MIAMI -- The first leg of the Sunshine Double in the desert at Indian Wells, California, was plagued by bizarre events – biblical rainstorms, a swarm of bees that interrupted play for two hours, and the defeat of #1 Novak Djokovic by Luca Nardi, a low-ranked Italian qualifier. Things figured to be more predictable at the Miami Open, the second leg of the Sunshine Double. But the scenario turned truly surreal. With no excuse of injury, Djokovic withdrew from the tournament and fired his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, who had led him to multiple Grand Slam titles in the past six years.

 This shock paled by comparison to the tragic headlines on the women’s side of the draw. Konstantin Koltsov, identified as a former Olympic level hockey player and as Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend, was reported to have committed suicide by jumping off a hotel balcony. Subsequently, Sabalenka said she had broken up with Koltsov months before. Koltsov’s ex-wife described him as a heavy drinker who might well have stumbled off the balcony. She pointed out that his hotel room was strewn with empty liquor bottles.

 It was hardly surprising that Sabalenka lost in the third round and exited the court after smashing her racket. What followed, however, was almost as troubling. Fan favourite Coco Gauff lost in the fourth round to Caroline Garcia of France who had previously beaten Naomi Osaka. Hours later on the same day, Iga Swiatek, #1 on the WTA computer, lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4/6-2.

 Unlike these Grand Slam champions who had arrived in Miami with high expectations, American Danielle Collins came in ranked #53, having announced that this would be her last year on the tour. Suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis, she had decided to retire early at the age of 30. Still, she appeared to be in fine form as she blasted her way past higher ranked players and found herself in the final. She was the lowest ranked player ever to reach that round at the Miami Open. Her opponent, Elena Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, was the heavy favourite, but Collins completed what she called a “dream” week and took the title 7-5/6-3. She attributed her extraordinary performance to the presence of “her son” in the crowd. This required some explanation. She was actually referring to her dog, Mr. Q, whom Collins regards as her child.

 In the men’s competition, the smart money was on Carlos Alcaraz, who had defeated Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells, handing the Italian his only loss of 2024. Alcaraz, however, ran into a buzz saw in the quarterfinals in the person of Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian, often referred to as Baby Fed because of his stylish resemblance to Roger Federer, possesses fluid movement and a killer one-fisted backhand. Unfortunately, Dimitrov has never lived up to his potential . . . until now. Confronted by a constellation of stars, Dimitrov dispatched Alcaraz 6-2/6-4, leaving the Spaniard to remark that he felt as helpless as a 13-year old child against a grown man. Dimitrov continued his rampage into the semifinals, dismissing the German, Sascha Zverev, 6-4/6-7/6-4. Although Dimitrov didn’t have a dog cheering him on, he had his former girlfriend Serena Williams giving his pre-match advice and post-match praise.

 To all appearances, Jannik Sinner of Italy needed no boosters in the bleachers. He mowed down his opponents, barely ruffling his ginger-coloured curls. Not that he lacked his supporters in Miami – the usual cohort clad as bright orange carrots. In the muggy Florida weather, it must have taken true devotion to keep these folks from expiring in the heat. Instead, it was Sinner’s opponents who wilted into damp puddles. In the semifinals, Daniil Medvedev of Russia tried moving closer to the baseline to receive serve. Sinner simply blasted balls past him, winning the first set 6-1. The annihilation continued in the second set as Medvedev backed up deeper until he looked like he was plastered against the wall of the Hard Rock Stadium. Sinner won the second set 6-2, handing the Russian the worst defeat in his career. This victory saw Sinner rise to second in the world rankings above Alcaraz, making history as the highest ever ranked Italian tennis player and the first Italian to be world number two. 

 Judging by the miraculous performance of Danielle Collins, it didn’t seem impossible that Dimitrov would round off his miraculous run of victories and take the title in Miami. Instead, he was beaten 6-3/6-1 and the match was never as close as the score might suggest.

 The tennis tour now returns to Europe for the clay court season, and with Sinner 22-1 on the year, the question is whether anyone can stop him. Rafael Nadal is rumored to be coming back, but we’ve all heard that story too many times to be confident that he’ll complete his matches, much less win them. Of course there is still Novak Djokovic to consider. No one should count him out. But with a new coach at this phase of his career – he’ll be 37 in May – the odds aren’t great that he’ll recapture his dominant form.