"His secret is never being satisfied": Jannik Sinner’s coach shares the fuel behind his dominance

Jannik Sinner's coach, Simone Vagnozzi, talked with ATP Tour after his protégé secured the Wimbledon title. A couple of weeks ago, Sinner achieved the fourth Grand Slam title of his career – and his first outside of hardcourts – by defeating his frequent rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

This was a highly significant victory for the world No. 1. He was able to get revenge for three consecutive finals lost to Alcaraz – and five consecutive defeats on the ATP Tour. The Italian had suffered probably the most painful defeat of his career just a month earlier at Roland Garros, where he squandered three match points and Alcaraz managed a comeback from two sets down to successfully defend the title in Paris, which he had already won in 2024.

Sinner's consistency is also thanks to his coaches who work behind the scenes. Fellow Italian Simone Vagnozzi has teamed up with Australian Darren Cahill, both serving as co-coaches for Sinner since Sinner was just 19 years old.

“It’s a wonderful position, something we’ve been seeking for the last three and a half years,” Vagnozzi told ATPTour.com. “Getting to No. 1 means going to every tournament with the intention of winning it. As we always say in our team, the important thing is trying to work and prepare as well as possible to have the chance to compete and win titles as much as possible. The important thing for us is to have the peace of mind that we have done things as well as possible.”

Vagnozzi has established himself as a coach during his time with Sinner. The former player, who retired in 2015, doesn't have Cahill's experience – the former coach of several tennis legends, including former world No. 1s and Grand Slam champions Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Simona Halep, Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, among others.

“I have to say that I’m so lucky to have met someone like Darren, both professionally and personally,” said Vagnozzi. “We connected immediately, and that undoubtedly helped us in our journey. It’s never easy to find that chemistry, but we’ve always prioritized Jannik’s interests."

“In practice, we have different roles; I’m responsible for the more technical and tactical side of things, and he is more in charge of the mental and emotional aspects. Of course, we share everything, and the most important thing is that the player always hears one united voice.”

However, Cahill apparently will cease being Sinner's coach by the end of the year, as he hopes to dedicate more time to his personal life after decades of traveling the world with different players. Nevertheless, after the Wimbledon title, things could change from the Australian coach's perspective, and he could potentially stay for a while longer working with Sinner and Vagnozzi. “Honestly, nothing’s certain at the moment,” admitted Vagnozzi. “But we’ll all be happy if Darren stays.”

“The experience undoubtedly helps, experiencing new situations and working with different athletes,” explained the Italian. “I think the best coaches are those that get excellent results with different athletes. It’s up to us to understand how to bring value to them, and that’s why we have to be like chameleons, because you can’t use the same method with different players.”

The Italian coach highlighted Sinner's qualities that have led him to establish himself as the undisputed world No. 1. Despite a three-month absence from competition at the beginning of the year, Sinner has already accumulated 59 consecutive weeks as world No. 1, and he is assured of at least a couple more weeks.

“He’s a very calm person, and he’s very mature for his age. He knows exactly what he wants to achieve in life,” said Vagnozzi. “But he’s also a fun and ingenious 23-year-old kid, he’s a great guy to be around off court. His secret is precisely that; the constant desire to improve, never being satisfied. Without that, finding enough motivation to go out on court and practise would be really difficult.”

“It’s essential for the player to also study on their own,” added Vagnozzi. “It’s a way of visualizing the match. It’s important that we provide them with the information and analysis, and then for them to take it on.”

“As with everything, I think equilibrium is the real quality a player must have,” said Vagnozzi. “Keeping your feet on the ground when things aren’t going well and not getting down on yourself when things don’t go as you expect.”