Daniil Medvedev's ex-coach breaks silence on shock split after US Open outburst

Daniil Medvedev was fined for his outburst during his first-round defeat at the US Open

Over the weekend, Daniil Medvedev announced that he had officially parted ways with Gilles Cervara, his coach of almost a decade. During their time together, Medvedev reached No. 1 in the world and won the 2021 US Open and 19 other titles. But he’s had a rough season, and his latest setback came at the US Open, where he was dumped out in the first round and later fined just over £31,000 ($42.5k) for his behaviour during and after the match. Medvedev has now given his team a shake-up, also splitting strength trainer Eric Hernandez. He thanked Cervara for “a lot of fun moments and memories”, while Cervara also paid tribute to the world No. 13 on Instagram. Now, the French coach has openly discussed their split for the first time and shared his intentions to return to the tour in the near future. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

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It’s now been two-and-a-half years since Medvedev last won a title. The Russian started this season ranked at No. 5 in the world, but he now sits at No. 13 and is set to drop even further at the end of the US Open. So it’s no surprise to hear that Cervara had been toying with the idea of leaving Medvedev’s camp for a while, believing the 29-year-old needed something new. “Yes, results are the gauge of professional success - and even the measure of the player‑coach relationship in tennis. They hadn’t been satisfactory for some time,” Cervara told Tennis Majors, days after he and Medvedev confirmed their split. “The question is why, and I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. After his first‑round loss at Wimbledon this year, I became certain that if results didn’t rebound during the summer, something needed to change.

Gilles Cervara spent almost a decade working with Daniil Medvedev

“That ‘something’ was the energy around Daniil. So we needed to change the people involved. The ‘people’ concretely meant either me, or the fitness trainer Eric Hernandez, or both.” In the end, both Cervara and Hernandez left Medvedev’s camp. But it was the world No. 13 who ultimately posed the question after his five-set defeat to Benjamin Bonzi in Flushing Meadows. Cervara continued: “I kept thinking about it. I talked to Daniil after the US Open. He himself raised the idea: ‘After eight years, maybe it’s time for something different’. “I said to him: ‘Listen, that’s exactly what needs to happen in my opinion, because I don’t think I can continue to make you perform in the energy state we’re in right now. You need something new, something different, to transform’.”

The pair parted ways on good terms, and Medvedev will now be on the hunt for a new coach as he turns his attention to the upcoming Asian swing and beyond. As for Cervara, he’s keen to get back on the tour with a new player and is hoping to find a job during the off-season. He’s planning “a few weeks of rest, then a return to the Tour - a new project where I can relive this, give a player what he needs, a project that fuels my desire to guide someone to great achievements. I want to feel that I’m made for this. “Two months [off], maybe? If I’m looking to next season, that means starting pre‑season in November.” While Medvedev’s old coach has received some expressions of interest, he’s keen to coach “either someone already high-level who needs a bit more energy to level up, or someone not top-level yet, but with huge potential.” To be the first to receive the latest tennis news, join our WhatsApp community or newsletter

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