Darren Cahill

Darren Cahill
Country (sports) Australia
ResidenceAdelaide, Australia[1]
Born (1965-10-02) 2 October 1965 (age 59)
Adelaide, Australia
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro1984
Retired1995
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$ 1,349,247
Singles
Career record133–122
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 22 (24 April 1989)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1985, 1989, 1991)
French Open3R (1985, 1987, 1989)
Wimbledon2R (1988, 1990, 1994)
US OpenSF (1988)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games2R (1988)
Doubles
Career record192–138
Career titles13
Highest rankingNo. 10 (7 August 1989)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenF (1989)
French Open3R (1987, 1988)
WimbledonQF (1987, 1989)
US OpenQF (1989)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsRR (1990)
Olympic GamesQF (1988)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (1988, 1995)
French OpenQF (1989)
WimbledonF (1987)
US OpenQF (1986)
Coaching career
Coaching achievements
List of notable tournaments
(with champion)
Last updated on: 29 January 2024.

Darren Cahill (born 2 October 1965) is an Australian tennis coach and former professional tennis player. In addition, Cahill is a tennis analyst for the Grand Slam events on the US sports network ESPN and a coach with the Adidas Player Development Program and at ProTennisCoach.com.

Early life and education

Cahill is the son of Australian rules football player and coach John Cahill. After high school he attended the Australian Institute of Sport on a scholarship.[2]

Career

Player

Cahill turned professional in 1984. He won his first tour doubles title in 1985 at the Melbourne Outdoor tournament. In 1987, he won his first top-level singles title at New Haven.

Cahill's best singles performance at a Grand Slam event came at the 1988 US Open, where he knocked out Lawson Duncan, Boris Becker, Marcelo Ingaramo (a walkover after Ingaramo withdrew), Martin Laurendeau, and Aaron Krickstein on the way to reaching the semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion Mats Wilander.

In 1989, Cahill finished runner-up in men's doubles at the Australian Open partnering fellow Aussie Mark Kratzmann. Also with Kratzmann, Cahill won the ATP Championships in Cincinnati.

Cahill was a member of the Australian team which reached the final of the Davis Cup in 1990. The team lost 3–2 to the United States in the final. Cahill compiled a 6–4 career Davis Cup record (4–0 in doubles and 2–4 in singles).

Cahill won his last tour singles title in 1991 at San Francisco. His last doubles title came in 1994 in Sydney.

In 1989, Cahill's reached his career peak doubles ranking of world No. 10 and his peak singles ranking of no. 22 in 1989.[3] After chronic knee injuries and ten operations, he retired from the professional tour in 1995.[3]

Coach

Cahill coaching in 2007

Since retiring from the tour, Cahill has been a successful tennis coach and guided Lleyton Hewitt to become the second youngest player ever ranked world No. 1.[3] After Hewitt, Cahill coached Andre Agassi, who under Cahill became the oldest player ever to be ranked world no. 1 in May 2003. Cahill joined the Adidas Player Development Program after Agassi retired in 2006 and has worked with high-profile players, including Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, Fernando Verdasco, Daniela Hantuchová, Sorana Cîrstea, and Simona Halep. In 2017 and 2018, he coached Halep to No.1 on the WTA Tour and the 2018 French Open championship. After a year away, Cahill rejoined with Halep in 2020.

In addition to coaching individual players, Cahill was the Australian Davis Cup coach from 2007 until February 2009. He is also an Adidas talent scout and works with promising junior players worldwide.[4] He is now a member of the Adidas Player Development Program.[3] With Roger Rasheed, Brad Gilbert, and Paul Annacone, Cahill is a coach at ProTennisCoach.com, an open-access, professional coaching website.[5] Cahill is also involved with PlaySight Interactive, a sports technology company behind the SmartCourt. Along with Paul Annacone, he heads up PlaySight's Coaching and Player Development team, helping the company to bring its technology to more tennis coaches and players across the world.[6]

In January 2022, Cahill began coaching tennis player Amanda Anisimova as a trial coach.[7] He joined Simone Vagnozzi as a coach for Jannik Sinner in July 2022.[8] The pair received the Coach of the Year award at the 2023 ATP Awards.[9]

In 2024, Cahill coached Sinner to win the Australian Open[10] and the US Open.

Media

Since 2007, Cahill is a tennis analyst for the global sports network ESPN for three of the four major tennis Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He also works for the Australian television network Channel 7 for the Hopman Cup and Australian Open.[11]

Personal life

Cahill and his wife Victoria married in 2000.[12] They have two children, Benjamin and Tahlia.

