Coaching Daniil Medvedev isn’t for the faint-hearted. The Russian’s world is a blend of genius, unpredictability, and emotional electricity - an environment where brilliance flashes in one moment and exasperation surfaces the next. Stepping into his box and taking up the coaching role will always comprise tactical debates and long discussions. And who knows this better than his former coach, Gilles Simon?

The French professional tennis player, who had reached a career-high ranking of world number 6 on 5 January 2009, had joined Medvedev’s team in February 2024, although they began working together at the AO last season, where Medvedev reached the final. Simon had also been a competitor of Medvedev, and guess what? He took down the Russian three times in their four encounters. So you can understand why Medvedev knocked at his door. They parted ways with each other mutually earlier this year, and recently in an interview with Eurosport, the Frenchman opened up about the experience of coaching the former world number one.

According to Gilles Simon’s statements about coaching Daniil Medvedev, “The box is the most unpleasant moment with him. He's extremely pleasant off the court, but when he's on the court during a match, he has a little monster to face inside that isn't easy to manage. We've been players; we understand what's going on, and we know he's not doing himself any favors, but we understand. It's a shame it's coming out like this, but I knew it before I worked with him. Everything else was pure joy.” His mission was simple: help Medvedev find fresh tactical solutions and maybe push him to evolve just a little. What he didn’t expect was how complicated a task that court could be.

Simon further revealed, “He's a player I like a lot, whom I even adore, and whom I understood. We had talked about tactics once or twice; I had notably explained to him how, in my opinion, he should face Novak (Djokovic), and that had helped him quite a bit, so he wanted to try it.” But what really led to the disconnection between the two? Well, Simon claims he faced two problems, and the biggest one was his reluctance towards a change.

Daniil Medvedev’s former coach explained, “We have a player who has won a lot, who is 28 years old, who has very strong convictions, and it's important for him to have them, but it's even harder to change in these situations, when two players like Alcaraz and Sinner have surpassed him and you have to try something else.”

In 2024, Medvedev failed to win a title in a year for the first time since 2017. Even this year, things haven’t gone really well for the Russian. He won just one title. So the results that he wanted, he didn’t get. On the other side, the changes that Simon wanted in Medvedev’s game were also lacking a bit. But what is the other factor that played a role in their split?

While detailing the series of events that led to this conclusion, Simon said that at the end of the year he had asked Daniil Medvedev about how he could have convinced him. In reply, Medvedev told him, “You already pushed very hard, and it wasn't possible to go any further.” Even while announcing this split on social media, Medvedev said he’s really thankful for everything Simon brought to the team and assured him that they’d stay friends and also wished him nothing but the best.

Looks quite amicable here, right? This makes us wonder if Medvedev’s longtime coach, Gilles Cervara, had any role in this split. Simon also took some time to explain all these. He said, “You should know that Daniil contacted me without telling Gilles. So Daniil must have realized that something was missing or that he wanted to add things. For Gilles, it wasn't a simple situation. He's his longtime coach, and just the idea of seeking something out was hard to accept. I tried to reassure Gilles about that; I didn't have the time, and I didn't want to spend 45 weeks a year with a player, so his place wasn't threatened in any way. But I didn't take his comments badly, and in the end, Gilles and I were increasingly aligned on what needed to be done.”

However, despite this rollercoaster ride in this one-year stint, Gilles Simon calls it an “enriching” experience, but he also added it was a bit “complicated.” Spending a full year decoding Medvedev’s on-court patterns, emotional rhythms, and match-day rituals opened the Frenchman’s eyes in ways he didn’t anticipate. He found himself admiring Medvedev’s honesty, his unpredictable wit, and even his famous excesses - the feisty bursts of frustration, the self-deprecating humor, and the sudden shifts in focus.

And if there’s one thing he’s certain of after this ride, it’s that coaching Daniil Medvedev is never dull - challenging, enriching, at times exhausting, but always unforgettable. What did Gilles Cervara have to say about Simon’s inclusion on the team, though?

Gilles Cervara says inclusion of Gilles Simon in Daniil Medvedev’s team made things worse

The partnership between Daniil Medvedev and his trusted coach Gilles Cervara had weathered years of wins, losses, and countless on-court battles. But 2024 brought an unexpected twist. When Medvedev welcomed Gilles Simon into the team as an additional voice, what was meant to be a tactical boost slowly turned into a source of friction.

Currently, even Cervara isn’t part of Daniil Medvedev’s team. Their partnership ended after the Russian’s disappointing campaign at the US Open. Explaining that decision, Medvedev had clarified later on, “When people disperse, it can’t be just one reason; there must be many. The results were, of course, unsatisfactory, and the way I felt on court was not good enough. Plus, after all, I’m 29 years old, and I’ve always been interested in trying something new.”

But coming back to what Cervara said about the difficulties that Simon brought along with him to the team, he says this one year was far from smooth, describing Gilles Simon’s involvement as “disruptive” to the harmony of Daniil Medvedev’s camp.

In an interview with Tennis Majors, he said, “Working with Gilles Simon caused what I called ‘static,’ disruptions, and afterward we tried to restore things—but recovery was difficult. I’d even say it didn’t succeed.” According to him, instead of elevating the setup, the dynamic grew complicated.

He further added, “At that time, post‑Australia after Simon’s departure, we tried to rebuild and start from scratch. In tennis terms, it was all very sluggish. I’m not saying he’s playing great now, but he has resources. I believe with what he will put in place, his level can come back quickly. After Australia, we went into reconstruction. That phase dragged into the whole season—we never got back on the winning track.”

Gilles Cervara has been with Daniil Medvedev since 2017, and talking about his own split, he revealed that he had brought up the subject of leaving Medvedev’s team way before the Russian came to the conclusion.

Overall, if we take a look at Medvedev’s performance in the last couple of years, nothing has gone according to his plans, and his performance graph has dropped quite significantly. So, all he now needs to do is to find some stability and chase for further excellence in 2026. Do you see him as a title contender at the Grand Slams next year, though?

Written by

Sayantan Roy

Sayantan Roy is a seasoned tennis journalist at EssentiallyTennis. He brings a deep tactical understanding to his coverage, breaking down head-to-head records, match dynamics, and on-court strategies with precision. For more than two years, Sayantan has been a key member of the Live Events desk, delivering real-time insights and data-backed predictions for the platform’s Matchday Preview section. His analytical approach has sparked editorial debates and drawn recognition from respected tennis voices, including commentator and analyst Olly_Tennis. Combining his experience in writing with a passion for insightful sports journalism, Sayantan’s work serves as a trusted reference point for tennis fans around the world.

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