Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta has an interesting take on what prompted Darren Cahill to continue working with Jannik Sinner beyond 2025 as the 1976 French Open champion believes the Australian coach is staying because he believes the world No. 2can complete a Calendar Grand Slam next season.
Sinner dropped a bombshell at the start of the Australian Open, announcing that Cahill would depart his team after the 2025 season. The two started working in mid-2022 - and since then - the 24-year-old has undergone a complete transformation. Now, the Italian is a four-time Grand Slam champion - has been ranked at No. 1 for 66 weeks - and has won 18 titles since appointing the 60-year-old as his coach.
Throughout the year, it was speculated whether Cahill would change his mind. In the end, exactly that happened.
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Panatta: Cahill is staying because he believes Sinner can win a Calendar Grand Slam
I have my own opinion on Cahill. I think hes staying because he believes Sinner can win a [Calendar] Grand Slam. Its extremely difficult: its no coincidence that no one has managed to do so since Rod Laver, but the possibility is there. And he would like to be able to say hes the coach of the player who achieved a Grand Slam," Panatta said on the Domenica Sportiva programme on Italian TV channel Rai 2.
After suffering a heartbreaking French Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner was told by his coach that he would let him decide what to do with the collaboration if he won Wimbledon. And that happened after the Italian clinched a four-set win over Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
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The bet right before the Wimbledon final was if he won, he got to choose what I would do in 2026 regarding him," the Australian coach noted at the ATP Finals.
Meanwhile, Sinner defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in his opening ATP Finals match and plays next against Alexander Zverev.
