Two men, two legacies, and one controversy spiralling through the tennis world. The season-ending spotlight was supposed to rest on blistering backhands and year-defining victories—but instead, an unexpected storm brewed when Novak Djokovic weighed in on Jannik Sinner’s doping saga. And somewhere in that storm, Darren Cahill – Sinner’s seasoned, steady-handed coach, seemed to let loose a lightning bolt of his own.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who rarely shies away from voicing his truth, had addressed the elephant in the room once again: Sinner’s temporary ban and its aftermath. In a previous instance, the Serb said that he spoke to a lot of players about Sinner’s ban and stated that most of them are “not satisfied“ and “believe there was favoritism.“ He also highlighted that he feels there was some inconsistency and unfairness in the tennis anti-doping system. Now, in a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Djokovic said that the “cloud“ of Sinner’s anti-doping case would follow him for the rest of his career. Although he claimed that he doesn’t think Sinner “did it on purpose”, he yet again argued there were “so many red flags“ with the way the case was handled. Following his comments, Cahill has now shared a cryptic post.

Just hours after Djokovic’s remarks went viral on social media, Cahill shared a message on his IG stories. No names, no direct accusations…just a quote that landed with the sharpness of a second serve down the T. He highlighted the famous quote from the author Bill Bullard, which says, “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world…” 

Considering the timing, many social media users have now assumed it was a subtle dig at Novak Djokovic over what he had said about Jannik Sinner’s doping case. As tennis inches toward the next season, one thing remains clear: the clash of perspectives between Djokovic and Sinner’s camp has added a gripping new chapter to an already dramatic year.

But during that interview with Morgan, Novak Djokovic was also seen reflecting on some of his fond memories with young Jannik Sinner. He said, “Look, I’ve known Jannik since he was probably 13 or 14 years of age because his first coach was my coach, Riccardo Piatti. I was practicing a lot with Sinner when he was a junior. I liked him a lot. He was skinny as I was, he was tall, grew up skiing on the mountains. He always came across as very genuine, very nice, very quiet. He had his own world and didn’t care too much about the lights of society. He just wanted to be the best player he can be, and I liked that.”

Not only that, but Djokovic even empathized with Jannik Sinner, claiming it’s not easy handling all the storm that pops up in the media time and again. He praised him for playing incredibly and winning some big titles amidst all these controversies. Seeing all these comments for Djokovic makes us wonder about what Sinner and his team have previously spoken about the Serbian. Let’s check out!

Jannik Sinner sees Novak Djokovic as a “great role model”

Keeping Novak Djokovic’s recent comments on the handling of Jannik Sinner’s doping case aside, and assuming Darren Cahill’s post was just a random post, we’d see a beautiful picture in both these camps. Before Sinner was a global star, before the trophies and the spotlight, he was just a skinny kid from the Dolomites watching a fiery Serbian rewrite tennis history. Djokovic was not simply an inspiration; he was the inspiration. The discipline, the grit, the relentlessness…Sinner wanted all of it.

In June 2025, Sinner shared a very interesting story. When he was asked what he actually learned from Djokovic, he revealed, “Many things, because I was lucky enough to practise with him when I was very young. In Monaco, we practised a lot. Every time when I asked questions, he answered me in a very honest way. I have learned many things from him. I feel like my game style it’s not the same, because we are different, but at times similar. So I have watched a lot with his videos.“ Sinner has faced Djokovic ten times in his career so far, and he has won six out of those. The 24-year-old Italian said he’s lucky to share the court with someone like Novak Djokovic.

“He’s very important for me as a player and also as a person,“ Sinner added. Then again, after defeating him at the 2025 Six Kings Slam, Jannik Sinner paid a tribute to the 38-year-old Serbian by saying, “Such a great role model for the younger generation…What he has achieved in his career is incredible. I see him as a real idol. To play against him is a huge honour and privilege. I’m happy about today, but I’m also happy to see him in tournaments and see him around.”

In a sport where egos can flare and headlines can distort intentions, Jannik Sinner has chosen the higher road. He may be the new face of men’s tennis, but he carries the humility of someone who remembers exactly who inspired him to dream bigger. But not only Sinner, though, even his coach had previously praised the Serb for being a true leader.

Darren Cahill once spoke about what Novak Djokovic told Sinner in 2022 that no other player on Tour would. When Cahill had once asked Djokovic to share his thoughts about young Sinner, the Serb broke the Italian’s game down and explained where he needs to improve instead of putting up just “vanilla stuff“ to encourage the youngster. 

Explaining that moment, Cahill had then said, “Hearing it from Novak gave him a real perspective as to where he needed to improve. So Novak was really helpful to us three years ago in making sure that we’ve made those changes in his game.“ So, irrespective of what has happened in the last few months, there has always been a mutual admiration between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Isn’t it fascinating in a highly competitive world?