Darren Cahill casts doubt on Jannik Sinner’s ability to beat Novak Djokovic just hours before clash
Darren Cahill, coach of Jannik Sinner, is unsure that the Italian will be able to beat Novak Djokovic in their upcoming French Open semi-final encounter.
The world No 1 and the 24-time Grand Slam champion will lock horns in a night session last four clash.
Cahill, however, sought to set realistic expectations of his pupil, largely due to Sinner’s lack of matches coming into the event.
In February, it was announced that the Italian was suspended from the tour for three months after failing two doping tests in March 2024.
As a result, Sinner returned to the tour at the Rome Masters – reaching the final, which he lost 7-6(5), 6-1 to Carlos Alcaraz.
“It’s exciting to be in a semifinal against Novak,” stated the world No 1’s coach, whilst speaking to Il Tennis Italiano.
“If, a month ago, they had asked me if I would sign to reach the final [of the French Open], I would have said yes without hesitation. Jannik still needs to improve a few things, especially in anticipation, mobility to the corners, and the automatisms required in matches.
“I don’t know if what he has now is enough to beat Novak.
“The important thing is to take it day by day; right now, there’s nothing more challenging than facing Djokovic in the semifinals of a tournament like this.”
Sinner and Djokovic have shared a very competitive rivalry, with their head-to-head split at 4-4. However, it is the former who has won three of the last four – with their most meeting coming in the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters, won by Sinner 7-6(4), 6-3.
On the other hand, the world No 1 will be competing in just his second semi-final at the Parisian Grand Slam, whereas Djokovic has been in the same situation on 12 occasions.
“We know him [Djokovic] perfectly,” analysed Cahill, when asked about the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s main strengths.
“A guy who has won 24 Grand Slams is always going to be tremendously dangerous, especially seeing how he played against [Alexander] Zverev.
“But Sinner has won 19 straight matches in tournaments of this calibre. It’s true that a long match, in five sets, can be hard to manage because Jannik’s tennis is very physical.
“Three hours of his on-court amount to five for others. But I have great faith in my player.”
The Australian first joined the Sinner team in July 2022 and has been an integral part of Sinner’s rise to the very pinnacle of men’s tennis.
Prior to working with the world No 1, Cahill had also coached Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, and – more recently – Simona Halep.
Despite the success, Cahill will split ways with Sinner at the end of 2025 – stating that he will retire from coaching altogether.
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“Coaches have to keep him [Sinner] grounded,” the Australian later added.
“We know that if he plays at his best level, few can defeat him, but also that if he relaxes and doesn’t display good tennis, he can lose to any of the world’s best. Our goal is for him to maintain his excellence physically, mentally, and in tennis for longer periods.
“There will be days when he doesn’t play well, but then he has to pull through the matches however he can and learn from it. He doesn’t train to beat Alcaraz, Djokovic, or Zverev, but to get better every day.”
