Jannik Sinner s silent teacher

After stressful working weeks, Vagnozzi goes home in Castorano - a small village with 2,000 people in the Marche, Central Italy. Here, he was happy with his wife, resting for two days, doing nothing but taking the small dog for a walk. Next is the cozy dinner with friends, visiting her parents - being prepared by her mother Nunzia's mother "Pasta Al Ragu " Favorite - and playing golf.

Summer is home, but Vagnozzi never goes to the beach. "Too crowded", he said. However, there was something he never forgot: Visit Maggioni Tennis Club - the small academy he was founded in 2020.

just two days after the student Sinner Wimbledon 2025, Vagnozzi, 42, was present at Maggioni. There, he dedicatedly instructed how to hit a young talent, or edited Andrea Picchione's left -handed shot, 27 -year -old player ranked 357th in the world. "I like to return to my club, stand on the pitch, help people. It's not work, but passion ", he shared in the video interview with the French newspaper l ' Coach. His father, Alfonso, worked in the textile industry, enrolled his son to the Castel Di Lama Club, and then the Cartiera Tennis Club in Ascoli. Once a promising young talent, Vagnozzi at the age of 16 moved to Calaro, a cold mountain area 500 km from his hometown. At Trentin, coach Massimo Sartori welcomed and gave Vagnozzi temporarily a few weeks. After that, he moved to Andreas Seppi's uncle's house, who became close friends and partners. There, all of them speak German, a completely strange environment. "I was on the first floor, the Seppi family on the third floor", Vagnozzi recalled.

was only 1.63 m high and weighing 60 kg, Vagnozzi admitted that there was no body advantage, but he was agile and skillful, with a small emphasis. "There was a winter, I banned Vagno from quitting small to force him to improve his hand," Sartori said. But Vagnozzi lacks strength and the ability to serve is not good. "He often polished when both his legs jumped out of the ground to create more power," the old teacher recalled. "The more he is at the end of the match, the more he is tired, lost his position and was easily overcome by the opponent."

In the early days on the professional tennis road is not easy with Vagnozzi. "I have struggled. My family is not rich and the bonus from the tournaments is not worth it," he recalled. From 19 to 24 years old, he often went to play alone because he did not have enough money to rent a coach. "I think I made all the mistakes that a player could make," he shared. "I always struggle between 100% of tennis dedication and living a normal life of a 21-22-year-old boy. When you were young, you didn't want to miss the best years. I was with my family, and suddenly I was free to do everything I wanted. And I enjoyed it." Overcoming the qualifying round, he defeated Fabio Fognini and Juan Monaco, then lost to the Juan Carlos Ferrero after three sets. The biggest regret was that he had attended 16 Grand Slam qualifying rounds but never overcome. The highest achievement of Vagnozzi has ever been achieved as the 161th in the single and 74th content in the double content - with four times participating in the Major tournament with partner Seppi.

Summer 2015, at the age of 32, right after getting married and returning home, Vagnozzi decided to retire. "After a training session, I went home and told my wife: 'That's it.' I absolutely did not plan ," he said. But the idea of ​​becoming a coach has rekindled since he was still playing. "My path is a coach, not becoming top 100 ".

no one is surprised with that decision. "VAGNO is the tennis player who has the most intense passion for the tactics and nature of tennis. He pays great attention to the opponent, always develops a tactical plan to defeat them, know his limits and skillfully overcome them. That spirit has never left him ," Sartori said. At Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2012. "I realized that his hand-to-hand hit faster than mine. I asked how a slender person could create such power. Vagno explained how to lock the head, hips and left shoulders. Receive this role. "When I went to see my friends, I always tried to help them and I really like it. Surely this helped me a lot for my second career ", he said. But in the luggage, he never lacked football to play Football Tennis and a deck of cards. By 2016, he worked with Marco Cecchinato, an enthusiastic Italian player, under the support of coach Sartori. "I am the first true player Vagno training ... It is not bad for the first time! ", Cecchinato, once climbed from 180 to 16 in the world, proudly shared. Their journey is marked by historic victory against Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2018.

"Vagno teaches me a lot. His technical knowledge is very surprised. He understood my play and knew how to exploit my potential to the most potential, ”Cecchinato praised. Diego Nargiso, the former player ranked 67 in the world in 1988, commented: " Cecchinato never achieved that form, this shows the value of a coach like Vagno ". As a student of Vagnozzi. He recalled a bitter failure in the Challenger Montevideo qualifier in November 2017: "I left the field in anger, my favorable shots like the disaster". I just told 'I don't know ... Maybe 30, or 40. Fortunately, I still have a left hand ' ". I find myself silly, when it was 11:00 pm at Uruguay and after dinner we still sit and analyze my fault , "Marcora said. During a vacation in Formentera Island, Spain, he posted a photo on Instagram, sitting on the balcony with a beer glass, written: "Tennis addiction ... Even when relaxing! " On the tablet is the US quarter -finals expanding 2021, where Alexander Zverev defeated Jannik Sinner.

and then, early 2022, vagnozzi found the perfect " ". He called Giusti to inform the appointment with Sinner: "Max, this week I could not come to Rome ". Giusti recalled: "At that time I was both sad and happy, because my club was about to be no longer Vagno ". Alex Vittur, the manager of Sinner and also a close friend of Vagnozzi, has connected them.. Despite doubts about the training schedule, he is confident with his plan. He recounted the first conversation with Sinner: "I asked him, 'What is your goal?' And he replied‘ Becoming the number one world and the Grand Slam champion ”.

" I remember saying Jannik that 'You are a talented player, but to achieve the set goals, you have to be better. Rafa, Medvedev - those who will exploit his weaknesses. Coach Darren Cahill, who led Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Simona Halep, joined the team, focusing on psychological and tactical aspects. Meanwhile, Vagnozzi takes on the role of technical and strategic coach, described by Marcora as "the hard worker". He gradually shaped sinner to become a comprehensive player, almost unable to be defeated, an upgraded version of Djokovic.

Now, no one doubted Sinner's decision three years ago. 20 single titles, including 4 Grand Slam, 4 Masters 1000, two Davis Cup and the world's number one position from June 10, 2024. Vagnozzi, when he was a player, once dreamed of Wimbledon. He could not do it, but Sinner realized that dream for him. Together, they also overcome the storm, as a positive test with Clostbol in March 2024, leading to a three -month suspension sentence from February 2025.

The relationship between them is even more attached when Sinner visits Vagnozzi's hometown in the Marche region, enjoying Olive All’Asolana and Arrosticini grilled lamb. "We are the same in always dissatisfied, always want to progress. But the personality is different: Jannik comes from northern Italy, serious and disciplined, and I sometimes say silly things," Vagnozzi laughed. "I can laugh, funny. But at work, I am extremely serious, want everything to be perfect and worried about all details. I always plan, predict everything. My brain never stops working ".

Success not only comes from a road. Vagnozzi may not achieve ambition while playing, but he did what he dreamed later: Becoming an excellent coach and recognized by his colleagues. The glory does not change Vagnozzi, his friends said he was still the same, just busier. It was the proverb of Gandhi, which the way he explained, is: "When sowing well, the tree will grow. If sowing properly, the fruit will be sweet ".