Jannik Sinner walked out of a press conference after asking his coach a jokey question (Image: Getty)
will attempt to defend his crown over the coming fortnight.
The Italian lifted his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne 12 months ago, guided by his coaches, Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill.
It was a special win for Cahill, who hails from Australia, but the renowned tennis coach jokingly struck a nerve with his “crappy” comment that prompted Sinner to walk out of a press conference.
Sinner enjoyed an incredible 2024 season, winning eight titles, reaching the top of the rankings, helping Italy retain its Davis Cup crown, and losing just six matches. It all started at the Australian Open, where he claimed his first Major.
Before storming back to win an epic five-set final, the 23-year-old made a statement when he stunned in the semis.
It was Djokovic’s first defeat at the Australian Open since 2018 and his first match loss at any Major tournament since the 2022 French Open.
After booking a spot in his first Slam final, Sinner’s coaches held a press conference to preview the championship match. The world No. 1 quickly gatecrashed it and had a question of his own.
Darren Cahill joked that it was a ‘crappy’ job to coach Jannik Sinner (Image: Getty)
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“How is it to coach Jannik?” he asked. Cahill was prepared with a hilarious answer. “It’s crappy job. We are not paid enough,” he laughed.
The Australian coach also raised another ‘financial issue’, joking that Sinner took their money when playing games.
He added: “The guy gives us a hard time all the time, and he’s forever actually taking our money in cards games, and he gets a lot of enjoyment about that stuff.”
Sinner had heard enough and quickly exited the room. It left Cahill and Vagnozzi to tackle the real questions, though Vagnozzi also had some fun with his answers, taking aim at his co-coach.
Cahill has worked with the likes of Simona Halep and Andre Agassi, also guiding them to big titles. And Vagnozzi joked: “So Darren is really bad coach.
“No, I think how you can see, Darren with the words, is fantastic. It’s another level. And it’s a real pleasure to have him in the team.”
The duo have clearly worked wonders with Sinner. They jointly won the ATP coach of the year award at the end of 2023 and continued their great work last season.
Sinner’s team will now be hoping to help him retain his crown at Melbourne Park.