Surprise on the WTA Tour! As coach Darren Cahill announced on Friday evening, he and Simona Halep will go their separate ways in the future. The Australian wants to take more care of his family in the coming year.
The duo worked together for four years and in June of this year made the long-awaited coup: Simona Halep crowned herself French Open winner after a final victory over Sloane Stephens and won her first Grand Slam title.
After that, the season went according to plan, the Romanian finished the year unchallenged as number one and is considered one of the hottest title candidates at the Australian Open. In 2018 Halep failed in the final against Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark.
Due to the large number of successes, the separation comes as a surprise. In a statement on Instagram, Cahill thanked him for the collaboration and said he wanted to take more time for his family: “Our children reach important stages in their lives that are becoming more and more time consuming”. The ex-pro is married to Victoria Cahill and has two children.
Cahill will take a one-year break from coaching. The former coach of Lleyton Hewitt also thanked the world’s top coach for their time together: “It was a pleasure to be at their side as a coach”. The 53-year-old particularly emphasized the professionalism and work attitude of his former protégé.
Halep himself spoke on Twitter: “Thank you for your hard work and incredible support. I wish you and your family all the best and I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”
Cahill will be retained by ESPN next year. He will continue to provide his expertise at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.