“Stefanos Tsitsipas, Elena Rybakina thing didn’t work out” – Serena Williams’ ex-coach advises Daniil Medvedev to seek out ‘volatile’ Goran Ivanisevic

Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, opined on Daniil Medvedev’s poor form in 2025 and felt that the Russian might be in dire need of a coaching change, probably take help from Goran Ivanisevic. Medvedev fell to Adam Walton in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters, recording another underwhelming run in his already poor North American hardcourt season.

Medvedev hasn’t found a title success since Rome in 2023, but he never stopped seeking. After his first-round exit from Wimbledon, the Russian player lost to Corentin Moutet in the Citi Open quarterfinals 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, battling extreme heat conditions in Washington and receiving a mid-game medical timeout in the second set.

At the Citi Open, Medvedev couldn’t move past the Round of 32, losing to defending champion Alexei Popyrin and immediately leaving the court without his belongings. The consistent failures caught the attention of Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, who suggested Medvedev consider Ivanisevic’s outlook, after the Croatian’s brief partnership with Elena Rybakina and Stefanos Tsitsipas failed to bring success.

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“I don’t know! A sabbatical or a coaching change, and I love his coach [Gilles Cervara]. I love him. And they have been together a long, long time and achieved a lot together, but maybe it’s a Goran Ivanisevic who is floating around. 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.”

Daniil Medvedev will play in the US Open, but Stubbs doubts he can up his game for the Grand Slam. The 29-year-old has worked with Gilles Cervara since 2017.

Daniil Medvedev acknowledged he hasn't found a way to success

Daniil Medvedev, who peaked at No. 1 in 2022, won the 2021 US Open title and made the Australian Open finals in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He had momentum in 2024 but failed to find rhythm in this season, even facing an early exit at the Cincinnati Open.

Reflecting on the campaign, the Russian player acknowledged that he couldn't find a way to make a breakthrough yet, but believed he would someday.

"It's a real shame, it's a difficult time for me, but such is tennis. All you can do is look for a way out. I haven't found one yet. Apparently, I'm far from it. But one day, I will find it," he said.

Daniil Medvedev will partner with Mirra Andreeva to play in the US Open mixed doubles, which is slated to take place during Fan Week.

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About the author

Agnijeeta Majumder

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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