"Fake news": Brad Gilbert rebuffs news of Darren Cahill's absence from Jannik Sinner's title defence at US Open

Famous tennis coach Brad Gilbert had an interesting response to the news that Jannik Sinner’s coach, Daren Cahill, would not be travelling with the player at the US Open. Sinner will be defending his title at the Flashing Meadows this year after beating America’s Taylor Fritz in the final in 2024.

News emerged on various media outlets recently that Sinner will be without his coach, Cahill, who has decided to stay back and spend time with his family instead of travelling for the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year. Gilbert, while responding to a post on social media, claimed that it was fake news. “For the record this is completely fake news,” he wrote. In response to a tennis journalist post, Gilbert highlighted the trend of ‘click bait’ news. “So much click bait bat 🦇 shit 💩 crazy stuff put out there now and AI,” he wrote.

Sinner’s coaching staff has once again been in the news after the re-hiring of his fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara. Sinner parted ways with Ferrara after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in two doping tests in March last year. Sinner managed to escape any ban as the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared him innocent following a detailed hearing where his counsel claimed that the substance was available in the player’s sample because he came in close contact with his physio, Naldi, who used the spray for the treatment of a cut on his finger. Reportedly, that spray was recommended to him by Fererra.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the ITIA’s verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the four-time Grand Slam winner. However, the issue finally came to a conclusion in February as WADA announced that they had reached an agreement with Sinner, which will result in the player remaining out of action for three months.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation that led to him testing positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024,” read the statement. “WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage.”

In a recent statement from the Sinner’s camp, it was confirmed that Fererra has been re-hired in the coaching staff ahead of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year. "The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik's management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and US Open. Umberto has played an important role in Jannik's development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level,” read the statement.

The development raised eyebrows, especially amongst a section of the tennis community who always raised their voice against the treatment received by Sinner from WADA and ITIA. Despite his off-field struggles, Sinner remains extremely successful on the court. This year, he has played in the final of all three Grand Slams. He won the Australian Open after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. At the French Open, Sinner suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the final despite having three championship points at one stage. At Wimbledon, Sinner managed to take revenge for the French Open final’s defeat to Alcaraz and came out on top with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.