Jannik Sinner’s potential hailed as ‘limitless’ as one of his greatest strengths is revealed
Darren Cahill has given some great insight into Jannik Sinner’s work ethic and what the future holds for one of tennis’ most exciting youngsters.
Sinner enjoyed an incredible 2023 season with the second half of the campaign especially amazing as he beat 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic three times – in singles at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals, and in the doubles at the Davis Cup.
He also notched up wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open and helped Italy to win their first Davis Cup title since 1976.
Sinner finished the year at a career-high No 4 and his coach Cahill heaped praise on him following his recent successes as the Australian also revealed his big targets.
“I firmly believe that Jannik will win a Slam, this is the goal. I don’t know when, but he is capable of it,” he said in an interview with Corriere dello Sport. “It takes resilience, confidence and even a bit of luck. His potential is limitless. We have to be good at not putting pressure on him.
“The Olympic Games [in 2024] are [also] a top priority for Jannik, who loves playing for Italy. The Olympics are already on our agenda.”
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Cahill joined Sinner’s coaching set-up in the middle of the 2022 season and the Italian has won five titles since while he also reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon earlier this year.
He also reached the final of the ATP Finals, losing against Djokovic.
The 22-year-old’s success, though, does not surprise his coach as he described the youngster’s “willingness to change as a gift”.
“I am not surprised by the level Sinner has reached in recent weeks. I know the tennis that he can express and what we may see in the future,” he said.
“He still has great room for improvement and, for that very reason, working with Jannik is exhilarating. He understands the game better and better, he knows his body even more, he listens to it.
“It is seemingly small details that make all the difference, however. The work done with Umberto Ferrara (physical trainer) over the past two years is paying off in a big way: Jannik is much stronger, stronger and also faster.”
The Australian added: “Willingness to change is a gift of Sinner’s: if he has to change his diet, he will; if we modify the training routine, he will have no problem doing so.
“And this will obviously be reflected in the game as well. He is willing to do that, to push his own limits, to sacrifice to improve. Working with an athlete like Jannik is a privilege. However, you will see some technical and tactical innovations in the next 18 months. It will take time to assimilate them.”
