What Makes Cahill Most Proud? Sinner’s Ability to Rebound from “Kicks in the Stomach”

Adaption and evolution. These are the qualities that Jannik Sinner and his team have focused on since he started his rise to the top of men’s tennis, and they are the qualities that defined Sinner’s Wimbledon triumph on Sunday. 

The 24-year-old Italian picked himself off the canvas after a shocking episode at Roland Garros, and proved yet again that he is the man to beat on the ATP Tour. 

His longtime coach Darren Cahill says that Sinner’s ability to rebound from a devastating turn of events in Paris is what made his run to a second Wimbledon and fifth major title all the more special. 

“Look, he’s a redhead that lives in the north of Italy, that grew up in the snow and the Alps. Hot weather is a little bit different for him than it is for most people,” he said.

“The more time he spends in the heat, the better he’s going to be at it. We already saw it here. I think it was one of the hottest Wimbledons, right, on record. He managed through that incredibly well. We might even make some changes to the pre-season, chasing the sun a little bit more, getting him more acclimatized to playing in these types of conditions.”

Cahill talked more about Sinner’s ability to withstand the heat at the All England Club, saying that his charge’s ability to put the past behind him and resume his domination at the Slams was an indication of his ability to compartmentalize in real time. Yes, there are issues that are still unresolved, and yes, Paris left some scar tissue, but one could have never guessed it, watching Sinner rumble through the field at Wimbledon. 

Once he cleared a first-round hurdle, coming back to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic from two sets to one down, he was off and running. 

“[Paris was] just one of those things we don’t really have answers for,” Cahill said. “It goes to show the maturity of the player that we’re working with in Jannik, that he can take a kick in the guts like that, come back here, work his ass off.

“We got here 12 days early, didn’t play a lead-in tournament, so we knew the first couple matches were going to be really difficult for him to get through. He just puts his head down and goes to work. He’s had a great attitude throughout this entire tournament.”

Cahill said that Sinner’s ability to deal with and grow through setbacks is what defines him 

“There’s been a few kicks in the stomach along the way,” he said. “Tough losses. The match points against Carlos the previous year. What happened to him at Roland Garros this year.

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“But probably what makes us the most proud of him and working with him is the way he comes back from those. It doesn’t put him down for too long. Obviously he’s disappointed after those moments. But it’s a day later. We get a phone call. All right, boys, what are we doing? Let’s get back on the court. What are we working towards? What’s the plan? Where are we going? What do we need to do to get better?

“That’s his attitude in tennis and it is his attitude in life. That’s why he’s so great to work with. We spoke about his resilience in those moments, being able to come back and be bigger, stronger and faster whenever he has a bad moment.” 

In Sunday’s final, faced with in-bloom Zverev, who was attacking behind his serve and forehand like never before, Sinner answered the bell with poise and produced his own cool version of heat in the form of flawless serving and decisive play. 

“In this final he needed that to get through this match because he was tested badly against Zverev today,” Cahill said. “He showed amazing resilience. If you don’t have those tough moments, maybe you never grow like he’s been able to grow. We look at it as a big positive in his personality.” 

That ability to respond to challenges posed by looming threats is what will ultimately help Sinner to continue his growth as a player. Already we’ve seen him transform his serve into one of the most lethal in the sport over the last two years. More recently, he has added variety and an element of surprise to his game. The takeaway? He’s not just open to change, he’s hungry for it. All the evolution gives him more tools to use against those who seek to take him down. 

“[Zverev] is now playing a different style of tennis against Jannik,” Cahill said. “We know Jannik is going to have to improve in certain areas to handle that type of game. Carlos is going to come back really strong, as well, as we all hope.

“At 24 years of age, to have a long, successful career, you need to keep adding things to his game.”