Daniil Medvedev has added former World No.6 and 14-time ATP titlist Gilles Simon to his coaching team. In news first reported by Tennis Majors, Medvedev’s current coach Gilles Cervara says that Simon’s role has no specific title, but will be significant.
“Gilles Simon’s title doesn’t matter,” Cervara told Tennis Majors. “What will count is the quality of our work, the harmony of our contributions, and the results. That’s what’s important.”
Medvedev and Simon will be together next week in Dubai and have tentative plans for Simon to take some of the travel burden off Cervara’s shoulders this spring, specifically at Madrid and this year’s Paris Masters.
“He is an addition to the team,” Medvedev told Tennis Majors. “He is going to help us move forward, help us win titles, and help me become a better player."
Medvedev stresses that Cervara, who has worked with Medvedev since 2017, will still be the main man in his team.
“We [will] 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.”
Most important, Medvedev looks forward to having the Frenchman in his ear when it comes to making subtle improvements to his game on different surfaces and as an attacking player.
During his career Simon’s reputation as an intellectual, tactically tuned in player has never been in question. He has always been seen as an intelligent tactician and a player who has done “more with less.”
“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.”