Darren Cahill says Jannik Sinner is now benefiting from the same phenomenon that helped Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras

Follow us on Google Discover

Jannik Sinner continues to impress in 2025, having lost only one match all year.

The world number one began his 2025 campaign in fine form when Sinner defended his Australian Open title, beating Alexander Zverev in the final.

Sinner was then suspended for three months before returning to action at his home Italian Open.

There, Sinner lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final, 6-7, 1-6, suffering his first defeat in seven months.

Bouncing back in Paris, Sinner eased into the semi-finals without dropping a set, taking down the likes of Jiri Lehecka and Andrey Rublev.

Speaking ahead of Sinner’s semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic, his coach Darren Cahill gave his verdict on why the Italian has enjoyed so much success recently.

Darren Cahill says Jannik Sinner is being pushed to greatness as Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were

During an interview with Sky Sports, Cahill was asked for his thoughts on the ‘golden age’ of Italian tennis.

“It’s been an incredible time for Italian tennis, not just the men’s tennis but the women’s tennis,” he said.

“Women’s tennis has been incredible, not just for the last three or four years but even before that, with Flavia Pennetta winning the US Open, so many great players blazing the trail.

“I actually think that’s helped the men a little bit as well, there’s always this feeling when you have a few players coming through from a country, they push each other, it’s not a jealousy thing, you push a little more, a little harder.”

Cahill explained how the same phenomenon occurred in American tennis with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

“We see that a lot with nations, Americans, they had a group of players coming through with [Andre] Agassi, [Jim] Courier, [Michael] Chang, [Pete] Sampras, and they all pushed each other to be better,” he said.

“I think we’re seeing that with Italian tennis at the moment.”

The four American players Cahill mentioned achieved great things during the late 1990s and early 2000s, combining to win 27 Grand Slam titles.

Sinner’s coach highlighted the one thing that he’s noticed about the ‘family’ of Italian tennis.

“The one thing that stands out for me about the Italians is they all support each other,” said Cahill.

“It seems like a big family, everyone’s really happy that everyone is doing well.

“Everybody’s helping each other, the coaches collaborate, they help each other. It’s got a little, I hate to say it, Australian feel about how everybody helps each other.

“I’m really proud to be playing a tiny part in that as one of Jannik’s coaches.”

Italian tennis has arguably never been stronger than it is today, as seven players from the nation are currently ranked inside the world’s top 50.

Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti have been particularly impressive in 2025, with the pair reaching the semi-finals of both the Italian Open and French Open.

Cahill will certainly hope to see Sinner go all the way in Paris and lift the title on what he now admits is the 23-year-old’s least comfortable surface.

Darren Cahill admits clay will be the ‘last surface’ where Jannik Sinner feels ‘totally comfortable’

The Australian went on to share his thoughts on Sinner’s development on clay courts.

“I think clay is the last surface where he is going to eventually feel totally comfortable,” said Cahill.

“He’s nearly there, he’s getting better every time he plays on clay.”

Cahill revealed the reasons why it has taken longer for Sinner to get to grips with clay than other surfaces.

“The one tough thing for somebody that maybe doesn’t enjoy playing on clay as much as hard courts is that we don’t play a lot of tournaments on clay, so he doesn’t get to experience that much,” he said.

“This year, he’s only played the two tournaments.”

• 2025 Italian Open – Jannik Sinner lost in F to Carlos Alcaraz
• 2025 French Open – Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic in SF

The 59-year-old explained what makes clay so special and briefly gave his opinion on Sinner’s French Open chances.

“It’s the movement, the changing of the shot, the redirection, the drop shots, defending the drop shots, it’s the little stuff that makes clay so exciting to play on because it’s not just wham bam tennis,” said Cahill.

“You have to have variation, you have to be creative, you have to find different ways to win points.

“To do that, you need a lot of practice, and we haven’t had a great deal of practice on that in matches so far this season.

“Eventually, he’ll get there. He might be able to get there in a few days’ time, you never know, but he’s getting better every time he steps onto a clay court.”

It remains to be seen if Sinner can win his first Roland Garros title in 2025, but he will first need to get past Djokovic, whom he plays in the semi-final on Friday, June 6.