Darren Cahill Feels Novak Djokovic is Responsible for Jannik Sinner’s Growth

The addition of Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi to Jannik Sinner‘s entourage marked the beginning of a glorious chapter in the career of the South Tyrol native. There’s another person whose valuable feedback greatly shaped Sinner’s career.

And it’s none other than 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Sinner led 2-0 against Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Wimbledon but ended up squandering the lead and lost the match.

Then the following season, Sinner, after his straight-set defeat in the semifinal of Wimbledon to Nole, was devastated by this loss. But Cahill knew that the only person who could help his protege at that time was Djokovic, who dissected the youngster’s game, laying the first brick to build the lethal player the four-time Grand Slam champion has become today.

Losing to Novak after leading by two sets to zero… then they faced each other again the following year, and I think, despite losing in straight sets, Jannik played at a higher level. Yes, I remember grabbing Novak after he finished his interview and told him: ‘Look, I’m starting with Jannik, I don’t want you to overdo it, you can be respectful, of course, and you don’t need to tell me anything, but is there anything about him that catches your attention that could help me start working with him?’

Darren Cahill said on the Big T podcast on Tennis Channel

Djokovic talked to Cahill for about 10 to 15 minutes, during which he analyzed Sinner’s game to the millimeter. The Serb saw that Sinner lacked variety in his game, that he should not be afraid while coming to the net, that he did not use drop shots, and that his serve was easy to read. Upon hearing Djokovic’s feedback, Sinner’s instant reaction was that it was time to get back to work again.

Darren Cahill on Jannik Sinner’s improvements

Jannik Sinner himself last year admitted that he needed to make his game unpredictable after he failed to defend his US Open title, losing in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz. Players like him never stop making themselves better players.

He tweaked his serve a bit and is coming to the net often. Sinner has also incorporated more variety in shots, such as drop shots and backhand slices. Darren Cahill is convinced that the tennis world hasn’t seen the best version of Sinner yet.

Jannik is not afraid to try new things. Firstly, that seems very brave to me, but I think it stems from his mindset, his eagerness to continually improve, always thinking about being better. He knows he’s not playing, yet, his best tennis. He believes, and I also believe, that he will play his best tennis when he’s 27, 28, 29, or 30 years old, so there’s no reason to stop experimenting with your tennis.

Darren Cahill said on the Big T podcast

In Paris, Sinner is chasing history. The win will make him the first man since Alcaraz (2026 Australian Open) and the seventh man overall to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Sinner is on a 29-match winning streak, as he lifted the first five Masters 1000s of the season, becoming the first man to do so. He, in fact, has not lost a match since his quarterfinal defeat to Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open.

At the Australian Open this year, Sinner couldn’t complete the hat-trick as Novak Djokovic eliminated him in the semifinals. Apart from the Career Grand Slam, Sinner will also be completing the Surface Slam if he clinches the title in the French capital.

So far in his career, Sinner has lifted 16 Big Titles, and the only Big Titles missing from his trophy cabinet are the French Open and the Olympic gold medal. Sinner did not play the 2024 Paris Olympics as doctors diagnosed him with tonsillitis and advised him not to compete.

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