4 Players who have won the Madrid-Rome double ft. Rafael Nadal & Serena Williams

Only four players across the men's and women's tours have won the Madrid-Rome double. There are three instances in the ATP and WTA calendar where events offering 1000 ranking points occur in back-to-back weeks.

First, there's the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells + Miami), followed by the European claycourt double (Madrid + Rome) and finally the North American hardcourt double (Canada + Cincinnati).

Since 2009, the WTA has scheduled the Madrid Open in succession with the Italian Open. Before 2009, only two players had managed to win both the events in the same calendar year - Andre Agassi (2002) and Rafael Nadal (2005).

In 2009, the ATP tour saw the Madrid and Rome events separated by one week. However, such was not the case on the WTA tour, which featured in both events in successive weeks.

Starting in 2011, the ATP scheduled the Madrid-Rome event in successive weeks as well. On that note, here are four players who have completed the Madrid-Rome double.

#1 Dinara Safina - 2009

Dinara Safina completed the Madrid-Rome double in 2009

2009 was a season in which Dinara Safina secured the No. 1 spot in the rankings for 26 weeks. Apart from being a two-time Slam finalist, Safina became the first player, man or woman, to win the Madrid-Rome double when it was held in successive weeks.

She began her clay court season with a runner-up finish at Stuttgart. Safina's opponent in the final was Svetlana Kuznetsova, who would face her yet again in the finals in Rome. Safina won the Rome title, defeating Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals and the final respectively.

In Madrid, Safina defeated Li Na in the first round and dropped only one set on her way to the finals. She then crushed ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who managed to win only six games in the final.

#2 Novak Djokovic - 2011

Djokovic at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2022 - Day Eight

2011 was arguably Novak Djokovic's greatest season. He won 10 of the 11 finals he reached that year. Djokovic was undefeated in the first seven tournaments he entered that season -- the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome. At both the Madrid and Rome Masters, Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the final.

This was the first instance when Madrid and Rome were held in back-to-back weeks on the ATP tour. Djokovic thus became the first player to achieve the Madrid-Rome double.

Djokovic's winning streak came to a halt with a semifinal defeat to Roger Federer at the French Open. But the Serb would roar his way back to win the title at Wimbledon.

Having won Indian Wells and Miami earlier in the season, Djokovic came eerily close to becoming the first person to win all three Masters doubles that year. However, at the Cincinnati Masters, he had to retire midway through the final against Andy Murray.

#3 Rafael Nadal - 2013

Nadal at Mutua Madrid Open - Day Nine

Rafael Nadal had already won the Madrid and Rome titles in 2005, when the tournanents were held on two different surfaces. He won both these titles yet again when they were held on the same turf, but separated by a week's gap (2010).

In 2013, Rafael Nadal became the second man after Djokovic to win the two events in successive weeks. In Madrid, he defeated Stan Wawrinka in the finals in straight sets.

Later in Rome, he defeated Wawrinka's compatriot, Federer, in straight sets in the final. The following week, Rafael Nadal would defeat Wawrinka, Djokovic and David Ferrer in consecutive matches to win the Roland Garros title. Rafael Nadal thus ended a stellar claycourt season, winning Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and the French Open in successive weeks.

#4 Serena Williams - 2013

Serena Williams at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2021 - Day Five

In 2013, Serena Williams became the second WTA player to complete the Madrid-Rome double. She entered 16 tournaments that year and lost only five matches in the entire season.

Williams lost only one set during her run to the title in Madrid and Rome. She defeated Maria Sharapova in the finals in Madrid and Victoria Azarenka in the title clash in Rome. Out of the 10 sets she won in Rome, three were 6-0 and two were 6-1 scorelines.

Since 2013, no man or woman has won the Madrid-Rome double. After winning the 2022 Madrid Masters title, Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Rome Masters. On the women's side, 2022 Madrid winner Ons Jabeur is currently in the semifinals of the Italian Open and is playing Daria Kasatkina. A win would pit her against Iga Swiatek, who is on a 27-match win streak, in the final.

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