Jannik Sinner maintains a reasonably good support team that facilitates him on the tour but not all members travel with him all the time. The 22-year-old says that while every member of the team is important to him but he has to make some tweaks at times.
The world No. 7 asserted that it is always good to surround you with diversity of opinions and voices.
“I would describe my team as nice people, happy people,” Sinner told ATPTOUR.com.
“Everyone knows very well what he has to do. I feel good with them and lucky to have them, so I think it is a very good team.
“Everyone is very important for me because for me it’s sometimes also good to mix it up a little bit.
“You don’t go to every tournament with the same people, but to have different voices sometimes, it’s very good. I think everyone is very important for me, because also with two different tennis coaches sometimes to have new things coming, you learn new things.”
The 2023 Canadian Open champion would not delve into someone’s professional history before taking them on board and adding them to his team. Sinner also discussed about the importance of being comfortable with his team.
“When I ask someone to join my team it’s not only if they are the best in their work but also how I feel with them,” said Sinner. “For me that is very important because we spend not only the time when we work together, but also at dinner and in the morning.
“I see more of them than my family, so you have to feel very comfortable. They also have to understand my problems, as I sometimes have to understand their problems even if they are a little bit older than I am. It is just important to talk about everything very openly.”
Coached by Simone Vagnozzi, the Sinner had recently added Darren Cahill to his support staff to complete the triangle.
Vagnozzi feels that working in tandem with Cahill is great and the staffers gel well to produce results for their Sinner.
“Normally we are two coaches on the team, me and Darren Cahill,” explained Vagnozzi.
“Sometimes we are together, sometimes we are alone with Jannik. Normally I do the technical stuff on the court. [Giacomo and Umberto] do the physical stuff before, then we go to the court and play for one hour and a half, normally with another player. We play some points, do some drills, and in the afternoon, we do one hour of technique. Serve, volley, slice. Normally this is the routine.
“The relationship is really good. Darren is a really nice person and also has an unbelievable [work record],” said Vagnozzi.
“Umberto the fitness coach I’ve known for many years because we worked together with Cecchinato and Travaglia. The physio Giacomo is new, but he is a really nice guy, young. Right now, everything is working well.”
Cahill who formerly coached Simona Halep said that that his role with the Italian was more about mental game rather than tactics or technical assistance.
“My role is more about the experience and how to help him mentally in these big moments, and to make sure that we’re working on the right stuff that eventually is going to get him to the place we want to be,” Cahill explained.
“To help Umberto and Giacomo [as well] and work out when we need to practise for an extra 45 minutes, or when it’s good to send him back to the hotel to rest.
“It’s just the little things that make a big difference in a player’s career, and that’s kind of my role, more of an overseer of the team. So far, it’s been really enjoyable, and I love it.”