Cahill: "Before the final, I told Jannik that he could be very proud of himself"

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Darren Cahill has been one of the biggest supports that Jannik Sinner has found, both privately and publicly, after the news of his positive for doping during Indian Wells. The Australian, one of the main reasons for the fantastic evolution of the Italian in the last twelve months, has never had any problem explaining what happened in the 'clostebol case', showing his support and total defense of the honesty and integrity of his ward.

Beyond what we see in front of the cameras, the past weeks must not have been easy within the Italian team. The departure of Umberto Ferrara and Giacomo Naldi, singled out after the explanation of how clostebol appeared in Jannik's body, left two vacancies that are not easy to fill. The roles of Cahill and Vagnozzi, main captains of a ship bombarded by public opinion, became even stronger: after the confirmation that his ward won the US Open 2024, the Australian broke down on the Arthur Ashe's bench, shedding tears in a moment contrasting with Simone's joy and the rest of the team members.

Why this celebration? Why this released contained anger? No one better than Cahill himself to dissect how the past weeks have been for him and for Jannik, giving details of how his motivational role has taken a new dimension during the last Grand Slam of the year. This is how he expressed it to ABC: "I'm not the head coach in this team, Simone (Vagnozzi) is the head coach. However, I am the one with the most experience. So, over the last three or four weeks, I would say more likely over the last four months, many things that happened around the team fell on my shoulders.

I tried to maintain perspective, keep the focus on what we are trying to achieve, make sure I constantly tell him that he has done nothing wrong, that no matter what happens he can hold his head up high because he has done absolutely nothing wrong. I told him to focus on the tennis as professionally as possible and see what we can do in this period, and once we get through it, then we can build from there. Finally, we got through it, despite living moments of stress, and I think my reaction to the title is preceded by all that."

Darren Cahill explains why he got emotional after Jannik Sinner won 2024 US Open pic.twitter.com/sKRifBKuCG

— asud (@asud683385) September 8, 2024

A CURIOUS PRE-FINAL CONFESSION

It's no secret that the bond between Sinner and Cahill has grown stronger because of recent events. Darren, coach of many legends in this sport, has helped shape a true diamond in the rough with whom he has forged a tremendous connection. He revealed his words prior to Sinner stepping onto the court in the final against Fritz, a pep talk that prepared the Italian before his second Grand Slam final.

"I think being a coach is mainly about genuinely caring about what happens to your player. Unless your player knows that you are involved in the project, that you care about what happens to him not only on the court but also as a person, it won't work. I always talk a lot about Jannik's tennis, but I talk a lot more about who he is as a person, above all. Helping him mature and become the person everyone wants to see, someone that younger ones can admire, has been my main job. Before the final, I spoke with him and told him that his behavior in the last four weeks reflects honesty and resilience, that he can be very proud of himself, and that he should go out on the court to enjoy because he deserves to be there. That is my main role as a coach, and my post-match reaction shows that we have gone through three or four very tough months."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Cahill: "Antes de la final le dije a Jannik que podía estar muy orgulloso de sí mismo"