Super-coach Darren Cahill has declared Jannik Sinner's heart-breaking loss to world No.1 Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022 as a turning point in the young Italian's career.
The world No.4 will play his first grand slam final on Sunday night, taking on third-ranked Russian Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open decider.
The 22-year-old blew Djokovic away in the final four to book his place, ending the 10-time champion's six-year, 33-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.
Australian mentor Cahill said Sinner's five-set defeat against the Serbian superstar in the Wimbledon quarter-finals 18 months ago was a harsh lesson for the youngster.
The Italian blew a two-set lead, with Djokovic going on to down Nick Kyrgios in the final and lift the trophy for a seventh time.
"The match he played against Novak at Wimbledon went a long way to teaching Jannik where he needed to get better," said Cahill.
"When he was up two sets to love and lost that five-set match against Novak, you're able to sit down with him and talk about where the improvements needed to be made.
"And credit to him, he absorbed it.
"He gets on the practice court, he takes the information and he loves to work on things that are going to make him a better tennis player."
Cahill, who guided Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep to world No.1, joined Sinner's camp through that grass campaign and takes a share of the credit for the player's subsequent rise up the rankings.
Working alongside co-coach Simone Vagnozzi, Cahill has helped improve Sinner's game smarts, fitness, serve, and self-belief.
Cahill said two victories within a week last November over Djokovic, as well as steering Italy to their first Davis Cup title since 1976, had fuelled the youngster's confidence.
The South Australian knows what it takes for a player to be world No.1 and says he sees those rare qualities in Sinner.
"Work ethic, purpose, desire, willingness to learn: the tennis IQ of all those champions is fantastic," Cahill said of the top players he has worked with.
"He's got the qualities that a lot of the great champions in the game have, but you've got to start winning to let that come to fruition.
"He's making little steps. He had a good finish to the year last year. He gained a lot of belief from what he was able to do.
"They're important wins, because when you play a certain style of tennis and you keep taking losses, you can't keep doing the same thing.
"You have to change and your game has to evolve.
"That's what Jannik has been attempting to do for the last couple of years.
"That's a great quality and that's what he needs to continue to do. Never stop evolving and never stop getting better."
