Mature beyond his years, Jannik Sinner has refused to take a backward step since his Australian Open 2024 triumph.
After a quarterfinal victory at Indian Wells, the 22-year-old has become the youngest men’s player in the Open Era to start a season 16-0.
Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the only other players since 1988 to open a season with a win streak of that size, and Sinner is taking it all in his stride.
In an interview recorded during Sinner’s historic AO run, his coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill gave an insight into his composed mentality, which is now propelling him closer to these all-time greats.
“I think in the last 12 months he’s matured a lot; he takes responsibility for the bad days, and doesn’t blame anybody else,” Cahill told The AO Show podcast.
“That’s a sign of a great young man, and he is a great young man.”
Cahill has worked with several world No.1s in his coaching career and is still impressed by how well Sinner carries himself at such a young age.
“He’s 22 years of age, but he’s an older 22, because he’s been through quite a bit,” Cahill said.
“He’s built some resilience and he’s taken some tough losses, he’s learnt a lot from those, and he’s been willing to get on court and continue to improve.”
Cahill joined Vagnozzi and the team in July 2022, forming a combination that has since seen Sinner go from strength to strength.
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Vagnozzi credits Cahill’s experience for bringing out a levelheadedness which he believes is vital in big matches.
“Play with a smile, that is something Darren brings to the team,” Vagnozzi said.
“Mentally, he (Sinner) is able to keep this level at the important moments.”
Cahill noted that Vagnozzi is “the main voice and the main coach” of the group, yet the pair are always on the same wavelength.
For the experienced Australian coach, he understands how to help top players with the mental and emotional side of the game.
“You have to enjoy the journey. If you don’t enjoy the journey, you have no real purpose for getting up in the morning and going after it,” Cahill said.
The journey continues at Indian Wells for Sinner, who next faces the only men’s player younger than him with more Grand Slam titles – Carlos Alcaraz.