Jannik Sinner Loses His Cool and Swears at His Coach During Paris Masters Quarter-Final
Look, we’ve all been there. You’re having one of those days where nothing’s going right, and suddenly you’re snapping at the people trying to help you. But when you’re Jannik Sinner—currently the world No. 2 and having an otherwise stellar season—and you start dropping F-bombs at your coaching team during a quarter-final match, well, that’s when things get interesting.
Sinner’s Frustration Boils Over Mid-Match
Friday night at the Paris Masters saw a side of Sinner that fans don’t usually witness. The Italian was cruising through his quarter-final against Ben Shelton, taking the first set 6-3 and jumping ahead 3-1 in the second. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. Then the wheels came off, just a little.
After earning that break, Sinner glanced toward his box and started muttering. What happened next? He got broken to love. Immediately. And that’s when things got spicy. The 24-year-old marched over to his team during the changeover and asked them—in what can only be described as colorful language—why they were “f***ing sitting.”
Yes, you read that right. Sinner wanted his team on their feet, cheering him on, and he wasn’t exactly polite about it. Commentator Adam Fielder noted, “You don’t often see that from Sinner. I think he was just asking his team to stand up, they found that quite amusing. Darren Cahill staying firmly seated.”
The Coach in Question: Darren Cahill’s Uncertain Future
Here’s where things get even more complicated. That outburst was directed at none other than Darren Cahill, one of the most respected coaches in tennis and someone Sinner has described as being “like a second father” to him. But here’s the kicker—Cahill announced at the beginning of this season that 2025 would be his last year working with Sinner.
After Sinner’s Wimbledon victory this summer, there seemed to be some hope that Cahill might reconsider. When asked about staying on, Cahill dodged the question entirely, saying, “I don’t want to answer this. You know what, you just need to ask Jannik that.”
Sinner himself has been trying to play it cool while clearly hoping to convince Cahill to stick around. Speaking ahead of the Vienna Open last week, he admitted, “We haven’t talked yet, to be honest. We said we are going to finish the year, and then we might ask him for a long chat, trying to convince him. But in any case, if he stays or not, he has been an amazing person and obviously a coach for me to hold the whole team together in the tough moments.”
So yeah, maybe yelling at your coach mid-match isn’t the best strategy when you’re actively trying to convince him to stay? Just a thought.
Sinner Recovers to Seal Victory
Despite the mid-match drama, Sinner managed to pull himself together. After that brief moment of tension, his team responded with cheers of “Forza!” (which translates to “Come on!” or “Let’s go!” in Italian), and the world No. 2 got back to business.
He broke Shelton again at the end of the second set—courtesy of a double fault from the American—and served out the match with a winner to seal a 6-3, 6-3 victory in just over an hour. It marked Sinner’s first semi-final appearance at the Paris Masters and extended his indoor winning streak to an impressive 24 matches dating back to November 2023.
But let’s be real here: Sinner hasn’t looked like himself this week. He admitted after his match against Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday that he wasn’t at 100 percent physically, saying, “It’s clear I’m not at 100 per cent.” Against Shelton, he looked similarly rocky at times, even if the scoreline suggests otherwise.
What’s Really Going on With Sinner?
It’s worth noting that this isn’t just about one bad day or a random outburst. Sinner has been dealing with some physical struggles, and you can see it affecting both his play and his demeanor on court. When you’re not feeling your best and things start slipping away from you—even momentarily—it’s natural for emotions to run high.
The Italian has been open about not being in peak condition this week, which makes his advancement to the semi-finals all the more impressive. But it also explains why he might be a bit more on edge than usual. When you’re trying to push through physical discomfort while maintaining your status as one of the best players in the world, patience can wear thin pretty quickly.
What This Means for Sinner’s Season
Sinner is now through to face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals—a rematch of their recent encounter at the Vienna Open, where Sinner came from a set down to win in three. If he can capture the title in Paris, it would be his fifth of the season and his first at an ATP Masters 1000 event this year. It would also see him return to world No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, though that would only last a few weeks before the Live Race to Turin rankings drop.
The real question is: can Sinner maintain his composure while dealing with whatever physical issues are bothering him? And more importantly, will this little spat with his coaching team have any lasting impact—especially given Cahill’s uncertain future with the Italian?
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, everyone has moments where their frustration gets the better of them. Even the most composed athletes in the world can snap under pressure, especially when they’re not feeling 100 percent and the stakes are high. What matters is how Sinner bounces back from this—both in terms of his relationship with his team and his performance on court.
One thing’s for sure: if Sinner wants to convince Darren Cahill to stick around for another year, he might want to work on those anger management skills. Or at least save the F-bombs for after the match.
