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**Jannik Sinner is about to embark on an ATP Finals title defence after winning his maiden title in Turin last year. **

The Italian briefly went back to the world number one spot by winning the Paris Masters, although Carlos Alcaraz has now replaced him again due to last year’s ATP Finals points coming off.

Sinner beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Paris Masters final, and a rematch will take place in Turin, with the Canadian’s place being confirmed when Lorenzo Musetti lost to Novak Djokovic in Athens.

Sinner has received some backlash for his Davis Cup decision not to help Italy in the finals, and now, Darren Cahill has entered the debate regarding the player’s huge call.

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Darren Cahill makes Jannik Sinner claim after Davis Cup decision

Sinner has been slammed for his decision to skip the Davis Cup, despite the fact that he’s never shirked helping his country in the competition previously.

Goran Ivanisevic was always dead against players skipping the Davis Cup and naturally, Sinner will have to take any criticism on the chin with this call.

Cahill is in his final year coaching Sinner, and he’s explained that the difficult decision wasn’t one that was taken lightly but is one that’s necessary for the longevity of the Italian’s career.

He told Ubi Tennis: “There’s been a lot of talk about Jannik not playing the Davis Cup: the decision we made is because we know it could have an effect on him in three or four years.

“We have many responsibilities as his coaches, one of which is that he reaches his peak age of 28/30. No one in this room loves the Davis Cup more than I do. Wearing the green and gold meant everything to me. But this year we have two extra weeks to practice, one because of the Davis Cup and one because the Australian Open starts a week later.

“We have two weeks to recover, train him and make him a better player. He, like Carlos, is playing and winning a lot: the easiest thing for us as a team would be to tell him to continue, but in three or four years, he would pay the price at the absolute best moment.

“We constantly tell him not to play exhibitions or small tournaments that bring in a lot of money, because we need those free weeks.

“We love the Davis Cup and would like to play it as much as possible, but the truth is that last year I was the one who told him not to play the Davis Cup, but he wanted to play and defend the title.

“Two years in a row, however, would have represented an accumulation of effort: I want you to understand that these decisions are not easy. They are difficult, but they are calculated. Our goal is to make Jannik a better player at 28/30.”

How did Darren Cahill perform at the Davis Cup

Unlike Sinner, who has helped Italy win two Davis Cup titles, Cahill never managed to help Australia get over the line, although he did come pretty close.

In 1990, Cahill was part of the Australia team that got all the way to the final before succumbing to a brilliant United States team in a 3-2 defeat.

Cahill enjoyed six wins in Davis Cup action and lost just four matches, with all of those defeats coming in singles action for his country.

Cahill was a bit of a doubles expert at one period of his career, reaching a career-high of number 10 in the doubles world rankings and reaching the final of the Australian Open in 1989 alongside Mark Kratzmann.

Sinner’s coach clearly took a lot of pride in playing for his country, but it sounds very much like this decision regarding the Italian has been made with a heavy heart and a clear mind in the best interests of the player.