Daniil Medvedev has announced the departure of coach Gilles Cervara from his team. The two sent heartwarming public messages to each other to confirm the development. Despite the positivity in the messages, the mood surrounding Medvedev has been grim recently, particularly due to his actions at the US Open, where he was on the end of a first-round upset marred by multiple meltdowns.
A former champion at Flushing Meadows, the Russian began his US Open campaign this year with a clash against Benjamin Bonzi from France. The Frenchman had engineered Medvedev’s swift exit from the Wimbledon Championships earlier in the season.
In New York too, it was Bonzi who prevailed, while the 2021 champion cut a frustrated figure, lashing out at chair umpire Greg Allensworth after a cameraman bizarrely walked onto the court as the Frenchman was about to serve for the match. Medvedev subsequently got the crowd involved. Egged on by the Russian’s antics, they booed Allensworth incessantly, and they turned on Bonzi too.
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After the five-set loss, Daniil Medvedev sat courtside for much longer than a losing player typically does, and in this time, the 29-year-old destroyed his racket. The Russian's behavior led to the US Open slapping him with a significant fine. Days later, on Sunday, August 31, the ATP No. 13 and Gilles Cervara both took to social media to confirm their split.
Medvedev shared a post on Instagram featuring highlights from the many moments the player-coach duo experienced together, including the Russian's title triumph at the 2021 US Open. The 20-time career singles titlist captioned the post:
"Thank you Gilles ❤️ Amazing 8-10 years together, 20 titles, world number 1 but most importantly a lot of fun moments and memories that will stay with us forever. I am grateful to you for guiding me through all these years and let’s see what life brings us in the future."
Cervara shared a similar post, wishing the best for Medvedev going forward both on and off the court.
Daniil Medvedev's live ranking takes a hit after the US Open nightmare; the Russian's Flushing Meadows outing condemns him to a dismal 2025 record at Majors
Daniil Medvedev's descent down the ATP Tour's singles rankings is showing no sign of slowing. In the live rankings, the Russian is now down to No. 16, and has fallen behind compatriot Karen Khachanov, American star Tommy Paul, and Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.
The 2025 US Open marked the third consecutive Major where Medvedev crashed out in the first round. His best finish at a Slam this year came at the Australian Open, but it was far from the kind of result that he would have hoped for, as American teen prodigy Learner Tien took him down in five sets in the second round.
Over the last couple of years, particularly following his heartbreaking loss to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Australian Open final, Daniil Medvedev has often looked bereft of ideas on the court, with his once-effective counterpunching style now no longer looking potent, even against significantly lower-ranked opponents. Only time will tell if a coaching change can transform the Russian's on-court fortunes.
