Jannik Sinner embraced his coach Darren Cahill’s wife Victoria in the halls of Rod Laver Arena after his semi-final win on Friday. The moment perfectly captured the bond the World No.1 shares with the Cahill family. The man who led Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi to Grand Slam success has been a massive influence behind Sinner’s rise to the top. Two Grand Slam titles, with a third in the offing, have seen Cahill have unrivaled success with the Italian, but their on-court partnership will be coming to an end this year.

After he advanced to the third round of the ongoing Australian Open, Sinner revealed that Cahill, 59, will be retiring after this year. “He brought me so many things. I don’t want to talk so much about his retirement. I feel very, very lucky and happy to be his last player on Tour. He has been an amazing, amazing coach and person, not only for me but for all the other players he has worked with,” he said.

Last year under Cahill’s tutelage, Cahill amassed eight titles including the US and Australian Open. The Australian has been a key member of Sinner’s coaching team and has helped him improve constantly ever since joining in 2022. Sinner has been touted as the next big thing in tennis, so, why is Cahill stepping away from one of his most promising protégés? 

While announcing Cahill’s decision to step away from coaching, Sinner said, “He has a beautiful family, so many great things to come for him also after his tennis job. Let’s see. But the year is still long.” While neither Cahill nor Sinner have spoken much about the reason behind the coach’s decision, traveling seems to be the major cause behind Cahill’s call. 

Remember, being a native of Australia, Cahill fails to stay with his family for a very short time owing to his travel with the Italian player across the globe for his matches. However, with him nearing 60, it appears that he is willing to spend some time with his family, which has prompted him to take the decision. And as per what Sinner revealed, Cahill is unlikely to take up a coaching role for any other player in the upcoming future.

And guess what? Even Mats Wilander has a similar take on the entire scenario. 

Wilander said he was not surprised by Cahill’s decision. “I think Darren Cahill has been on tour since 1980, that’s 45 years of traveling. I think he needs a break and when you turn 60 you will find out.” Wilander said, adding “He is so complete now Jannik Sinner and the mission was to complete him.”

When Sinner parted ways with former coach Riccardo Piatti in 2022, the decision surprised many. Piatti had guided him through the junior ranks and into senior tennis, but the change paid off. Outshining the likes of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner stands at the top of the tennis world, with multiple Grand Slams and ATP titles to his name.

Cahill has coached four world No. 1s and four Grand Slam champions with an impressive CV that includes Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, and Simona Halep among others.

It was fellow Australian Hewitt whom he coached first and led to success. Under his guidance, Hewitt became the youngest male player to reach the world No 1 ranking and also clinched the US Open title in 2001. Cahill then helped Agassi to the Australian Open success in 2003 leading him to become the oldest player ever to be ranked world no. 1. In 2018, Cahill coached Simona Halep to the French Open title.

Since then he has helped coach Sinner to become the youngest player to reach consecutive singles finals at the Australian Open since Pete Sampras in 1994-1995. But despite the announcement of his retirement being major news at the Australian Open, Cahill doesn’t want all the attention on him.

“Honestly, I don’t want to make this in any way about me. We’re concentrating on Jannik making the final, playing Zverev. This is not about me. This is about Jannik. A coach is truly effective for a period of three, four or at most five years. The work that Simone Vagnozzi is carrying out is of incredible quality. Sinner is in very good hands and the successes will continue to arrive,” he said.

Last year was particularly successful for the pair with Sinner grabbing two Grand Slam wins, ATP titles, and Davis Cup success. However, the year was also tough for Sinner and his team following the doping case, but Cahill has always supported the star player in one of the most adverse times of his career.

When Darren Cahill stood firm against critics of Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner faced one of the most turbulent phases of his career last year. The 23-year-old tested positive for a banned substance (Clostebol) during his Indian Wells campaign. As controversy erupted and he continued playing, many lamented the inconsistency in decision-making of such cases. One example was that of Nick Kyrgios who consistently slammed the Italian dynamo. But supporting him throughout was his coach Cahill. 

During an appearance on ESPN, Cahill firmly stated, “Jannik would never do anything like that intentionally. It’s an unfortunate situation, but the truth came out.” Continuing further, he highlighted how challenging it was for Sinner to overcome the phase. “You would have seen a big change in his physicality and excitement to be on the court, it wore him down physically and mentally, he got tonsillitis (and) missed the Olympics. We’re not looking for any sorrow. Just thankful there is no ban attached,” Cahill added earlier.

Now, as the season evolves, it will be interesting to see if more interesting anecdotes of their camaraderie come to light. Can Sinner give a fitting finale to Cahill’s coaching career in Australia with a second success title in Melbourne?