Jannik Sinner just pulled off something pretty amazing at Wimbledon – and it might have saved his coaching setup for 2026.
The Italian world No. 1 beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final to win his first Wimbledon title. But here’s the really interesting part: he made a bet with his coach that could change everything.
Darren Cahill was supposed to retire from coaching at the end of this year. The 23-year-old Sinner had already accepted he’d be losing one of his most trusted advisors.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
That was until he came up with a clever plan.
Before the Wimbledon final, Sinner made a deal with Cahill. If he won the championship, he’d get to decide whether his Australian coach stays or goes.
"We made a bet before the final," Sinner revealed after lifting the trophy. "I told him that if I won, I could choose whether he would stay at the end of the year or not. Now the choice is mine."
The win was even more impressive considering what happened just weeks earlier. Sinner had been brutally close to winning the French Open, holding three championship points against Alcaraz before losing in heartbreaking fashion.
To bounce back from that and beat the same opponent at Wimbledon? That’s the kind of mental toughness that separates champions from everyone else.
Sinner credits both Cahill and his other co-coach Simone Vagnozzi for helping him process that Roland Garros disappointment and turn it into motivation.
What This Means for Team Sinner
The relationship between player and coach goes way beyond tennis strategy, and that’s crystal clear with these two.
"I’ve always looked for an honest person who gives me so much, not just on the tennis court, but also in life outside, both in success and disappointment," Sinner explained. "He’s great at that."
Of course, there’s a catch. Even if Cahill does stay, he probably won’t be traveling to as many tournaments as he used to.
Sinner seems totally fine with that arrangement.
"If I choose to stay with him, he probably won’t travel so much anymore, that’s normal," he said. "I’ve always told him I’d like to have him in Australia, because things are going well."
The Australian Open has been Sinner’s most successful Grand Slam so far – he’s won it twice. Having Cahill there for his home tournament makes a lot of sense.
"But I won the bet, now we’ll see."
Avoiding More Changes
Keeping Cahill would bring some much-needed stability to Sinner’s team. The Italian has already dealt with plenty of coaching changes recently.
Just before Wimbledon, he split with fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio after less than a year of working together.
Those two had only joined the team because Sinner had to part ways with his previous fitness coach and physio, who were involved in the contamination incident that led to his positive test for clostebol.
That whole situation resulted in Sinner accepting a three-month ban, even though authorities determined the positive test came from accidental contamination through his former team members.
Talk about a lot of upheaval for someone who’s still just 23 years old.
The fact that Sinner has managed to win four Grand Slam titles while dealing with all these behind-the-scenes changes is pretty remarkable. Most players struggle when their support team keeps shifting around.
The Power of a Good Bet
What started as what seemed like a playful comment earlier in the season – Sinner saying he hoped to convince Cahill to stay – turned into a real opportunity.
The connection between them is obvious to anyone watching. Cahill brings decades of experience and has worked with some of the biggest names in tennis.
For Sinner, having that kind of wisdom and stability in his corner could be huge as he tries to stay at No. 1 and add to his Grand Slam collection.
There’s no official word yet on Cahill’s final decision, and things could still change before the end of the season.
But winning that bet has definitely given Sinner the leverage he wanted. And after the year he’s had – bouncing back from heartbreak in Paris to triumph at Wimbledon – it’s hard to argue he hasn’t earned the right to make that call.
The season’s still got a long way to go, with plenty more tournaments where we’ll see this partnership in action. But one thing’s for sure: that Wimbledon final just became a lot more meaningful than just another Grand Slam title.