Daniil Medvedev is currently having a tough time on the court! His 2024 season was filled with challenges, marking his first trophyless campaign since 2017. Due to this horrid run in the previous season, we already saw his coaching team was put under some real scrutiny. Talking about his team, Gilles Cervara has been instrumental since 2017, and later on, Daniil Medvedev added Gilles Simon to his team as well to provide him with some new insights. However, the packed schedule due to the Paris Olympics last year hindered Simon’s ability to contribute significantly to Medvedev’s game. Now, with his recent early exit from the 2025 AO, Medvedev finally takes a bold call!

The former world number one, Daniil Medvedev suffered a disappointing second-round defeat to the 19-year-old American, Learner Tien at the 2025 AO. Highlighting this disappointing result in Australia during his interview in Rotterdam, Daniil Medvedev said, “It was a tough result in Australia. In a way, it was a good match, but a tough result. I am just trying to look forward and bounce back, that is the only way. I have to try to gain some confidence to win some matches.”

Taking about looking forward, well, the 28-year-old Russian has already confirmed that he has stopped working with Gilles Simon. Recently, during the media day in Rotterdam, Medvedev was heard saying, “With Gilles, we decided to stop working together. Honestly, it was a very good experience, with lots of good things. But from now on, Gilles Cervara and I can take forward to work together. With Simon, it didn’t work out exactly the way we wanted to, especially in terms of results. We didn’t win titles, Grand Slams or something like this, but I learned a lot of new things about tennis: I’m sure it’s going to help me in the future.”

Last year, we saw Medvedev suffering quite a few early exits in the Masters 1000 and was even eliminated in the Round Robin stage at the ATP Finals. Perhaps this is also another thing that Daniil Medvedev wanted to highlight while showcasing his poor results with Simon in the team. When did Gilles Simon join his team though? In February 2024, Gilles Simon revealed that he has been working with Daniil Medvedev in a coaching capacity since December 2023.

In an interview with Le Figaro, Simon said, “Daniil contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in doing a few weeks with them (Medvedev and his team) in 2024…I’ve already been working with him since December, but we haven’t said anything. In Australia, I sent all the tactics. During Daniil’s matches, I would send instructions to Gilles Cervara, who would pass them on, or not, in real-time to Daniil! That’s really where I can help him.”

Gilles Simon won 14 singles titles in his 20-year-long career that ended in 2022. The Frenchman was always known for his strategic nous during his time on the Tour. Do you know he even won 3 of his 4 matches against Daniil Medvedev during his playing days? Moreover, Simon has even earned victories against the ‘Big 4’ in the tennis world. So, banking on his vast experience, Medvedev once said, “My expectations are that Gilles Simon is a very smart player that can help me improve my game – especially hoping to improve parts of my game that are maybe not the best.”

Highlighting how he helped Daniil Medvedev solve some difficult puzzles on the court, he revealed that he had given tactical advice to the Russian ahead of his first win over Novak Djokovic at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters. Not only that, but Gilles Simon also shared how Daniil Medvedev made his tasks a bit easier. “For example, he gave me a list of 16 players he doesn’t like to play against, and I prepared 16 tactics! Daniil is extremely strong tactically, feels very precisely what needs to be done, but it happens to him, like everyone else, to make mistakes. Because of emotions, because he’s impatient… So, I try to explain it to him, and I think he likes it,” said Simon.

Now, with Gilles Simon’s exit, it seems now, Gilles Cervara will be the one who’d be helping Daniil Medvedev overcome his upcoming challenges in the next months. What are his upcoming challenges, though?

“I am confident” – Daniil Medvedev looks quite optimistic ahead of his campaign at the Rotterdam Open

After having a poor start to his campaign in the 2025 season, Daniil Medvedev is keen to make a strong turnaround in Rotterdam. Speaking on that, during a recent interview in Rotterdam, he said, “I am trying to get my game more competitive. It is not easy but I am working on a lot of things but I think my confidence is the most important. Confidence and the work you put in show in the most important moments of matches, and you try and put the reps in to have that belief in your body.”

Daniil Medvedev has been a constant inside the Top 10 of the men’s singles ranking since 2019. However, his first and last Grand Slam title came way back at the 2021 US Open. Although he reached the final of the 2024 AO, Medvedev couldn’t deliver when it mattered the most! Despite all these setbacks, Daniil Medvedev says that the “Fire still burns in me, but it is a different fire.” He also added, “You need to try to keep the fire as the margins are so small, and I have it. When you lose early, you just need to look forward because there is more coming.”

Talking about looking forward, Daniil Medvedev is all set to take on Stan Wawrinka in the R32 of the Rotterdam Open. Both of them have faced each other four times in their careers and guess what? Currently, their H2H scoreline is well-poised at 2-2 and this is what makes this matchup more interesting! Speaking about his upcoming mission of becoming the second-time champion in Rotterdam, he said, “I am confident I can find my level and play my best in Rotterdam.”

He also added, “When you have an amazing week and results and then you lose the next tournament early, you feel your good result is forgotten. That is tennis. It works both ways; when you have a bad result, people focus on that until you play well again. I hope I can play well here this week at an event I have had success at.” It’ll be interesting to see how far he goes in Rotterdam. Do you think Daniil Medvedev can beat Stan Wawrinka in the first match?