Daniil Medvedev needs to learn from Roger, Rafa, Stan and Novak: Cervara

In a recent interview with ATP, Coach Gilles Cervara has spoken about his trainee Daniil Medvedev. In this interview, he was vocal about his thoughts on the Swiss master, Roger Federer along with his “insight on the return of tennis”.

Daniil is learning from the likes of Roger and Rafa

Roger Federer’s backhand is the epitome of beauty. His backhand has a perfect back swing and a clear contact with the ball. For every player around the World, Rogers’ single hand backhand is one of the most admirable strokes.

Speaking about the same, Cervara said, “I heard Roger Federer a few years ago, when he came back after stopping for six months, I heard he worked on technique with his backhand..You always have to improve something. It depends what you choose. Sometimes it’s more physical, sometimes it’s technical because you want to improve a shot and you realize to improve a shot like this it’s more technical than physical.”

Daniil is one of the next-gen players who have stepped up and given phenomenal performance before the tour halted. The Russian lost to Stan Wawrinka in a thrilling 5 set match of Round 4 at the Australian Open. He reached his career high ranking as World No.4 in September last year.

The Frenchman analyses Daniil’s low performance post ATP Cup

Cervara analysed the dip in Medvedev’s form after a successful run at ATP Cup. Medvedev was unable to consistently perform and his coach thinks the Russian needs to improve his mental strength.

“He started to find a good thing in the beginning of the year and during these two indoor tournaments in Rotterdam and Marseille it was not that great. It’s tough to maintain a stable mentality or energy level for the whole year. That’s something that he needs to build.” Cervara said.

Further, the Frenchman also points out that the top players such as Rafa, Roger, Novak and Stan are mentally strong and consistent in their performances, compared to the other players.

“The top players like Novak, like Wawrinka, Roger Federer and Nadal of course, they know [themselves] so they’re able to maintain something (a stable mentality) better than the young players.” Cervara said.

Medveded’s coach is optimistic of his trainee’s performance when the tour resumes. He also states that if the pandemic hadn’t stopped the tour, the Russian had an opportunity to perform well at the ATP Indian Wells.

“That’s also what Daniil is learning. The bad thing is the tour stopped, because I think when Indian Wells was ready to start, he was ready to have a high level.” Cervara exclaimed.

Cervara praises Daniil for performing well at the US Open final in 2019

One of the top matches for the Russian was the US Open Final in 2019, where he encountered Rafael Nadal. Even though the Spaniard won the championship, Medveded’s temperament impressed his coach.

“I think you don’t realize what’s going on really because you’re focused on the match, on the goals and the way to win. You’re not disconnected with the action and what was happening. You are 100 per cent in the action and you live this like it’s almost a normal match. I want to say for me it was like all the matches, because Daniil played it like this also.” Cervara said.

The French, Cervara, joined the team of Daniil Medvedev in 2017. Ever since, the Russian’s performance has seen a steady improvement. From the title at Cincinnati Open to impressive performance at Australian Open in 2020, the duo will be expecting a better season as the tour resumes.

Read the full interview from the ATP Website

Also Read: “I want to be better, I want to play better”, Medvedev charts his ambition to win

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