Jannik Sinner’s success has a lot to do with coach Cahill: Amritraj

CHENNAI: Italy’s Jannik Sinner appears to be by far the most in-form men’s tennis player on the world circuit. Despite facing doping allegations, the world No. 1 did not let that affect him as he asserted his authority by winning the US Open and Australian Open.

Indian legend Vijay Amritraj credited coach Darren Cahill for Sinner’s success. “The one major factor in Sinner’s game has been Cahill. I always knew that Darren had a very strong mental approach, and his ability to impart that to you and help you reach a point where you believe in yourself, where there is no second place for me – only first – has been crucial. And when I see Sinner play, I see a lot of that in him,” Vijay, who introduced Cahill to television, said on the sidelines of the Chennai Open Challenger.

Novak Djokovic’s decision to join forces with coach Andy Murray took Vijay by surprise. Djokovic and his former rival Murray began their partnership at the Australian Open, and the 37-year-old had a decent start to the season, reaching the semifinals.

“I am surprised by Andy’s decision because he has just finished his tennis career, and to jump into something like this... you know, he has a family and would probably want to stay home. But he loves the game so much. I think they are a good match, and Andy can rejuvenate Djokovic to perform better.

“Also, Djokovic’s match against (Carlos) Alcaraz was unbelievable – one of the best matches we have seen in a long time. Alcaraz is marginally more inconsistent mentally. He has more to offer in terms of his game,” Vijay added.

The former Davis Cup finalist was vocal about the US Open’s move to add an extra day to the competition. He also stressed that the ATP reducing the number of 250-level Tour events is not a good sign. “By adding a day, they have killed the ATP 250 tournament the week before. The Slams are very important but let us not forget that you need tournaments in every part of the world. To become a Djokovic, (Roger) Federer, or (Rafael) Nadal, you still need other players to beat, right? These five or six guys alone cannot go and play the Grand Slams. You need another 100 players in the draw. So, I do not understand why they do not allow others to host tournaments.”

'Trying to bring a big tournament to India'

India lost its right to host an ATP 250 event a few years ago. In 2022, the country hosted a WTA 250 Tour event, but it has not been a permanent fixture on the calendar. Vijay has been pushing to host a top-level event in India but to no avail. “If you want to be a global sport, you need to have an event in India. When I was playing in the 70s and 80s, we had tournaments across all capitals in Asia. And you are saying none of this is possible? I am being very vocal with these guys about doing this,” said Vijay, who is the president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA).