Jannik Sinner and the patient path to becoming a grand slam champion

When a teenage arrived at his first grand slam, it was not the sight of his wiry frame or curly red hair that captured the attention of those walking between the practice courts, but a sound. As the Italian made his way onto the professional circuit, it was the noise of his immaculate ball-striking and the pop of his crisp forehand that rang around the grounds and made the best players and coaches in the sport stop in their tracks. Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, remembers where he was when he heard it for the first time. “The sound of the ball when