Rennae Stubbs Thinks Daniil Medvedev Should Hire ‘Volatile’ Coach Goran Ivanisevic Amid Slump in Form

Daniil Medvedev last lifted a title at the 2023 Italian Open and last played a final in this year's Halle Open.

Rennae Stubbs Thinks Daniil Medvedev Should Hire ‘Volatile’ Coach Goran Ivanisevic Amid Slump in Form

Daniil Medvedev, Rennae Stubbs, Goran Ivanisevic (Image via X/Meddy Family, Tennis World Italia, Jess)

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Daniil Medvedev is dealing with a slump in form, and at present, nothing seems to be working for him. In the ongoing Cincinnati Masters, he suffered another disappointing exit, losing to Australia’s Adam Walton in three sets in his opening round.

Gilles Cervara is currently coaching Medvedev. Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, thinks Medvedev should hire Goran Ivanisevic. She said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast:

The [Stefanos] Tsitsipas thing didn’t work out, the [Elena] Rybakina thing didn’t work out. Maybe it’s a volatile personality who has also worked with some great players. Maybe someone like that could come in and give him a new, fresh look. It’s not because his current coach can’t do it, but sometimes you need a new outlook.

Ivanisevic parted ways with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic last year in March. After that, he joined Elena Rybakina‘s team, but the coaching partnership didn’t last for long because of the Stefano Vukov saga.

Ivanisevic left her team right after the Kazakh ace lost in the Australian Open this year. Rybakina is also playing in Cincinnati and has booked a spot in the quarterfinals after knocking out reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys. She will be up against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka next.

After parting ways with Rybakina, Ivanisevic joined Tsitsipas’ team. But Ivanisevic publicly criticized him for his fitness issues, calling him an unprepared player. They split eventually. Tsitsipas, in an interview then, without mentioning Ivanisevic, said he only wants to work with the right people and not the dictators. Under Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas played only two grass-court events – the Halle Open and the Wimbledon Championships.

After the split, he started working with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, once again. Tsitsipas had ended his professional relationship with his father after their heated exchange during his Canadian Open opening-round match last year.

In Cincinnati, Tsitsipas suffered a third-round exit, losing the match to Benjamin Bonzi in three sets. He has lifted just one title this season, the Dubai Open, by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Daniil Medvedev admits he’s lacking confidence these days

This is the fourth time this season that Daniil Medvedev suffered an opening-round exit. Prior to Cincinnati, Medvedev fell in his opening-round matches at the Miami Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.

Daniil Medvedev (via X/Wimbledon)
Daniil Medvedev (via X/Wimbledon)

In the two tournaments on the hard-court swing before the Cincinnati Masters, Medvedev lost to Corentin Moutet in the quarterfinals of the Citi Open and also lost his third-round match against Alexei Popyrin at the Canadian Open.

Right now, when I lack full confidence and my physical condition fails me, there are not any shots that can bail me out, so to speak. And if I had chances in the second set, in the third, I just couldn’t move anymore. It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing. It’s a tough period, but situations like that happen in tennis. All I can do is keep looking for a way out, which I haven’t found yet.

Daniil Medvedev told reporters after his opening-round defeat in Cincinnati

He hasn’t yet won a tournament since lifting his career’s first clay-court title at the 2023 Italian Open by beating Holger Rune. Since that match, he has made it to six finals, including the 2023 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open, losing both to Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, respectively.

This season, he made it to the Halle Open final but couldn’t beat Alexander Bublik. Due to these performances, the former World No.1 currently stands in the 15th position on the rankings table. Medvedev will next try his luck at the US Open, which he lifted in 2021 (also his first and only Grand Slam title).

Also read: Andy Roddick Refuses to Bet Against Daniil Medvedev Amid Loss of Form