Jannik Sinner‘s coach, Darren Cahill, revealed how his protégé reacted to the criticism surrounding his doping ban.
Sinner tested positive for clostebol at the 2024 Indian Wells Open. He then waited for almost a year to finally find out the verdict of his case. He was first cleared of any wrongdoing, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the decision.
The case was supposed to be decided at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but Sinner and WADA agreed on a three-month suspension away from the court.
Throughout the whole process, many of the 23-year-old’s colleagues voiced their opinions about his doping ban. Most of the criticism was directed at the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and WADA for how they handled the case, but Sinner himself received some criticism as well.
As a very young player, that might be challenging to deal with, but his coach, Darren Cahill, revealed that wasn’t the issue for the three-time Grand Slam champion.
Cahill recently appeared on Caroline Garcia’s Tennis Insider Club podcast. The 59-year-old coach revealed that Sinner has handled the case very well.
“This is what he loves doing. This is his purpose in life, to get up there and compete and play hard and enjoy himself, so it has been remarkable. I think he gave me this quote, I didn’t tell him this quote, this is coming from a 23-year-old. Because we have been talking about all the noise, some from players, some from coaches, some from the media around his particular case.”
The Australian coach emphasized that his player’s case involved involuntary contamination, despite it being caused by a team member.
“His is an involuntary contamination, so a lot of the times you return a positive test is from medicine or supplements. So, it’s voluntary contamination. There is always a ban that applies to that, whether it’s one month or a little longer.”
“His is involuntary, and not only is it involuntary, but it’s from a person who gave a spray to treat to physio for a cut finger, and somehow that got pushed across to Jannik.”
But what struck Cahill the most was how Sinner reacted to those criticizing him. The Italian player told his coach that he wouldn’t listen to criticism from someone he wouldn’t seek advice from.
This maturity surprised the seasoned coach. Sinner is still only 23, and Cahill found his approach impressive.
“But he said to me the other day: ‘Don’t concern yourself with the criticism of someone you wouldn’t take advice from.’ I am looking at him thinking: ‘Are you 23 years of age?’ I know that’s a quote that is out there, but coming from him, it’s like: ‘Okay, let’s move on.’ He is a mature young man, he is a good young man, and I know Italy is very proud of him – and they should be.”
