Darren Cahill, the #1 creator behind this phenomenon called Jannik Sinner

When in 2022 he understood that he needed a change to give a further boost to his tennis and start fighting side by side on the biggest stages with the biggest players on the circuit, Jannik Sinner He decided to get his hands on his coaching staff. In February of the same year he began training with Simone Vagnozzie.g trainer of his compatriots Marco Cecchinato and Stefano Travaglia. And months later he also collaborated with one of the most respected coaches in the racket world: Darren Cahill.

The Australian quickly became an indispensable piece of equipment and was key in the world number four’s journey to conquering the Australian Openwho also scored a new milestone in his coaching career.

Cahill is the owner of an impressive brand: he brought with him the four players he worked with full time –Lleyton Hewitt, Andrea Agassi, Simona Halep and now Sinner, to win Grand Slam tournaments. The top three also reached the top of the table under his leadership. Will the Italian also succeed?

“It helped all of us on the team believe in ourselves and have faith that we have the power to beat the best. And it showed us that it’s important to enjoy the time we share on the journey,” Sinner said during his stay in Melbourne, where he played superlative tennis and won his first “big” trophy with an impressive comeback in the final against Daniel Medvedev.

While Vagnozzi takes care of training with Sinner on a daily basis, focused on improving tactics and punching, Cahill focuses above all on helping his student with the mental part and the general framework.

“My role is based on experience and helping him mentally in important moments to know how to handle situations and make sure we work on the right details to get him where he wants to be. Small details make a big difference in a player’s career“, explained the Australian, considered one of the brightest minds in tennis, a few months ago.

And also one of the most versatile, because she has been able to successfully train tennis players of different genders, generations and personalities, coming from different cultures and with completely different playing styles.

Born in Adelaide 58 years ago, Cahill had a lackluster playing career. In singles he reached 22nd place in the ranking and won two titles: Gstaad 1988 and San Francisco 1991.

In doubles he reached 10th place in the rankings, he won 13 trophies and was a finalist at the Australian Open in 1989. Chronic injuries to both knees, which forced him to undergo seven operations and spending nearly three years without playing between 1991 and 1994, they ended up retiring in 1995.

He hadn’t yet permanently hung up his racket when he met Hewitt. After playing with a 12-year-old Lleyton for the first time, at the request of the young player’s father who thought his son “played quite well”, Cahill was impressed.

“When he came to my house with his dad, he had his cap on his shoulders and a bag with eight rackets. We played three sets, in the first I beat him quite easily, but in the third I was tired and he was on fire, I didn’t want to stop me, showed me his closed fist, threw the “You come”. After that session, I told my wife: ‘This boy is special. He has something I’ve never seen before.’. He had great technique and my role was to teach him how to play, where to put the ball, understand the points and the game. “I was a sponge,” he recalled her during an interview with podcasts of the former player Renee Stubbs.

Cahill continued to collaborate with his young compatriot for a few weeks each year and in 1999 they began working together full time. In that first season, Lleyton won his second title (Delray Beach) and rose from 100th to 25th in the rankings. And in 2001, the last one they shared, he shouted champion Wimbledon and also won the Masters Tournament and it became the youngest number 1 in historyrecord which he broke in 2022 Carlos Alcaraz.

The following year Cahill became the new one trainer of Agassi, even if that partnership was on the verge of not materializing. In January 2022, while commentating on the Australian Open for Channel 7 in his home country, he received the offer to coach a young man. Marat Safinwho already had the trophy US Open 2000.

The Australian accompanied Safin in that edition of the “great” oceanic event, in which the Russian lost to the Swede Thomas Johansson the ending that according to the versions was playing drunk (or at least, with a hangover) and was almost determined to prolong the working relationship. But a call from Agassi changed history.

“A few days after the final, Andre called me and asked me if I could coach him. I replied that I was about to accept Safin’s offer and he understood. When my wife Victoria found out about Agassi’s call, she told me: “You can’t train him. We have a sexy Russian girl who is 22 years old and 1.95 meters tall. How old is André? 48, 49? He is old, has no hair and walks like a duck.. But after a while Andre called again. “You can’t take that job. That guy is unstable and you don’t want your wife anywhere near him.’, I assure you. I started laughing and he told me that he wouldn’t get off the phone until I agreed to be his coach. So I accepted and we were together for five years,” said Darren.

With Cahill in his cansin 2003 Agassi was crowned champion in Melbourne and returned to the top of the standings, a position he had not held since September 2000 and from which he ousted Hewitt. The American became the oldest player to lead the rankings ATPtitle he stole Roger Federer in 2018.

The Las Vegas native also reached the finals in New York in 2002 and 2005 and won several major titles during that time. The collaboration with Darren ended in 2006, when he retired.

Cahill then began working as a match analyst for ESPN during three Grand Slam tournaments (Australia, Wimbledon and US Open) and has collaborated with several internationally renowned players, such as Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, Fernando Verdasco, Daniela Hantuchova AND Simona Halep. Between 2007 and 2009 he was also captain of the Australian team Davis Cup.

In 2017 he became a coach full time of Halep, who in the two full seasons in which she worked with the Australian won her first Grand Slam, Roland Garros 2018reached the final of two others (Paris 2017 and Australia 2018) and finished both years as number 1 in the rankings WTA.

Cahill also had something to do with Simona’s consecration Wimbledon 2019because even though it was no longer his trainer Mainly he continued to help his former student for some time.

Three players under his wing, three Grand Slam champions and three number 1s. With that take up againCahill became one of the most prestigious and sought after coaches in the world of tennis.

This is why when Sinner, who had been playing at a very high level for several seasons but had not yet managed to take the final step to seriously aspire to win a “big one” or reach the top of the rankings, he decided to make a big bet to reach that goal, I thought of him. And the Australian, who had become close to the Italian thanks to his work at ESPN, accepted the challenge.

“I knew Jannik as a player, but not as a person. I was impressed. He is humble, witty, cultured and passionate about tennis. For me, this is the most important thing. Then there is the athlete, whose qualities are there for all to see. He is a caged tiger, who has made steady progress. Mentally he reminds me of Hewitt: he has the same light in his eyes, which you don’t see very often”, commented who last year, together with Vagnozzi, was awarded by the ATP as Best coach of the yearfor the great season experienced by his player.

After his consecration in Melbourne, Sinner reflected: “He is a special boy. When you hit the ball like him, when you want to improve like him and when you move like him, at some point you will be successful” Our “Our work as coaches it’s trying to speed up the process as quickly as possible and get him where he wants to get to quickly so he can stay on top for a long time. He’s doing well, he’s absorbing everything and trying new things on the Tribunal. I’m sure that once this victory sinks in, he won’t be satisfied. He never will“.