Cahill's nickname is Killer.[11]

ATP career finals

Singles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Legend
Grand Slam Tournaments (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP Masters 1000 Series (0–0)
ATP 500 Series (0–0)
ATP 250 Series (2–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–1)
Carpet (1–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoors (1–1)
Indoors (1–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Jul 1988 Gstaad, Switzerland Grand Prix Clay Switzerland Jakob Hlasek 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–2)
Loss 1–1 Jul 1990 Newport, United States World Series Grass South Africa Pieter Aldrich 6–7(10–12), 6–1, 1–6
Win 2–1 Feb 1991 San Francisco, United States World Series Carpet United States Brad Gilbert 6–2, 3–6, 6–4

Doubles: 20 (13–7)

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–1)
ATP World Tour Masters Series (1–1)
ATP World Series since 1990 (3–3)
ATP International Series since 1990 (0–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (8–4)
Clay (0–1)
Grass (5–1)
Carpet (0–2)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. 23 December 1985 Melbourne, Australia Grass Australia Peter Carter United States Brett Dickinson
Argentina Roberto Saad 		7–6, 6–1
Loss 1. 9 Jun 1986 Queen's Club, London, England Grass Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Kevin Curren
France Guy Forget 		2–6, 6–7
Loss 2. 13 September 1987 Bordeaux, France Clay Australia Mark Woodforde Spain Sergio Casal
Spain Emilio Sánchez 		3–6, 3–6
Win 2. 12 October 1987 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Australia Mark Kratzmann Germany Boris Becker
United States Robert Seguso 		6–3, 6–2
Win 3. 28 December 1987 Adelaide, Australia Hard Australia Mark Kratzmann Australia Carl Limberger
Australia Mark Woodforde 		4–6, 6–2, 7–5
Win 4. 4 January 1988 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Grass Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Joey Rive
United States Bud Schultz 		7–6, 6–4
Win 5. 25 April 1988 Hamburg, West Germany Grass Australia Laurie Warder United States Rick Leach
United States Jim Pugh 		6–4, 6–4
Win 6. 10 October 1988 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Australia John Fitzgerald United States Marty Davis
Australia Brad Drewett 		6–3, 6–2
Win 7. 9 January 1989 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Hard Australia Wally Masur South Africa Pieter Aldrich
South Africa Danie Visser 		6–4, 6–3
Loss 3. 16 January 1989 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Rick Leach
United States Jim Pugh 		4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win 8. 12 June 1989 Queen's Club, London, England Grass Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Tim Pawsat
Australia Laurie Warder 		7–6, 6–3
Win 9. 2 October 1989 Brisbane, Australia Hard Australia Mark Kratzmann Australia Broderick Dyke
Australia Simon Youl 		6–4, 5–7, 6–0
Loss 4. 9 October 1989 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Scott Warner
United States David Pate 		3–6, 7–6, 5–7
Win 10. 26 February 1990 Memphis, Tennessee Hard (i) Australia Mark Kratzmann Germany Udo Riglewski
Germany Michael Stich 		7–5, 6–2
Win 11. 9 September 1990 Newport, Rhode Island Grass Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Todd Nelson
United States Bryan Shelton 		7–6, 6–2
Win 12. 6 October 1990 Cincinnati, Ohio Hard Australia Mark Kratzmann United Kingdom Neil Broad
South Africa Gary Muller 		7–6, 6–2
Loss 5. 29 October 1990 Paris, France Carpet Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Scott Davis
United States David Pate 		7–5, 3–6, 4–6
Loss 6. 7 January 1991 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Hard Australia Mark Kratzmann United States Scott Davis
United States David Pate 		6–3, 3–6, 2–6
Win 13. 10 January 1994 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Hard Australia Sandon Stolle Australia Mark Kratzmann
Australia Laurie Warder 		6–1, 7–6
Loss 7. 31 January 1994 Dubai, United Arab Republic Hard Australia John Fitzgerald Australia Todd Woodbridge
Australia Mark Woodforde 		7–6, 4–6, 2–6

Mixed doubles: 1 (0–1)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponent Score
Loss 1987 Wimbledon Grass Australia Nicole Provis United Kingdom Jo Durie
United Kingdom Jeremy Bates		 6–7(10–12), 3–6

