Daniil Medvedev Parts Ways With Coach of 8 Years Days After US Open Drama

Daniil Medvedev’s player box is often sparsely inhabited. But coach Gilles Cervara has been a constant presence ever since his player first broke onto the ATP Tour. Under his guidance, Medvedev captured the No.1 ATP rank in 2022, was victorious at the U.S. Open in 2021, and won the 2020 ATP Finals title. But all good things come to an end, and so has their fantastic collaboration.

Their eight-year partnership ended a week following Medvedev’s first-round exit at the U.S. Open. The Russian player lost to Benjamin Bonzi, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4. “Thank you Gilles,” Medvedev noted on Instagram. “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 was just as grateful for the time he spent coaching Medvedev. The coach took to Instagram and wrote a lengthy post expressing his feelings. “Daniil. Our fantastic eight-season adventure together comes to an end. Like a symbolic wink of life, it’s after this US Open tournament that we end our collaboration.

“I am grateful and happy for all the great things and wonderful experiences we were able to experience together on the court during these eight years. It will remain etched in my memory forever. I thank you for placing your trust in me. I gave EVERYTHING, every second, for our shared goals.

“I loved training you, coaching you, supporting you (even when it was difficult), and finding solutions with you and the team to help you perform. I will keep in mind your unconventional magic as a player, which is your strength. It will return, I’m sure. I wish you all the success you aspire to as a player in the future. And a happy life as a man. The road continues, work and performance call to each of us…and I wish us both success.”

When the two started working together, Medvedev was just a teenager. Many believed he was the least talented player among the young crop of Russian talent, which included Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev. But as years passed, Medvedev proved them wrong. Apart from his split with Cervara, the tennis player will no longer work with his longtime fitness trainer, Eric Hernandez.

So far, no replacements have been named. Reports suggest that the Russian will first have conversations with various candidates before finalizing anything. That’s an important precaution he needs to take. After all, he will be outside the top 15 when he returns to the tour. That will be his lowest ranking since 2019. However, parting ways with his longtime staff members is not the only thing he has made the headlines for.

Daniil Medvedev’s 2025 US Open journey took a wild turn. In his match against French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi, Medvedev got upset when a photographer stepped onto the court right at match point. This led umpire Greg Allensworth to give Bonzi a chance to retake his first serve. Medvedev then let loose with a fiery outburst. He was taunting the official, getting the crowd riled up, and even holding up play for more than six minutes.

After the match, Medvedev went all out and smashed his racket, which ended up costing him a $42,500 fine. While some tennis fans were worried about how inconsistent and emotionally volatile he can be on the court, another tennis star shared her thoughts on the incident.

Coco Gauff weighs in on Daniil Medvedev’s controversy

Coco Gauff opened up about the situation, highlighting how the unique vibe of New York and the timing of the event really added to the drama. She mentioned, “Yeah, I think it’s A, end of the year. B, I mean, we’re in New York and, you know, the fans here, I love them. But you know, they can definitely, if you’re on the wrong side of things can, they just, they’re into the match. They’re passionate tennis fans.”

Gauff mentioned that the vibe in the city, with all its major events and enthusiastic fans, really amps up the controversy. She believed that these kinds of incidents happen a lot on tour, but it really seems to get amplified at the US Open because of social media.

Her reflections highlight how unique the US Open is, but it’s the emotions and challenges that come with it that make the sport feel so genuine—demonstrating the immense pressure athletes face while being watched by everyone. What do you think?