An Australian coaching master could hold the key to ending the reign of Wimbledon men's champion Novak Djokovic.
Jannik Sinner, the latest to have a crack at dethroning the seemingly untouchable seven-time champ in Friday's semi-final, believes that Darren Cahill's input is key to helping him end Djokovic's decade-long unbeaten streak on Centre Court.
Sinner, the 21-year-old Italian world No.8, came as close as anyone to ending that dominant streak last year when he held a two-set lead over Djokovic in the quarter-finals before being hauled back.
The near-miss prompted Sinner's team to bring Cahill on board, hoping one of the sport's most celebrated 'super coaches' could join forces with head coach Simone Vagnozzi to make the crucial difference for one of the most exciting talents in the game.
And already the 57-year-old Adelaide coach, a former US Open semi-finalist himself who guided the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep to the summit, has been hailed by Sinner for his contribution.
"For sure, Darren knows a little bit better how to behave in certain moments like this, something new for me," said Sinner, after booking his place in his first grand slam semi-final.
"He knows how to deal with it because he had obviously other players who were much better than me. It is good to have him. He gives me a lot of confidence.
"He is also a very nice person, who you can smile with, you can joke around. But he always finds the right words. Especially before the matches, he knows what to say, which makes me feel good, comfortable."
His key piece of advice to the Italian, whenever the vagaries of grass courts start to frustrate Sinner, is "stay friendly with the grass".
"This is a quote what Darren gave me, because you going to have chances, but sometimes there are some strange bounces, or you got unlucky a couple of times because your opponent is serving good," said Sinner.
"You have to always have the right mindset, which is very important. Also sometimes trying to smile because you also have to enjoy to play here."
