Sinner enjoying life as Grand Slam breakthrough beckons

MELBOURNE (AFP) — Jannik Sinner credited master coach Darren Cahill on Friday, Jan. 12, with helping him rise up the rankings, saying the Australian gave him a different perspective on tennis.

The Italian brought Cahill on board in June 2022 and he has overseen the 22-year-old’s elevation to number four in the world.

“There are many things,” Sinner said when asked what made Cahill special.

“He gives you a point of view not only tennis-wise but also the general view. I really like this. I love the company I have. We have a lot of fun.”

“If we would live 24/7 in a house all together, we could live so, so long because we make zero problems out of it,” he added. “We enjoy our ride. That’s good for us.”

Cahill guided Lleyton Hewitt to become the then youngest men’s world number one and coached Andre Agassi.

He has also worked with Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, Fernando Verdasco, and Simona Halep.

“It’s just the little things that make a big difference in a player’s career, and that’s kind of my role,” Cahill said recently.

Sinner enjoyed a breakthrough 2023, winning his first Masters title, in Toronto, and reaching the championship match against Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals.

He also won titles in Montpellier, Vienna and Beijing last season, notching wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev in the Chinese capital.

He said he was confident he could that momentum into the Australian Open as he targets a maiden Grand Slam title, despite opting out of warm-up tournaments.

“At the end of the year I played really good, I have still the confidence inside me, for sure,” he said.

Sinner opens his campaign in Melbourne against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.