Nick Kyrgios offered Jannik Sinner a coaching spot in his team following the 22-year-old’s Australian Open win, jokingly suggesting that the Italian was the missing piece in his quest to land a Grand Slam.
Playing in his first Grand Slam final, Sinner created a highly impressive comeback to beat Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 and lift his maiden Major title at Melbourne Park. Kyrgios, who missed the Australian Open due to his ongoing wrist injury, was commentating on the Sinner and Medvedev final for Eurosport.
After the Australian Open final, Kyrgios – the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up – interviewed Sinner as the two engaged in a playful conversation.
“Jannik well done, Grand Slam champion, my message to you is how much can I pay you to be my coach so I can win a Grand Slam?” Kyrgios asked Sinner.
Responding to the question, Sinner joked he’d do it “for free” for Kyrgios and also showed some major respect and appreciation for the Australian’s game.
“OK for you maybe I do it for free,” Sinner said.
Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner© Getty Images Sport – Matthew Stockman
Sinner praises Kyrgios, the Australian says he is available for a few drinks
After jokingly stating that he would accept to coach for free if it was Kyrgios in question, the 2024 Australian Open champion wished Kyrgios a speedy return to tennis because he feels the game needs the Australian. Also, Sinner told Kyrgios he is sure he knows how to win a Major.
“You are this kind of player you don’t see around so often. Your game style, your way how to behave on court, and those kind of things, you are different, no? And this kind of player we need.
“So I hope you are getting back – I’m missing you. It was a great emotion to see you after my second-round match, so I hope to see you back as soon as possible. And, also, you are a potential grand slam champion — and I think you know it, so keep it up.”
After hearing Sinner’s response, Kyrgios was pretty evidently thrilled about it. Then, the 28-year-old Australian also made himself available for a couple of drinks in the Italian’s Australian Open win celebration.
“Amazing,” Kyrgios said in response to the Major winner’s kind words. “If there’s any drinks, if you’re celebrating just give me an invite and I’ll have a couple of drinks with you.”
Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner© Getty Images Sport – Ryan Pierse
Kyrgios’ major prediction for Sinner: Now he’s going to be unstoppable
After a couple of lost Grand Slam quarterfinals, Sinner made his maiden Slam semifinal at last year’s Wimbledon, before losing to Novak Djokovic in three sets.
Then, Sinner’s good form continued in the remainder of 2023 as the Italian lifted his maiden Masters title in Toronto and also won ATP 500 titles in Beijing and Vienna, as well as led Italy to their first Davis Cup title since 1976. In late 2023, Sinner also finished as runner-up at the ATP Finals and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world.
After Sinner’s strong end to 2023, the general belief was that the Italian definitely elevated his game to another level and that he could definitely be a strong Grand Slam contender in 2024. In his first Grand Slam tournament of the 2024 season, Sinner started with five consecutive straight-set wins before becoming the first-ever player to beat Djokovic in the semifinal stage at Melbourne Park.
In the Australian Open final, Sinner had his back against the wall after losing the opening two sets to Medvedev. Just when it seemed that Medvedev – who is a Grand Slam champion and was playing in his sixth Slam final – would win the match, Sinner found a way to completely turn around the situation and win the title.
Jannik Sinner© Getty Images Sport – Cameron Spencer
Going forward, Kyrgios expects more big things from Sinner.
“I did predict that he was going to be a new Slam winner in 2024 – whether or not it was this one, it could have been the US Open. This is going to be such a big leapfrog for him, and I think we’re going to see him win plenty more Slams in the next couple of years. Now he’s got this one, he’s going to be unstoppable,” Kyrgios said on Eurosport.
In late May and early June, Sinner will attempt to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the French Open. When Sinner returns to Roland Garros in the spring, he will be making his fifth appearance at the tournament.
So far, Sinner’s best French Open result has been the quarterfinal achieved in his debut in 2020. That year, Sinner reached the quarterfinal before losing to Rafael Nadal.
In the last three years, Sinner didn’t really have much success at the French Open, suffering back-to-back round-of-16 exits in 2021 and 2022 before shockingly losing to Daniel Altmaier in the second round last year.
After a couple of not-so-great French Open runs, there is no doubt that Sinner will be looking to do far better at Roland Garros this year. It remains to be seen if Sinner can make a deep French Open run this year and potentially win back-to-back Grand Slams.
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