Jannik Sinner’s coach makes telling Holger Rune comment as he names biggest threats to the Italian
Jannik Sinner’s coach Simone Vagnozzi has identified the three rising players who he feels will be a threat to the world No 2 as he also made a telling comment about Holger Rune.
Vagnozzi has coached Sinner since February 2022, and alongside fellow coach Darren Cahill, he has played a pivotal role in the Italian star’s rise to the top of the sport.
Since Vagnozzi joined his team, Sinner has won 16 of his 21 ATP singles titles, including all four of his Grand Slams, an ATP Finals title and all four of his Masters 1000 titles.
Sinner became the world No 1 for the first time in June 2024 and remained there for 65 consecutive weeks until he was overtaken by his rival Carlos Alcaraz after the US Open last month.
The 24-year-old has won three tournaments in 2025: the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the China Open in Beijing.
In an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Vagnozzi was asked if there is a player who he thinks will be “a pain” for Sinner to deal with.
“There are many who have potential, even [Learner] Tien,” said the Italian.
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“Obviously there’s [Joao] Fonseca, although I really like [Jakub] Mensik. If he doesn’t have any physical problems, he’s someone who can improve a lot.
“Then there are intangible factors. Think about Jannik: now everyone makes his victories seem normal.
“When I started working with him, many people in the tennis world said Rune was much more advanced. You never know how much you can improve.
“The guys are there, but then they have to make significant steps to catch up to Jannik and Carlos.”
Asked if he has a big dream he wants to achieve as a coach, Vagnozzi said: “This year, the goal was to win Wimbledon, and we did it.
“I hope to continue with Jannik as long as possible; we’ll see how far we go. In the distant future, I might find it exciting to do the same thing again with another player. Then [again], maybe I’ll do 15 years with Sinner, and he’ll be my last tennis player. I hope so.”
After retiring in his third round match at the Shanghai Masters due to muscle cramping, Sinner will make his return to action at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
Sinner will play world No 24 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his first match in Riyadh, and the winner will play 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz are in the top half of the draw.
Each of the six players earn a $1.5million participation fee, and the winner secures an additional $4.5 million. Sinner claimed the full $6million for winning the inaugural Six Kings Slam last year, having beaten Alcaraz in the final.
