Goodbyes are never easy—just ask Gilles Simon, now the former coach of Daniil Medvedev. After a disappointing start to the season, Medvedev parted ways with Simon ahead of the ATP 500 Rotterdam tournament. His struggles began last month at the Australian Open, where he suffered a shocking second-round exit to 19-year-old American sensation Learner Tien. To make matters worse, he also dropped to seventh in the latest ATP rankings.

With momentum slipping away, Medvedev made the tough decision to split from Simon—a move that prompted an emotional response from the Frenchman. Simon had officially joined Medvedev’s team just a year back in February 2024. However, the two started working together at the Australian Open last season, where Medvedev reached the finals. However, things didn’t go his way since, and eventually, he decided to end his partnership with Simon. Hours after their separation, Simon took to his official X handle and shared a heartfelt message.

He wrote, “Many thanks @DaniilMedwed and to the whole team for this year spent together. It was a great experience, very interesting, and I will only keep good memories of it. I wish you all the best for the future and especially to achieve your goals!”

However, Medvedev hasn’t shaken up his entire coaching staff. The Russian star will continue to work with his primary coach, Gilles Cervara, who will join him for the Rotterdam Open. Meanwhile, Medvedev is yet to win a trophy after his win at the 2023 Italian Open and he will hope that a change in his coaching staff might change his fortunes. “It just didn’t work out exactly the way we wanted in terms of results. We didn’t win any titles, Slams, or anything like this,” Medvedev explained while announcing the split with Simon.

Despite not having the results that he wanted with the Frenchman, Medvedev had no hard feelings about working with his now-former coach. While announcing the split, he opened up about the things learned from Simon.

Daniil Medvedev talks about his stint with Gilles Simon

While Simon retired from his professional playing career in 2022, he began his coaching stint with Medvedev. Their partnership began on a positive note, with Medvedev reaching the Australian Open final last year. However, the Russian has had an inconsistent run of form since and the second-round loss in this year’s Australian Open proved to be the final nail in the coffin. Nonetheless, Medvedev took away some important lessons from Simon.

Talking about their partnership, Medvedev revealed, “I learned a lot of new things and it gave me a new perspective on tennis and I’m sure it’s going to help me in the future. We will see how it will work out for both of us. We remain with good feelings, but we’re not working together anymore.”

Further, Medvedev would look to bring his focus back onto the court as he faces Stan Wawrinka in the round of 32 clash in Rotterdam. Can the Russian star come back strongly after the Australian Open setback? Let us know your views in the comments below.