Performance timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open Q3 2R 3R A 1R 2R 3R 1R 3R A A 1R 0 / 8 8–8 50%
French Open A A 3R 2R 3R 1R 3R 1R A A A 1R 0 / 7 7–7 50%
Wimbledon A A Q2 1R Q2 2R 1R 2R A A A 2R 0 / 5 3–5 38%
US Open A A A 1R 2R SF 2R 4R A A A A 0 / 5 10–5 67%
Win–loss 0–0 1–1 4–2 1–3 3–3 7–4 5–4 4–4 2–1 0–0 0–0 1–3 0 / 25 28–25 53%
National Representation
Summer Olympics NH A Not Held 2R Not Held A NH 0 / 1 1–1 50%
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A A A A A 3R 2R 3R 3R A A QF 0 / 5 10–5 67%
Miami A A A A 3R 2R 3R 1R 3R A A A 0 / 5 6–5 55%
Monte Carlo A A A A A 1R A A A A A A 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Hamburg A A A A 2R 3R 1R A A A A Q1 0 / 3 3–3 50%
Rome A A A A A A 3R A A A A Q3 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Canada A A A A A A A 3R A A A A 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Cincinnati A A A A A 1R A 3R A A A A 0 / 2 2–2 50%
Paris A A A A A 1R A A A A A A 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–2 5–6 5–4 6–4 3–2 0–0 0–0 3–1 0 / 19 25–19 57%

Doubles

Tournament 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A 1R 2R A QF 3R F QF 3R A A 1R 1R 0 / 9 15–9 63%
French Open A A A 1R 2R 3R 3R 1R 1R 2R A A 2R A 0 / 8 7–8 47%
Wimbledon A A A 1R 2R QF 2R QF 1R A A A 1R A 0 / 7 8–7 53%
US Open A A A A 1R 1R 3R QF 1R A A A 2R A 0 / 6 6–6 50%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–3 2–3 7–4 7–4 11–4 3–4 3–2 0–0 0–0 2–4 0–1 0 / 30 36–30 55%
National Representation
Summer Olympics NH A Not Held QF Not Held A Not Held 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Year-end Championships
ATP Finals Did not qualify RR Did not qualify 0 / 1 0–3 0%
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A A A A A 1R 2R 1R 2R 2R A A SF A 0 / 6 5–6 45%
Miami A A A A A 1R 2R QF SF 3R A A A A 0 / 5 8–5 62%
Monte Carlo A A A A A 1R 2R A A A A A A A 0 / 2 0–2 0%
Hamburg A A A A A 2R W A A A A A 2R A 1 / 3 6–2 75%
Rome A A A 1R 2R A A 1R A A A A 1R A 0 / 4 1–4 20%
Canada QF A A A A A A A 1R A A A A A 0 / 2 2–2 50%
Cincinnati 1R A A A A QF SF A W A A A 2R A 1 / 5 11–4 73%
Paris A A A A A A SF A F A A A A A 0 / 2 5–2 71%
Win–loss 2–2 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–1 3–5 15–5 3–3 12–4 1–2 0–0 0–0 5–4 0–0 2 / 29 42–27 61%

Mixed doubles

Tournament 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A 2R A 1R A A A 1R 2R 0 / 4 2–4 33%
French Open A 2R 3R QF A A A A A A 0 / 3 5–3 63%
Wimbledon 2R F QF QF 3R A A A A A 0 / 5 14–5 74%
US Open QF A 1R 1R A A A A A A 0 / 3 2–3 40%
Win–loss 3–2 6–2 6–4 5–3 2–2 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–1 0 / 15 23–15 61%

References

  1. ^ 1 September 2011 ESPN 2 tennis broadcast
  2. ^ "AIS at the Olympics". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d "Darren Cahill". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Tennis News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 18 July 2018.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Pro Tennis Coach – Expert tennis coaching from Pro Tour". Protenniscoach.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Annacone and Cahill join PlaySight". Tennisindustrymag.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Amanda Anisimova 'in a good place' as Cahill coaching trial continues". tennis.com. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Darren Cahill Will Join Jannik Sinner's Team Full-Time". tennisnow.com. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  9. ^ "2023 ATP Awards: Djokovic Joined By Sinner, Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime, Fils Among Winners | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  10. ^ Carayol, Tumaini (28 January 2024). "Jannik Sinner sinks Daniil Medvedev to win first slam title at Australian Open". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Darren Cahill – ESPN MediaZone U.S." Espnmediazone.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Darren Cahill". Women's Tennis Association.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by ATP Coach of the Year
2023
(with Italy Simone Vagnozzi) 		Succeeded by
Incumbent