Andre Agassi’s Ex-Coach Shares Worrying Details About Jannik Sinner’s Knee Injury

Brad Gilbert, the former coach of Andre Agassi and Coco Gauff, has claimed that Darren Cahill has been kept in the dark about his protege Jannik Sinner‘s knee injury. Sinner last competed in the Wimbledon final, where he defeated Alexander Zverev and defended his title.

He withdrew from the Canadian Open and was scheduled to play the Cincinnati Masters, but he also withdrew from that event after confirming rumors about his knee problem. He went on to skip the US Open, the China Open, and the Shanghai Masters, before announcing his decision to end his 2026 season early.

Amidst this, Gilbert shared worrying details about the five-time Grand Slam champion’s injury. He wonders what would happen if Sinner doesn’t undergo surgery and the injury persists next year.

I’ve been speaking to Darren a lot, and it started with he was on his way to the airport from Los Angeles, going to Cincinnati, when he got the call that they’re not going. And basically, he’s been on hold since then.

Brad Gilbert said on The Big T Podcast

Prior to winning Wimbledon, Sinner won the first five Masters 1000s of the season, becoming the first player to do so. Later at the French Open, he suffered cramps and lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five sets in the second round.

It’s like he listens to the doctors. He takes a few days off, goes back, and hits; some days he’s fine. And then he gets that pain in the kneecap… Because normally with this long, you want to think, is surgery an option? Usually it’s the last option. But now surgery is not like it was 30 years ago if it’s a scope. But highly unusual.

Brad Gilbert added

In this year’s Australian Open, Sinner’s bid for a three-peat ended with a five-set defeat to eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The 2027 Australian Open main draw starts on January 27.

Brad Gilbert on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz missing Majors due to injury issues

Not only Jannik Sinner, but his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz also had to stay on the sidelines due to injury. He picked up a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open and missed four months of tennis, including the French Open and Wimbledon.

Brad Gilbert, on the aforementioned The Big T Podcast, compared the two youngsters to Roger Federer, praising the 20-time Grand Slam champion for the way he managed to stay healthy and never retiring mid-match in his legendary career.

Honestly, I don’t ever remember a year where the top two guys started and have been so dominant the last two and a half years and missed so much time during the year. Staying healthy is a unique challenge. It kind of makes you think about how many consecutive Majors Federer played it? Wow.

Alcaraz returned to the tour at the US Open, where he competed as the defending champion. Eventual runner-up Ben Shelton ended his run in the quarterfinals.

Following the Laver Cup, the seven-time Grand Slam champion defended his title at the Japan Open with a straight-set win over Jiri Lehecka. But later at the Shanghai Masters, Zizou Bergs clinched a straight-set win over the Spaniard in the third round.

Alcaraz will next be competing at the Vienna Open, the main draw of which starts on October 26. Following the Vienna event, he will chase his first Masters 1000 of the season in Paris. The only time Alcaraz played a Masters 1000 final was in Monte Carlo, losing the match to Sinner. Alcaraz last won a title at this level at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters.

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