Former coach of Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev, Frenchman Gilles Cervara, discussed his current perspective on the decision to end their collaboration.
Interviewer: Gilles, a month has passed since your separation from Daniil. Have your thoughts changed at all during this month?
Cervara: My thoughts remain the same. It was an amazing time. I sincerely wish him the very best, as I do myself. Life goes on after ten years of incredible relationship, experiences, adventures, and success. I am grateful for the chance to have been an important person in Daniil`s life and a part of his victories. This marks the beginning of something new for both of us.
Interviewer: Since you decided to end your collaboration, has there been a single day when you regretted it?
Cervara: No, it was absolutely the right decision for both me and him. If you start to doubt, it prevents you from moving forward. It was the best moment for us both to pursue different paths in tennis. Otherwise, we risked getting stuck in the past, and getting stuck is something very important to avoid. For our careers, it was necessary to feel free from our relationship and shared experiences. But, I repeat, we went through a lot, and for me, it`s an honor.
Interviewer: At the end of June, Medvedev reached the final of the Halle tournament – it seemed Daniil was gaining momentum before Wimbledon.
Cervara: I was only thinking about how to improve Daniil`s results and do my job better. This was also the case this season when I started to think that we needed to stop working together. Because after the Halle tournament, I was very optimistic. I thought we were in for a wonderful Wimbledon, that we had managed to change the dynamic. But then came the early exit from Wimbledon, the defeat to Moutet in Washington, and I thought: `Damn! We were on the right track…` Daniil really put a lot of effort into all those matches that he should have won but didn`t quite close out. And after that, I first seriously considered that we needed to change something in our relationship.
Interviewer: Immediately after concluding your work with Daniil, you said that you had to “restore Medvedev`s tennis” due to his collaboration with Gilles Simon, stating that stagnation began during that period. What did you mean?
Cervara: Every time you add someone to your team, you have to find a balance between the team and the player, find the right energy, because it changes. Team relationships also change. The team immediately takes on a different face. And that`s not easy to manage. All of this had an impact.
Interviewer: But to return to Simon, after all. Was inviting him to the team a mistake?
Cervara: On the one hand, it could have brought good things, provided a boost for development. That was the goal of this collaboration. On the other hand, it brought difficulties into the team, and the dynamic was disrupted. But I don`t think we shouldn`t have done it. It wasn`t a mistake. Inviting Simon was not the main reason for this difficult season.
