July 2022 marked a turning point in the career of the current No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner. It was then that he joined forces with renowned Aussie coach Darren Cahill, a collaboration that ignited Sinner’s meteoric rise. Fast forward to the almost end of January 2025, and the Italian boasts an impressive 13 titles under his belt since then, including three Grand Slam crowns, solidifying Cahill’s profound impact on his game. However, just as the duo celebrates consecutive Australian Open victories, news of their separation has come to the fore. And, this is poised to make headlines, largely because of the storm surrounding Sinner’s latest doping controversy, with a highly anticipated verdict expected this April. Former tennis professional Alexandra Stevenson shared her review of it. 

Darren Cahill, who has coached the American Andre Agassi, Simona Halep, and Andy Murray in the past, has been a high-profile mentor in tennis since beginning his coaching journey. Before coaching Jannik Sinner, he helped Agassi reach world No. 1 in 2003 and guided Halep to victory at the 2018 French Open. Impressive, isn’t it? Well, his charisma as a coach attracted Sinner, who hired him as his next coach after being guided by his compatriot and former Italian tennis player Simone Vagnozzi in July 2022. Since then, Sinner’s stars have been on the rise. He climbed the rankings to become world No. 1, just like Agassi and Halep did previously, and has won 14 trophies under Cahill’s guidance till now.

2024 can be considered Sinner’s breakthrough year, as the Italian won both the AO and the US Open and secured six other titles as well. However, prior to the final verdict on the doping controversy in April 2025, a decision anticipated in August 2024, Cahill’s retirement reignited discussions, prompting commentary from the former American tennis professional.

Speaking to the ‘Serving Aces: Conversation with Alexandra Stevenson’ the American Alexandra Stevenson shared her remarks about the possible retirement of Cahill just before the verdict, with her co-host Hugues Laverdière. She added, “And then, Darren Cahill is retiring from coaching Sinner as off this Australian Open win. This was his last tournament.  He’s done, he is leaving, so… that’s interesting. Obviously he knows more than us what’s going on inside. He also just won the Australian Open, he just won three Grand Slams in a year and a couple of months,”.

And she never stopped there and added her thoughts about speculating why Cahill suddenly wanted to retire just before the final verdict. “He announced it, and Sinner said something during the week. So yeah, there’s has not been a story done for reading the story. I mean look, when you are a coach, your lips are sealed, Darren has a vault, he keeps his mouth shut,” she added. However, why is the coach’s retirement a contentious point now? For that, we need to turn the page back.

The tennis world was shocked on August 20, 2024, when just before the US Open, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that in March, Jannik Sinner had tested positive twice for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. And what was the Italian’s response? Sinner explanation was simple. The contamination happened due to a healing spray purchased by his physio, Umberto Ferrara, which was used by his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Naldi applied the spray to a cut on his own hand and subsequently gave Sinner a back massage and treated his feet, which caused the contamination. And, as the world awaits the final verdict in April, Sinner already reacted to WADA’s verdict before his latest AO triumph.

“I have nothing to hide” says Jannik Sinner on his doping controversy conplications

Just after ITIA’s independent verdict, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where a week later CAS confirmed its receipt. WADA, the ultimate authority in sports doping, is currently seeking an ineligibility period of between one and two years. And what that means? Well, if Sinner is proven of taking the banned substance, then the recently crowned three-time Grand Slam champion would be restricted from competing. And, right after WADA’s appeal announcement, the Italian issued a statement.

“I am disappointed to hear that WADA have chosen to appeal the result of my ITIA hearing after the independent judges had exonerated me and deemed me to be innocent. It is difficult to see what will be gained by asking a different set of three judges to look at the same facts and documentation all over again. This being said, I have nothing to hide, and as I have done throughout the summer, I will cooperate fully with the appeal process and provide whatever may be needed to prove my innocence once again,” he added. Even after the latest AO triumph, the Italian spoke about the whole matter, despite the expected date of WADA’s appeal on April 16th and 17th. “Right now, I want to enjoy this moment. The hearing date is set, but I’m not thinking about it for now,” he added shortly after his final match in a press conference. 

With the approaching dates, what is your prediction of the outcome? The dilemma lies between accepting a possible 2-year ban or staying clear of any wrongdoing. Share your views down below!