A tense exchange unfolds as Jannik Sinner’s coach reacts to Djokovic’s controversial stance on doping rules.NN

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic with Darren Cahill inset

Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill has shared a message that may be a response to Novak Djokovic’s comments about the Italian’s ban for failing doping tests.

During an appearance on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel, Djokovic said the “cloud” of Sinner‘s anti-doping case would follow him for the rest of his career.

The 24-time major champion stressed that he does not think Sinner “did it on purpose”, but argued there were “so many red flags” with the way the case was handled.

Darren Cahill shares cryptic message after Novak Djokovic discussed Jannik Sinner

• Darren Cahill shared a quote containing the statement that “opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge”
• Cahill may have used this message to indirectly respond to Novak Djokovic’s comments on Jannik Sinner’s ban for failing doping tests
• The Australian coach has previously praised Djokovic for sharing his honest thoughts on Sinner’s game after a match the pair played at Wimbledon

It was revealed in August 2024 that Sinner had twice tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March 2024 — during and after the Indian Wells Masters.

The four-time Grand Slam winner initially avoided a ban as The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that an independent tribunal ruled he bore “no fault or negligence.”

The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that clostebol had entered his body when he received a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.

Sinner later served a ban from February 9 to May 4 after settling his case with the World Anti-Doping Agency – which had initially planned to appeal the ITIA’s ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and seek a suspension of between one and two years.

What did Darren Cahill say after Novak Djokovic’s comments about Jannik Sinner?

After Djokovic’s interview with Piers Morgan was released on Tuesday, Cahill shared the following quote from author Bill Bullard on his Instagram story on Thursday.

Cahill wrote: “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…”

Given the timing, many social media users have interpreted Cahill’s post as being a dig at Djokovic over what the tennis great said about the Italian’s doping case.

It is important to note, though, that Cahill has not clarified what the quote is a reference to.

It is also possible it could have been a reaction to the criticism Sinner has faced in Italy for his decision not to play at the 2025 Davis Cup Finals.

What has Darren Cahill said about Novak Djokovic in the past?

In June, Cahill shared a fascinating anecdote about a conversation he had with Djokovic after the Serb beat Sinner in the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals.

The Australian, who had started coaching Sinner shortly before the tournament, revealed Djokovic candidly analysed Sinner’s game.

“I saw Novak, and he’s always great with this, he’s always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder. And I said, ‘Hey listen, I’ve just started with Jannik, don’t tell me anything you don’t want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?’ And he was incredible,” Cahill recalled.

“He basically said, ‘Hey listen. Good luck with working with him. Hits the ball great, but there’s no variation. So you know, there’s no shape on his shot. There’s no height over the net. Doesn’t come to the net. He’s not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he’s not attacking my serve on the return of serve.

“So he went through his whole game and broke it down. It wasn’t like it was revelations to what we didn’t know about Jannik and what we were trying to change in his game.

“But when you take that conversation and sit down with a young man like Jannik Sinner and say, ‘Hey, listen, I just spoke to Novak and this is what he thinks’, that leaves a big impression on a young player. So for Jannik, it’s: ‘Right, give it to me. Let’s start doing these changes’.”