Jannik Sinner’s Australian coach Darren Cahill has taken another talented player to the promised land of tennis.
After Daniil Medvedev came out breathing fire to take a two sets to love lead in Sunday night’s Australian Open final, Sinner came back from the brink to win 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 and claim his maiden grand slam title.
The 22-year-old became the first Italian man to win a grand slam since 1976, but it was heartbreak for Medvedev.
It’s the second time he’s lost a grand slam final after leading two sets to love after Rafael Nadal’s comeback win at the 2022 Australian Open, and he spent the most time ever on court (24 hours, 17 mins) at a grand slam only to fall short of the trophy.
Cahill joined Sinner’s team in 2022 and has worked on the Italian’s mental game and the big picture, while coach Simone Vagnozzi focuses on the tennis nuts and bolts.
It was looking grim when Sinner dropped the first two sets to Medvedev but Cahill was resolute in his player’s box, barking instructions including “take the net away from him!” as the Russian could do no wrong.
Sinner eventually got going, breaking Medvedev in the second set to get his confidence back and being far more aggressive up on the baseline as the match went on.
There were heartwarming scenes after the match as Sinner climbed up to his box and embraced his team, paying tribute to them and his family.
“I’m extremely happy that I am in this position now,” Sinner said.
“I have a great team behind me who knows what I have to do. With Darren, he has a lot of experience. He has been through this already a number of times.
“Simone, we were talking already after the match that we can improve still. So, you know, it’s all part of the process.
“Obviously having this trophy, it’s an amazing feeling. I feel grateful to have this here. But I know that I have to work even 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.”
Sinner’s maiden grand slam title is another success story for Cahill, who continues to grow his impressive coaching CV.
The 58-year-old helped Lleyton Hewitt become the youngest ever World No. 1 and coached Andre Agassi rediscover his best form in his thirties.
Cahill also coached Simona Halep to the World No. 1 ranking and the 2018 French Open title.
Cahill has long been viewed as one of the sharpest minds in tennis and has been credited with giving Sinner the belief to beat the best of the best.
Sinner has won 10 of his last 11 matches against top five ranked players, including three wins against Novak Djokovic, who he knocked out of the semi-finals.
The tennis world was full of praise for Cahill, who has managed to take talented players across several generations to the top of the sport.
After claiming Davis Cup and Australian Open triumphs in a matter of months, Sinner has officially arrived as one of tennis’ bona fide stars and is set for a mouth-watering rivalry with fellow young gun Carlos Alcaraz over the next decade.
Cahill said Alcaraz winning two grand slams by the age of 20 spurred Sinner to realise his potential.
Matt Roberts said on The Tennis Podcast: “It was interesting what Darren Cahill said in answer to a question about how much Alcaraz getting in there first motviated Sinner and made him kick on.
“And Darren Cahill said ‘Hell yeah’.”
“He’s right there with Alcaraz now, especially on hardcourts,” Roberts said.
Catherine Whitaker added: “This question and answer was incredible.”
Alcaraz congratulated Sinner on social media, writing: “I am so happy for you Jannik! You deserve it more than anyone! Enjoy the moment my friend!”
It appears Alcaraz and Sinner could dominate tennis for years to come and have surpassed previous ‘Next Gen’ players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Medvedev.