Jannik Sinner's coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi being snubbed by ATP in Coach of the Year nominations baffles tennis insider
Jannik Sinner's coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi have conspicuously been left off the nominees for the ATP Coach of the Year award. Tennis journalist Jose Morgado was taken aback by the snub, especially given the pair's invaluable role in the Italian's historic year.
Sinner produced exceptional results during his groundbreaking 2024 season, kicking things off by winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old also became the first Italian to attain the World No. 1 ranking and went on to win his second Major crown at the US Open.
Furthermore, Sinner won three ATP Masters titles in Miami, Cincinnati and Shanghai. He also delighted the home crowd in Turin by clinching his maiden ATP Finals title and finished his year strong by leading Italy to a successful title defense at the Davis Cup Finals.
Despite all his success, Jannik Sinner's coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, did not receive a nomination for ATP Coach of the Year, a year after bagging the honor.
Instead, Taylor Fritz's coach Michael Russell, Tommy Paul's coach Brad Stine, Alexei Popyrin's coach Xavier Malisse, Jack Draper's coach James Trotman, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's coach Emmanuel Planque earned the coveted nominations.
Tennis journalist Jose Morgado was bewildered by Cahill and Vagnozzi being snubbed, questioning the rationale behind the decision.
"Not having Cahill and Vagnozzi here is... a choice," Morgado posted.
Jannik Sinner, for his part, has often spoken highly of Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, acknowledging their contributions to his success. The 23-year-old also credited Cahill for making him feel "safe and protected" after his positive doping tests.
Jannik Sinner: "I feel very good with the mix of Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi... I'm lucky to have this kind of team"
During a press conference at the 2024 US Open, Jannik Sinner opened up about the improvements in his movement, physicality and serve under the tutelage of his coaches. The Italian credited Darren Cahill for always understanding his needs and inspiring confidence, all while pushing him to work harder.
"The movement, I have improved, the physical aspect. And also the serve I feel like I have improved, especially the second serve. So I feel like these are the three things," Jannik Sinner said.
"What Darren always tell me, he's very good, because he understands the position where I am in and the problems that I had throughout this period, and he's a person who understands that, and he still gives you confidence, but he also wants that you work. You know, it's a great mix of many things. There is not only one," he added.
Sinner also highlighted the unique dynamic between Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, disclosing that he felt very fortunate that they respected one another and collaborated effectively despite their differing approaches.
"So for me, I feel very good with him, with the mix of Darren and Simone. They are two different coaches, completely different, but they work very well together. They have big respect to each other, and this is great to see. It's also difficult to find two coaches who are different but still working very good together. I'm lucky to have this kind of team, and we try to push forward," he said.
Jannik Sinner recently reflected on his historic 2024 season in an emotional letter to himself, expressing his gratitude for the unwavering support of "important people" who stood by him during the highs and lows of the year.