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Jannik Sinner faces setback ahead of Wimbledon as coaching staff suffers major blow

Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
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After a disappointing start to the grass-court season, Jannik Sinner heads to Wimbledon hoping to bounce back from recent results.

At the Halle Open, the Italian was the defending champion and looking to regain confidence after his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final, but things didn’t go as planned.

He suffered a surprising second-round exit to Alexander Bublik in one of his more unexpected defeats in recent years.

His grass-court record heading into Wimbledon stands at 1-1, and while he’ll be hoping to build momentum against Luca Nardi in the first round, there has already been a significant change behind the scenes.

Two members of Sinner’s coaching team reportedly have left before Wimbledon

Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, both connected to Novak Djokovic’s camp before joining Sinner, have reportedly departed ahead of the Grand Slam.

Sky Italy broke the news, and fans are left wondering what led to the sudden change, especially as Sinner was already working without Panichi in Miami earlier this year.

Badio, who was with Sinner at Halle just days ago, leaves a void in the support staff, which Andrea Cipolla is expected to fill, at least in the short term.

Sinner’s 2025 coaching journey has already been eventful

2025 French Open - Day Fifteen
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

This isn’t the first high-profile coaching change for Sinner in 2025.

Darren Cahill, a key figure in Sinner’s rise, announced during the Australian Open that he would step down at the end of the season – though it didn’t stop Sinner from beating Alexander Zverev to claim a third major title.

The Italian is now set to be led by Simone Vagnozzi from 2026, who has already been involved in the coaching structure alongside Cahill.

However, Vagnozzi hasn’t given up hope that Cahill might stay beyond this year. “If you ask me, I hope Darren stays next year and that we can still have continuity. I’m trying to convince him, let’s see,” Vagnozzi recently told Sky Sports.

Despite growing speculation, David Ferrer has denied reports linking him to a coaching role with Sinner’s camp, meaning there are no new additions planned for now.

For now, Sinner and his remaining team will turn all their attention to Wimbledon, hoping to build another deep run and potentially add a fourth major title to his tally.