Vagnozzi and his relationship with Cahill: "Sinner always listens to one united voice"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 24 Jul 2025 | 18.21

Vagnozzi and his relationship with Cahill: "Sinner always listens to one united voice." Photo: Getty Images

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Jannik Sinner is on everyone's lips. The world number one showed mental strength and champion resilience after recovering from the tough setback in the Roland Garros final against Carlos Alcaraz and taking revenge in the Wimbledon final. In that match in London, he showed that if he is at 100%, he is very hard to beat, a fact the Spanish player experienced first-hand, feeling overpowered and out of solutions throughout the duel.

As expected, all the praise has fallen on the world number one. However, in the background, his two coaches are working diligently: Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. The Australian is well-known in the tennis world, having previously led the projects of Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, and Simona Halep, but the Italian was unheard of before.

A great connection from the beginning of the relationship

Vagnozzi arrived a few months before Cahill at the Italian's coaching staff, specifically in February 2022. Meanwhile, the Australian joined the tour during the grass season of the same year. "I have to say that I am very fortunate to have met someone like Darren, both professionally and personally. We connected immediately, and that undoubtedly helped us on our journey. It is never easy to find that chemistry, but we have always prioritized Jannik's interests," asserts the 42-year-old coach in remarks collected by ATP.

Sinner's compatriot made clear the roles each of them has: "In practice, we have different functions: I take care of the more technical and tactical aspects, and he focuses more on the mental and emotional aspects. Of course, we share everything, and the most important thing is that Sinner always hears a single united voice." He also commented on Cahill's continuity: "Honestly, right now, nothing is certain. But we will all be happy if Darren stays."

He also emphasized the importance for a coach always to be honest with his player, even above friendship: "We are talking about athletes who are so demanding that they not only want friends, so to speak, but people who help them reach their full potential. They want honest people who sometimes tell them things they don't want to hear."

While Vagnozzi has only worked with a top-tier player like Sinner, he is gaining experience over the seasons: "Certainly, experience helps, living new situations and working with different athletes. I think the best coaches are those who achieve excellent results with different athletes. It is up to us to understand how to add value to them, and that is why we have to be like chameleons because the same method cannot be used with different players."

Now that he holds the world number one racket, he is aware that ambition and pressure are at their maximum in every tournament: "It is a wonderful position, something we have been striving for over the last three and a half years. Reaching number 1 means going to every tournament with the intention of winning it. As we always say in our team, the important thing is to try to work and prepare as best as possible to have the opportunity to compete and win as many titles as possible. What matters to us is to have the peace of mind of knowing that we have done things as best as possible."

Get to know the personal side of Sinner

Both he and Cahill are two people who know Sinner very well, which is why the coach lavishes praise when talking about the world number one's personality: "He is a very calm person and very mature for his age. He knows exactly what he wants to achieve in life. But he is also a 23-year-old guy, fun and witty, a great companion off the court. His secret is precisely that: the constant desire to improve, to never settle. Without that, it would be very difficult to find enough motivation to go out on the court and train."

He also took a moment to dedicate some words to Alcaraz, his pupil's main rival, whom he did not hesitate to praise: "Carlos is such a unique player who creates problems that other players cannot. Therefore, it is essential to prepare as best as possible to solve the puzzles he poses. The more you practice those situations in training, the more comfortable you will feel in the match."

In concluding the interview, Vagnozzi made it clear what the key is for Sinner to continue developing as a tennis player and as a person: "As in everything, I believe that balance is the true quality a player should have. Keeping your feet on the ground when things are not going well and not getting discouraged when things do not turn out as you expected," stated the Italian coach, who wants to continue making history hand in hand with his compatriot.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Vagnozzi y su relación con Cahill: "Sinner siempre escucha una sola voz unida"