"We didn't know if Jannik Sinner would play, he was so bad" - Coach Cahill reveals virus scare almost jeopardizing Italian's Australian Open title run

Jannik Sinner managed to win yet another Grand Slam as he bagged the 2025 Australian Open. But he almost missed out. During a recent interview (via Il Tennis Italiano), Darren Cahill revealed that the virus that affected the player was very serious. Sinner could've withdrawn from the tournament at any given moment.

Here's what Darren Cahill had to say regarding Jannik Sinner's health during the recent Australian Open:

"Jannik was as white as a sheet . He was lucky to make it, helped by several breaks, with the game played in the heat of the day. He was feeling pretty bad. We didn’t know if he would go on the pitch. He was so bad. We knew from the day before that he wasn’t feeling well, so he went to bed early."

"We cancelled his training, I think he was supposed to play around 2:30 in the afternoon. We had a warm-up booked for the morning and we cancelled it and moved it to midday, and when he showed up on the pitch he looked as white as a sheet. We cancelled all the training, went to the doctor, they gave him some gels to increase his energy. He rested, took an ice bath to get him going again and we threw him on the pitch without a warm-up."

Despite the tense situation that almost took him out of the tournament, Jannik Sinner managed to capture his third Grand Slam. Everything changed for Sinner during last year's Australian Open.

Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in a brutal contest last year to win his first grand slam. He would eventually go on to defeat Taylor Fritz to win the U.S. Open in New York City. No one is dominating the hard courts on the ATP Tour as much as Jannik Sinner.

Jannik Sinner's Victory in Melbourne

2025 Australian Open Men's Champion Media Opportunity - Source: Getty

Jannik Sinner was ready to defend his title in Melbourne despite his illness. Alexander Zverev had beaten the Italian several times in the past, including two defeats at the US Open.

Sinner didn't give the German the advantage and ensured Alexander Zverev has to wait even longer to win his first Grand Slam title. The Italian defeated Zverev in straight sets.

Jannik Sinner has proven that he can be dominant when it comes to hard courts, but if the young player ever wants to obtain the coveted Career Grand Slam, he needs to improve in the other tournaments. With Roland Garros coming up in the summer, could this be the year Jannik Sinner makes an impact during the clay season?