Daniil Medvedev recruits ‘very smart’ former top 10 player to coaching setup
Daniil Medvedev has announced that Gilles Simon is now part of his coaching setup, with the former world No.6 set to cover any absences for head coach and French compatriot Gilles Cervara.
Medvedev will return to action next week in a bid to defend the Dubai Tennis Championships title, in the Russian’s first tournament since losing the Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner from two-sets-to-love up.
Thank you Melbourne ????????! See you next year! pic.twitter.com/imHhajxc6y
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) January 28, 2024
The former No.1 is currently in his eighth year with Cervara, but the 43-year-old will be travelling less frequently with Medvedev this year.
And this is where Simon will come in, as the 14-time ATP title winner looks to continue his career in tennis after retiring as a player at the Paris Masters in 2022.
Current reports are suggesting that Simon will join Medvedev in Dubai next week, as well as in Madrid and at the Paris Masters later this year.
Medvedev has revealed that the introduction of Simon is also to help him improve, “He is an addition to the team. He is going to help us move forward, help us win titles, and help me become a better player.”
The 28-year-old, “We see how it goes. So far it has been going good. Hopefully it is for a very long time but that depends on a lot of factors. We will see how much time he spends. For sure Gilles Cervara will be more time with me than Gilles Simon. That is how it works because that is how it was. We will see what the future brings as to how many weeks he will be with us.
“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. So far it’s been going good.”
Medvedev actually has a losing head-to-head with his new coach Simon, with the Frenchman winning three of their four meetings on the ATP Tour.
Good morning @DDFTennis! Very nice to be back.
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) February 20, 2024
Inside the baseline…
It must have been a tricky past month for Daniil Medvedev, who is the only person in history to lose two Grand Slam finals from two-sets-to-love up. However, bringing in a new face to his team might help provide a new perspective and enable Medvedev to have a better season than he did back in 2022, when the world No.4 lost to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final.
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