Sinner had a lot of fun. © Screenshot Twitter
Tennis superstar Jannik Sinner has once again won a lot of sympathy: he took aim at his coach in a funny way.
13 January 2026
From: det
2026 is only two weeks old when the most bizarre tennis tournament of the season is already taking place in Australia. On Wednesday, 48 players will take part Million Dollar One Point Slam to. This is an exhibition competition in which each match is decided by a single point. Who can serve is determined using “rock, paper, scissors”. The winner receives one million Australian dollars, which is the equivalent of 575,000 euros.
Another special feature: It’s not just superstars like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini who are at this tournament. No, amateurs also have the chance to win big money here. Among other things, eight qualifiers advance to the main tournament, which takes place on Wednesday.
Jannik Sinner under the watchful eye of Simone Vagnozzi. © APA/afp / PATRICK HAMILTON
A prominent name also tried out for this qualification: Simone Vagnozzi, Jannik Sinner’s coach, wanted to know on Tuesday. The 42-year-old of course has a certain amount of experience, after all he made it to number 161 in the world rankings during his playing career. Nevertheless, it was a strange constellation because Sinner watched his coach’s appearance on TV.
Sinner’s joke causes laughter
Vagnozzi survived the first qualifying round against Luke Savile (once number 152 in the world) because his opponent committed a double fault. Sinner had a lot of fun in front of the TV, laughing and cheering on Vagnozzi. “Simone probably won’t come to training today,” smiled Sinner. The Puster native was asked whether his coach could win the million. “If he doesn’t have to serve, yes,” joked the superstar, causing a lot of laughter in the TV room.
In the end, Vagnozzi was unable to qualify for the main draw. In the second match he failed against Calum Puttergill, number 279 in the world. The Australian won the game with a perfect serve. So the dream duel fell through: If Vagnozzi had made it into the main field, a match against his protégé Jannik Sinner would have been possible. The South Tyrolean world star will fight alone for the jackpot in this strange tournament on Wednesday.
