Jannik Sinner’s head coach Darren Cahill revealed his ward gave his all on the court against Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros Final in Paris at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Sinner suffered a heartbreaking loss against the Spaniard in a five-set thriller.
The Italian had three championship points in the fourth set, but he could not convert them as Alcaraz held his nerve. Cahill admitted they were disappointed after the result, but at the same time, they were happy that Sinner gave his 120% on the court.
Sinner won the opening two sets and looked in control, but he could not win the crucial points in the fourth and fifth sets.
Darren Cahill said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, ’And with that, they have great self-awareness. I think Carlos has it as well. I think he’s very aware of his surroundings, very aware of his success and his popularity. And Jannik is as well, and all at the same time, he’s able to keep his feet on the ground.
‘So what you see from the outside, you know, we were so damn proud of him, regardless of whether he won or lost that match. Obviously, we wanted him to win that match, we were heartbroken not to win it, but you send a player on the court, the one thing you ask for is for that player to give them everything you have. That’s it as a coach, and he gave us more than that.
‘So, when you look at a tennis match, the way it was played, how good it was, how well those two guys competed, no toilet breaks, no physios, no trainers, no complaining, just pure five and a half hours of brilliant tennis, business-like tennis, great respect between the two players. You can’t ask for anything more as a coach.
The Australian said his respect for his pupil even increased after marathon match of five hours and 29 minutes between the two future superstars.
‘So, regardless of the result, I take my hat off to Carlos. He’s an amazing young man, we have an incredible respect for him, but believe it or not, I’ve been with Jannik for over three years now. I have more respect for him now watching after that match in the Roland Garros final than I had before that, and that’s hard to say because I know him pretty damn well. So, for me, that was the biggest takeaway from that French Open final.’
Alcaraz and Sinner would look to be at their best in the grass season.
