Jannik Sinner is already eyeing up Wimbledon after lifting his first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open. The 22-year-old revealed that his goal for 2024 was to improve at the Majors – something he has already accomplished. And the All England Club is his next target as he looks to improve on last year’s semi-final run. Sinner has grown into one of the strongest players on tour since appointing his coaching team of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, and he explained the secret behind their winning chemistry.
Sinner won the biggest title of his career on Sunday, coming from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 and win the Australian Open. The Italian went on an incredible run, ending Novak Djokovic’s six-year, 33-match unbeaten streak in Melbourne when he won their semi-final clash and beating another top-five player in Andrey Rublev in the quarters.
It means that he has already achieved his aim for the season, getting better results at the Grand Slams. But Sinner won’t be stopping at one trophy, as he is keen to keep building at the rest of the Majors – especially Wimbledon. “We haven’t talked about this yet because my big goal this year was to improve my performance in Grand Slams,” the world No. 4 said of his goals for 2024 after arriving at home in Italy with his Australian Open trophy.
“Things haven’t gone badly in the first one, but there are three more left. I would love to improve what I did at Wimbledon last year but I am going to go to every tournament I compete in with the intention of winning.” As well as Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-final and lost to Djokovic last summer, Sinner is also excited to make his Olympic debut.
He added: “I must recognise that the Olympic Games will be a key moment for me and can be decisive in marking my personal development. I want to meet the best athletes in the world and learn things from them. Since it is not played every year, it will be one of the most important events on my calendar.”
Sinner has already collected some hardware for his country, helping Italy win the Davis Cup in November. It was part of his spectacular end to 2023, which also saw him lift titles in Beijing and Vienna, and reach the final of the ATP Finals. The 22-year-old had long been tipped for greatness but has finally been able to take things to the next level and realise his potential.
His coaching team of Vagnozzi and Cahill have been a huge part of his growth as a player, as Sinner parted ways with Riccardo Piatti at the beginning of 2022 and hired Vagnozzi in February, with Cahill – a former coach of Andre Agassi and Simona Halep – joining the team in summer. The duo won the ATP’s Coach of the Year award in 2023 and Sinner has now shared the secret of what makes their team work so well.
“They have an open mind and know how to work together,” he explained. “Neither of them wants to impose their criteria and that is key. What I work on most with Simone is the tactical and technical part, he knows me well and knows which shots I should work on the most, in addition to helping me a lot in the selection of shots.
“Darren has an incredible career as a coach, he knows how to bring the number 1 to people and is a master when it comes to managing pressure. With him I focus more on mental aspects of the game.”
Sinner’s work ethic has also been a key part of his improvement, and the 22-year-old showed his dedication as he got straight back in the gym after arriving in Rome. He is next set to compete in the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, where he finished as the runner-up last year.
