“He was not just a coach for me, but much more”: Jannik Sinner opens up on Darren Cahill’s departure

Jannik Sinner advanced to his eighth final of the season after defeating Alex de Minaur in the semifinals of the Vienna Open 6-3, 6-4. The Italian holds a 21–9 record in finals (3–4 in 2025) and will seek to add another crown in the final stretch of the season against second seed Alexander Zverev.

The Italian has enjoyed another great week in what marks his official return to competition following the injury sustained at the Shanghai Masters. Sinner has yet to drop a set, recording impressive victories over Daniel Altmaier (6-0, 6-2), Flavio Cobolli (6-2, 7-6), Alexander Bublik (6-4, 6-4), and Alex de Minaur (6-3, 6-4).

“I'm trying to play good tennis. Maybe today I didn't serve very well, and the first set was very physical. I’m happy to have won in two sets,” he commented in a press conference after overcoming the Australian World No. 7.

Sinner acknowledged that indoor courts suit his game particularly well: “Well, indoors I don't have to deal with the wind, the sun, and all those things. The ball always comes well, and of course, I like indoor tournaments. In general, finding the rhythm is what matters. The first rounds are always complicated because you have to get into rhythm, but later on you try to do things in the best possible way.”

One of the main topics Sinner discussed was the changes to his coaching team ahead of next season. Earlier this year, he announced that his collaboration with coach Darren Cahill would come to an end at the close of the season. The Australian—former coach of players such as Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, and Simona Halep—hopes to take a step back from the tour after decades of constant travel and dedication to coaching.

World No. 2 Sinner acknowledged that this is one of the key matters he must resolve before 2026, and he will likely seek a new co-coach to join Simone Vagnozzi, following the successful Vagnozzi–Cahill formula that has guided him since 2022. “It's a topic we haven't discussed in detail yet. Darren has certainly given me so much, and I’m grateful to him for it. We’ll see together what to do—he was not just a coach for me, but much more,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“However, we must understand that he’s already 60 years old and has been doing this job for a long time, so we’ll see what can be done. With Vagnozzi, we haven’t talked yet about who the second coach might be, although a second figure is certainly necessary because it’s important for Simone to have periods of rest. We’ll discuss it and then decide calmly.”

Sinner will seek the title this Sunday against Alexander Zverev, in what will be their first meeting since the Australian Open final earlier this year, where the Italian claimed a straight-sets victory. The 2021 Vienna champion is aiming for his fourth title of the season and hopes to close the gap on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who is not competing this week.

Sinner still has an outside chance of finishing the year as World No. 1, though he would need to win both the Vienna title and the Paris Masters next week to keep his hopes alive heading into the ATP Finals.

The Italian missed three months of the season between February and May after accepting a three-month suspension related to the controversy over a positive doping test in 2024. “Yes, it was a particular season. I had a three-month stop and couldn’t play important tournaments. In the end, I played relatively few tournaments, but still many matches—that’s what I needed. In any case, I consider this an extraordinary season. I’m very happy with the position I’m in. Now it’s important to manage the end of the season well and restart at my best next year.”

Sinner will end his season after the ATP Finals and will not compete in the Davis Cup with Italy, unlike in previous years. He explained that this decision comes from his desire to rest more and prepare better for the 2026 season.