"The moment I stepped on court with Andre Agassi, it was all business": Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill on American's desire to improve even at 32
Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill has spoken up on Andre Agassi's desire to improve even when the American was 32 years old.
Cahill, a former ATP World No. 22 in singles and World No. 10 in doubles, called time on his playing career in 1995 following chronic knee injuries. The Aussie transitioned seamlessly into a coaching role and went on to guide the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, and Simona Halep.
In July 2022, Cahill joined the Sinner's coaching team, and his impact on the Italian has been profound. Under the guidance of Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, Sinner has gone from being a rising talent to a world-beater.
This year, the Italian became a Grand Slam champion for the first time by clinching the Australian Open title. Sinner has also won the Rotterdam Open and more recently, the Miami Open. The 22-year-old's success in Miami has seen him displace Carlos Alcaraz to become the new World No. 2.
Following Sinner's Miami Open triumph, Cahill spoke to the press about Agassi's will to enhance his game despite being 32 when the Aussie became his coach.
"I had a chance to work with Agassi when he was 32 years of age. The moment I stepped on the court with Andre, it was all business and he wanted to become better as a tennis player at 32, better than he was at 22," Cahill said.
Darren Cahill guided Andre Agassi to the final Grand Slam title of his career
After joining Andre Agassi's team as the American's coach, Cahill steered the 32-year-old to the 2003 Australian Open title. It would prove to be Agassi's last Grand Slam triumph. The American defeated Rainer Schuttler in straight sets to win the title in Melbourne.
Later that year, Agassi became World No. 1 again. At the time, he was the oldest player (33 years and 13 days) to become the top-ranked men's tennis player since the ATP ranking system began.
Cahill also oversaw Agassi's remarkable runs to the 2004 Cincinnati Open title and the 2005 US Open final, which the American lost to Roger Federer. Following the 2011 announcement that Agassi would be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Cahill penned a heartfelt tribute to the American. At the time, the Australian was working as an analyst for ESPN.
"He (Agassi) achieved all he set out to in the game, and sits in elite company with some of the all-time greats who have won all four major titles. He was one of the few athletes in any sport that had the ability to transcend the game. He could move a tennis story away from the sports pages and onto the front pages with something as simple as arriving at an event," Cahill wrote (via ESPN).