Darren Cahill has coached Jannik Sinner to three Grand Slam titles (Image: Getty)
Since rejigging his team in 2022, has transformed into the world’s best player. The Italian took a risk by bringing in two new faces – Simone Vagnozzi and renowned coach Darren Cahill.
But it paid off. Sinner reached No. 1 in the world last year and has three Grand Slam titles to his name, including two in Cahill’s home country of Australia. But the top tennis coach has now confessed that the “most emotional moment” of his tennis career came with another star.
A former tennis pro himself, Cahill is better known for his success as a coach. The Aussie was forced to retire young due to ongoing knee injuries and surgeries but he soon fell into coaching after working with a young Lleyton Hewitt.
Since then, the 59-year-old has worked with Andre Agassi, and Sinner. He also enjoyed stints with the likes of and Ana Ivanovic while working in the Adidas Player Development Program.
Cahill has guided multiple players to Grand Slam titles and the top of the rankings, with Sinner being his latest success story. The Australian has a close bond with the 23-year-old.
He has supported Sinner throughout his recent doping saga, and Sinner has been able to lift Major trophies throughout the case. However, Cahill says the most poignant moment of his career came when he was working with Halep.
Darren Cahill branded Simona Halep’s French Open victory the ‘most emotional’ moment of his career (Image: Getty)
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Cahill was struck by the amount of pressure on Halep’s shoulders after hanging around the top five for years and suffering plenty of heartbreaking Grand Slam final losses. When she finally won her long-awaited first Major at the 2018 French Open, her coach was delighted.
“She went and won Roland Garros and beat Sloane [Stephens] in the final,” Cahill recalled on the Tennis Insider Podcast, hosted by former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia.
“For sure, my most emotional moment sitting in a coach’s box for sure. My most emotional match moment as a tennis player or coach.”
Halep had taken several knocks before winning in Paris. She’d lost two previous French Open finals, including in 2017 when she blew a set and break lead to Jelena Ostapenko – and a marathon championship match to Caroline Wozniacki in Australia in 2018.
“Seeing the journey she went on, how she struggled, the fight she showed,” Cahill continued.
“She ended up losing the final in between that as well to Wozniacki and she had a chance to win that one as well. Remarkable young woman. She deserves all the credit in the world.”
Cahill and Halep ended their on-and-off five-year partnership in 2021. He joined Sinner’s team a few months later but will
While Sinner may not have brought him his most emotional moment, Cahill has also been blown away by the 23-year-old. He added: “He’s a mature young man, he’s a good young man. I know Italy is very proud of him, and they should be.”