"Eerily similar" - Andre Agassi's ex-coach compares Jannik Sinner's Australian Open triumph to American's French Open 1999 win
Andre Agassi's former coach, Brad Gilbert, has drawn a comparison between Jannik Sinner's win in the 2024 Australian Open final and Agassi's triumph at the 1999 French Open.
Despite his dominant run to the final, losing only one set to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, Sinner made a slow start in the final and allowed Daniil Medvedev to claim a two-set lead. However, the Italian maintained his composure and fought back, ultimately securing a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title.
Following his triumph, Brad Gilbert took to social media and asserted that Jannik Sinner's win over Medvedev in the final was "eerily similar" to how his former protege Andre Agassi won the 1999 French Open title.
Agassi achieved the coveted career Grand Slam by winning the Roland Garros title that year, overcoming a two-set deficit to beat Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the summit clash.
Gilbert highlighted another "crazy" similarity between Sinner and Agassi's wins, pointing out that they both defeated players with 'Medvedev' as their last names.
"That match tonight was so eerily similar to @AndreAgassi win at the 99 @rolandgarros final down 2 sets and 4 all in the 3rd set, both did not drop serv in final 3 sets, and crazy AA @janniksin beat Medvedev," Andre Agassi's ex-coach posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"It is the strategy that I used with Andre Agassi" - Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill on Italian skipping all tournaments before Australian Open
Jannik Sinner and his coaching team made the bold choice for him to skip all warm-up tournaments prior to his Australian Open campaign.
His coach, Darren Cahill, disclosed that the Italian's participation in the Davis Cup at the end of the 2023 season influenced this decision, sharing that the move aimed at protecting the 22-year-old's mental and physical well-being.
"The Davis Cup made the difference: 5 more matches in Malaga, the competitive season ended on 26 November. With joy, but further than we thought. We considered not stressing Jannik Sinner with a tournament before Melbourne to protect his mind and body," he told Italian publication Corriere Della Serra.
Drawing from his experience of coaching Andre Agassi, Cahill highlighted the effectiveness of this strategy and emphasized the importance of Sinner making a fresh start to the season in Melbourne.
"It is the strategy that, in the five years that I coached him, I used with Agassi. This way he has more margin for recovery, and skiing these days in South Tyrol, in moderation, is an integral part of the boy's well-being. Starting fresh will be crucial," he added.
Cahill's daring strategy ultimately proved successful, as Sinner clinched his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.