Daniil Medvedev Says There’s no Hard Feelings Between Him and Former Coach Gilles Cervara Despite Their Split

Daniil Medvedev reached the second round of the China Open after overcoming Cameron Norrie in straight sets.

Daniil Medvedev Says There’s no Hard Feelings Between Him and Former Coach Gilles Cervara Despite Their Split

Daniil Medvedev and Gilles Cervara (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Daniil Medvedev has finally broken the silence on the nature of his split with his former coach, Gilles Cervara, after eight years together. Their split came as a shock to the tennis community as their relationship was strong on and off the court. Also, Medvedev had often turned down suggestions of hiring another coach.

The former World No.1 has been far from his best on the court this season. Despite being one of the most renowned players in the circuit, having reached six Grand Slam finals in his career, he began to lose to players ranked outside the Top 50 more often as the 2025 season progressed.

Things got worse for the World No.18 at the Grand Slam stages this season as he managed to win just one match at the event. That came at the Australian Open before he fell to Learner Tien in the second round. He then lost to British star Cameron Norrie in the first round of the French Open and to Benjamin Bonzi in the opening match of Wimbledon and the US Open.

It was at the US Open that the degree of Medvedev’s slump was revealed as he tried using uncharacteristic tactics to beat Bonzi. That led many former players to criticize his actions on the court during his loss, but that also led him to fire Cervara, who guided him to his only Grand Slam win at the 2021 US Open.

During his press conference, Medvedev was asked if his split with Cervara was done amicably. The Russian star praised his former coach, while stressing that he will never say negative things about him. He added that it was also a pleasure to work with the French coach:

Gilles and I have experienced great things and that is why we will probably never say negative things about each other. I think of the titles, the great matches, the moments on the court. We part on very good terms. It was a pleasure to experience all these moments with him, whether in the box or on the court during training, or even during dinners, all these things. We had been together for so long that in a way, the choice became: do we stay together until the end of my career?

Medvedev hired Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke to his coaching team after his split with Cervara. His partnership with the two coaches began at the Hangzhou Open, where he won one match before losing to home favorite Yibing Wu in three sets in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 tournament.

Daniil Medvedev earns his place in the second round of the China Open after an excellent performance

Daniil Medvedev claimed his place in the second round of the China Open after producing an excellent performance against Cameron Norrie. The Russian star was meeting Norrie for the first time since the French Open defeat and did well to earn his revenge 6-3, 6-4 in just an hour and fifteen minutes.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/TENNISCentel)

Medvedev broke Norrie five times during the match, forcing the British star to make plenty of unforced errors. During his on-court interview, Medvedev revealed that he could play better despite the win. The 29-year-old added that he deserved to win the match after a good performance:

I didn’t play badly, I served pretty well except for a couple of games, same on the return. I had a lot of chances to break and I think I deserve to win in terms of the game plan and the stats, so I’m happy to go through. I can play much, much better than that. The way back is step by step, and this was a small step forward.

Medvedev will now face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of the tournament. Fokina has been in good form this season having gotten to three finals, which makes it a difficult clash for Medvedev. He will have to be at his best against the Spaniard.

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