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World no. 1 men’s tennis player Jannik Sinner is looking to defend his Wimbledon title this weekend, but first, he’ll have to defeat Novak Djokvoic in the semifinals.
Sinner is supported by his two coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, who often wear matching outfits in his player’s box, particularly at Wimbledon. “You need to ask my team. Not me,” Sinner said this week about his team’s matching hats. “No I’m not in charge. The only color I don’t like is a white hat for a certain reason. We don’t have a good win percentage when they have a white cap. But the rest they choose.”
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Darren Cahill (2R) in Sinner’s player’s box with Simone Vagnozzi (left) and Umberto Ferrara, Sinner’s fitness coach.
Here, get to know Sinner’s coaching team:
Darren Cahill
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Cahill and Sinner at the French Open.
Cahill, a former Australian tennis player, joined Sinner’s team back in 2022, just six months after Vangozzi. He has previously coached Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, and Simona Halep, among other high-profile players.
When he joined Sinner’s team, he first starting focusing on the Italian player’s serve. “One thing I did say is, ’The serve needs to improve. You’re six foot four and you’re a strong lad’,” Cahill said last year. “’You need to be able to get more miles per hour on that first serve, better direction on that first serve. Then not only do you start winning some free points from your first serve, but also your Plus One becomes much more effective. If people can neutralise your serve, you have to work much harder for your points.’
“Then his questions came, one after the other… It’s typical of him. He wants to compete. He’s a competition animal. We’re seeing an incredible level of tennis at the moment, with Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik. If you look at their body of work over the past couple of years, they’ve separated themselves from the field. Now it’s up to the field to chase.”
Cahill had previously said he was going to stop coaching Sinner at the end of 2025 to spend more time at home in Australia, but he decided to stay on. Cahill also works as an ESPN analyst.
Simone Vagnozzi
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Vagnozzi looks on as Sinner practices.
Vagnozzi, another professional tennis player, started coaching Sinner in February 2022. “As we always say in our team, the important thing is trying to work and prepare as well as possible to have the chance to compete and win titles as much as possible. The important thing for us is to have the peace of mind that we have done things as well as possible.” Vagnozzi told ATPTour.com.
He explained the dynamic with Cahill. “I have to say that I’m so lucky to have met someone like Darren, both professionally and personally. We connected immediately, and that undoubtedly helped us in our journey. It’s never easy to find that chemistry, but we’ve always prioritized Jannik’s interests.”
He added, “In practice, we have different roles; I’m responsible for the more technical and tactical side of things, and he is more in charge of the mental and emotional aspects. Of course, we share everything, and the most important thing is that the player always hears one united voice.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.