Jannik Sinner has dominated the ATP Tour over the past 12 months, winning his first three Grand Slam titles.
Since the beginning of 2024, Sinner has lost just six matches on the ATP Tour, bringing home three Grand Slams, three Masters 1000s, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup during that period.
Sinner beat Alexander Zverev last month to win his third Major at the Australian Open, defending a Grand Slam title for the first time in his career.
The Italian has spent the last 35 weeks as world number one and currently holds a 3,695-point lead over number two-ranked Zverev.
Although it may look as though nothing can stop the 23-year-old, a recent announcement threatened to disrupt his dominance.
Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill will depart his team at the end of 2025, a big loss for the star who has worked with the Australian for the past three years.
Following the news, one former ATP Tour star has revealed whether he would consider coaching Sinner in the future.
Andreas Seppi would happily coach Jannik Sinner ‘in a few years’ but admits now isn’t the right time
During an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, former world number 18, Andreas Seppi was asked whether he sees ‘himself’ in Sinner.
“Rather than seeing myself in him, in recent years it seemed to me that there was a handover between the two of us,” he said.
“I was at the sunset and towards the end, he at the beginning.”
Seppi was then asked if he would consider joining Sinner’s coaching team.
“If there was a chance, how could you say no?” he said.
“However, right now, between family and children, I don’t think it’s the right time.
“Following him around the world would be demanding, but in a few years I would happily train him.”
The three-time ATP Tour champion then gave his thoughts on Andy Murray’s recent comments about coaching, suggesting that it is harder than playing.
“He’s right, in the end, you’re the one who makes the decisions, you know how you feel,” he said.
“Anything can come at you from outside, but it’s the player who decides, and on the pitch, in any case, you’re alone and it’s never easy.”
A former Davis Cup semi-finalist with Italy, Seppi was also asked for his thoughts on the nation’s current crop of talent.
“[Lorenzo] Musetti for sure, he has an incredible talent and it’s beautiful to watch,” he said.
“They’re all doing well, I’m thinking of [Flavio] Cobolli and certainly [Matteo] Berrettini, who is now returning to his level.
“Italy is experiencing a great moment and I’m happy.”
Andreas Seppi remembers shock win over his ‘idol’ Roger Federer at the 2015 Australian Open
Roger Federer entered the 2015 Australian Open having reached at least the semi-finals of the event for the past 11 years without fail.
He breezed through his opening two rounds ten years ago, with comfortable victories over Lu Yen-hsun and Simone Bolelli.
Next up for the Swiss star was Seppi, who hadn’t scored a win over a top-ten opponent in nearly three years.
With the odds stacked against him, the Italian shocked the world number two in four sets, as he dumped the four-time champion out of the Australian Open.
Looking back on the match ten years later, Seppi still remembers all the details from the biggest win of his career.
“Pretty much everything, it literally seems like yesterday,” he said.
“A special win, a special day.
“Roger Federer is everyone’s idol, beating him in itself is something extraordinary, but doing it in a Slam is even more important.”
Seppi became a parent for the first time in 2020 and was jokingly asked whether beating Federer was tougher than being a dad.
“It takes more patience than in tennis, it’s not easy and every now and then it would be nice to have a break because mentally it wears you down,” he said.
“But this is the life I wanted and that I imagined after retiring, so I’m happy.”
Only time will tell if we will see Seppi join Sinner’s coaching team, although it would certainly be interesting to see the two Italian stars join forces.
Sinner is set to return to the court for the Qatar Open in Doha, which begins on February 17.
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