Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill have guided 22-year-old Italian star Jannik Sinner to his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Sinner came back from two sets down to beat Danil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 in a thrilling five-set championships match at Melbourne Park. Sinner has become the first Italian player to claim a Grand Slam title since 1976, when Adriano Panatta won at Roland Garros. Medvedev has lost a Grand Slam final after leading two sets to love after Rafael Nadal’s comeback win at the 2022 Australian Open.
Cahill previously guided Lleyton Hewitt to become the second youngest player ever ranked world number 1. The Australian coach then worked with André Agassi, Andy Murray, Fernando Verdasco, Daniela Hantuchova, Sorana Cristea. Agassi became the oldest player ever to be ranked world number 1 in May 2003.
Cahill later coached Simona Halep to number 1 on the WTA Tour and the 2018 Roland Garros title. In addition to coaching individual players, Cahill was the Australian Davis Cup coach from 2007 until February 2009.
Vagnozzi is Sinner’s head-coach, while Cahill has joined the training group since July 2022 after Sinner lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarter finals at Wimbledon after leading by two sets to love. Vagnozzi and Cahill won the award for Coach of the Year at the 2023 ATP Awards.
“My role with Jannik is a little bit different to the other coaching roles that I have had. 99% of the credit for the coaching goes to Simone Vagnozzi. I am working with the best coach that I have ever worked with in Simone. I am overseeing everything. Certainly we discuss tactics and the technical side and everything, but Simone is the guy driving a lot of what you see with the improvements of Jannik and is doing an incredible job. For me, I have never been able to work with a coach like him. I think he is doing an incredible job. Every moment like this is special. It’s an amazing feeling for the entire team when your player goes out there and achieves the greatness that Jannik achieved tonight. This one is a little bit different because the team is very close. Jannik is absorbing a lot of information. The match he played against Novak at Wimbledon went a long way to teaching Jannik where he needed to get better. When he was two sets and lost that match against Novak, we sat down and talked about where the improvements needed to be made. Credit to him. He absorbed it”, said Darren Cahill.
During the Australian Open final Sinner was on the brink of defeat, but he clawed his way back into the match.
“We believe in Jannik. We always have. He is a special young kid. Even the way he hits the ball. It just sounds special. When you hit the ball the way he does, when you want to improve the way he does, he is going to have success at some point. Our job as coaches is to try to fast track that as quickly as possible and get him to where he wants to go quickly, so he can have a long window at the top of the game. He has been doing well. He is absorbing everything and trying new things on the court, and he just wants to get better. I am sure after this sinks in, he won’t settle. He will never settle. He wants to get better”, said Cahill.
Cahill could be heard yelling from the player’s box that Sinner needed to stay strong when Medvedev was getting tired.
Sinner is part of a new generation, which includes Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune. Cahill said that Alcaraz’s Grand Slam titles at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon have been a motivation for Sinner.
“There is no question seeing the young players come through and having success drives each and every one of them. Not just Jannik. They all desire it. They all want it. If they see one of the compatriots or someone of their generation having success, absolutely. Carlos Alcaraz has trail-blazed for a lot of young players. We are thankful for that. He is a delight to watch him on court. We aspire to be as good as him and hopefully one day be better than him, but at the moment we are chasing Carlos and we will continue to do that”, said Cahill.
Medvedev was trying to become the first player to win four five-set matches en route to winning a Grand Slam trophy, but Sinner dropped just one set to reach his first Major final.
“It was an incredible match. Danil Medvedev started so well, played so aggressive. The match changed a little bit when Jannik broke him on 5-1 in the second set, went 5-3, break point to go back 5-4. Danil a little bit stepped back at this point, maybe felt a little bit tired of the long tournament. Then we started to believe a little bit, because the first to 5-1 was really difficult. In this tournament Jannik never had a really long match, tough situation like today. I think this match can give him a lot of confidence and inspire him also for the next time, because when you come back one time from two sets down to love you know that you are able to do it”, said Simone Vagnozzi.
Sinner praised Vagnozzi and Cahill after the final.
“I am extremely happy that I am in this position now. I have a great team behind me that knows what I have to do. Darren has a lot of experience. He has been through this already a number of times. I was talking already after the match that we can improve still, so it’s all part of the process. Obviously having this trophy, it’s an amazing feeling. I feel grateful to have this trophy. I know that I have to work ever harder, because the opponents. They will find the way to beat me and I have to be prepared. Let’s see what’s coming in the future”, said Sinner.
Sinner credited his parents for giving him the freedom to pursue his dream to become a tennis player.
“I wished that everyone could have my parents because they always let choose whatever I wanted to do. Even when I was I was younger I also made other sports and they never put pressure on myself, and I wish that this freedom is possible for as many young kids as possible. Thank you so much for my parents”, said Sinner.
Sinner is not resting on the laurels, as he is already discussing with his team about ways to continue improving ahead of a long season, that includes three more Grand Slam tournaments, the Olympic Games in Paris, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup.
“Our job is just to make sure that we keep him pumped up. It’s because it’s the start of the year. It’s a long year. It’s important to enjoy the moment but when we get back onto the tennis court we will try to keep him in that good mindset and try to keep him winning”, said Cahill.
