking to Rybakina, the 2022 champion, as both players look to recapture their hot early-season form that has waned in recent months.

The players have split their six meetings in the past 12 months, with Rybakina victorious at the WTA Finals and Australian Open, but Sabalenka most recently coming out on top in the final of the BNP Paribas Open - where she saved championship point - and in the Miami Open semi-finals.

Should seedings hold and the rivals meet in the final, the championship match will also determine which player leaves Wimbledon as World No. 1.

Serena’s Return
Seven-time Wimbledon singles champion Serena Williams has accepted a wild card and will make her first singles appearance since retiring at the 2022 US Open.

A winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the 44-year-old mother-of-two has played two doubles matches at lead-in events in Queen’s with Victoria Mboko and in Berlin with Karolina Muchova.

She will also pursue a seventh Wimbledon doubles title when she partners sister Venus.

“I thought I should really take this opportunity," Williams said of accepting a wild card. "Who knows if I'll ever make it here again? This could be it. I was like, ‘What's wrong with me, Serena? What are you thinking? Are you nuts? Like you really should do this.’

“People live to be an athlete. I have this great opportunity to showcase what I do best. That is pretty cool, so I should do it.”

Sinner Back in the Saddle
Defending champion Jannik Sinner will make his first appearance since his 30-match winning streak came to a stunning halt in the second round of Roland Garros. The Italian wilted in the heat against Juan Manuel Cerundolo after coming within one game of a routine straight-sets victory.

With Europe currently enduring a historic heatwave, Sinner’s search for solutions to his physical fragility during the past month may well be tested, although cooler conditions are forecast for Week 1. And with two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with a wrist injury, Sinner will still start favorite to go back-to-back.

Asked in his pre-tournament press about a lack of match practice heading into the tournament, Sinner said, "Last year I lost [in the] second round in Halle; I came here and I played very well. Every year is different. I try to have as much confidence as possible in my shots and in my abilities... We are preparing ourselves in the best possible way.”

Swiatek's Tough Title Defense
Iga Swiatek's confidence levels were off the charts last year when she claimed her first Wimbledon title with a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win over Amanda Anisimova in the final. What a difference a year makes!

The Pole returns to the All England Club without a title in 2026 and outside the Top 10 in the WTA Finals Race. She's also looking at a brutal draw, with a second title run possibly running through Williams in the third round, former finalist Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round, Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, 2022 champion Rybakina in the semis and Sabalenka in the final.

The two-time Indian Wells champion also returns to Wimbledon without coach Wim Fissette.

“I feel like I’m starting from a totally different position and keeping my expectations low," said the former World No. 1. "It’s not going to be smooth because of last year. Even though I won, I still have stuff to figure out.”

Novak Has Eyes On Eight
Does Novak Djokovic have another Grand Slam title run left in him to take his haul of majors to 25? His 39-year-old body will appreciate the forgiving surface.

Having reached six of the past seven Wimbledon finals - and with Alcaraz not in the field - Djokovic must be considered among the top contenders behind only Sinner, provided there is nothing serious in his withdrawal from a pre-Wimbledon exhibition this week. Djokovic has landed in Sinner's half of the draw and could meet the Italian in the semi-finals.