Jannik Sinner's solution to improve his clay game is to learn from the best
Tennis fans and Jannik Sinner fans, more specifically, will be happy to learn that former world number 1 and ex-coach of Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya, will be joining Jannik Sinner’s team as his new coach from 2026. For Sinner, this move marks a statement of intent, showing that he is not resting on his laurels.
The number one-ranked player on the ATP circuit has already won some of the biggest titles on the men’s tour, including two Australian Opens and the 2024 US Open. Since last year, Sinner has consistently improved his play, making it to the semi-finals in three of the four Grand Slams. He has continued his strong showing in 2025 as well, albeit missing out on three months of action due to the doping ban.
So, the question at hand is why Sinner has chosen Carlos Moya in particular to join his team as the new coach from 2026 onwards?
As the saying goes, why change something that is already working? Well, while that is true in this case for the Italian, one of his coaches, Darren Cahill, is set to retire at the end of this season. Cahill is a former player himself and a well-renowned coach who has worked with the likes of many top players such as Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Ana Ivanovic, Simona Halep, and many more.
The Australian coach has been extremely influential in guiding Sinner to all three of his Grand Slam wins, and with him leaving Sinner’s camp, there will be a spot to fill. The Italian has approached Moya to join his coaching team to bring about a new dimension to his game.
Players are constantly looking to improve their game, find new strategies, and gain an advantage over their opponents with new techniques and skills. Every tough opponent brings out the best in a player, and that is how rivalries thrive. For Sinner, his current nemesis is the world number 2, Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz’s game is one that mirrors his fellow countryman, Rafael Nadal. And while not every aspect of their games is similar, there is more than enough likeness, especially on clay. Following their most recent meeting at the Italian Open, Sinner has now lost 4 straight times to Alcaraz and who better to help him get over this hump than the man who guided Nadal at the latter stage of his career?
Former tennis player and clay court specialist Carlos Moya joined Rafael Nadal’s coaching team in 2016. By then, the ‘King of Clay’ was already a well-established star, having won nearly everything the sport has to offer.
Nadal had already won 14 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic Gold in singles, and had plenty of other achievements to with it. Yet, the Spaniard started to struggle from 2014 onwards, mostly due to injuries and went two full seasons without making the final of any major in 2015 and 2016.
This is when Moya was brought in and the move worked wonders for Nadal as he was able to recover his lost mojo on court and reinvent his game. Moya’s influence helped Nadal play more aggressively toward the final years of his tennis career.
He also managed to tweak Nadal’s service to gain more free points, and all the work he did with the former legend resulted in 21 titles, including 8 Grand Slams, of which 5 were French Opens, and 8 Masters 1000 titles.
With such a great resume, and having spent quality time bringing about improvements to the game of one of the greatest to ever pick up a racket, it is no wonder Sinner has placed his trust in Moya as his next coach.
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