“When people disperse, it can’t be just one reason; there must be many,” Daniil Medvedev said last month during the Asian swing. The Russian had just called time on his eight-year partnership with coach Gilles Cervara after a shock first-round exit at the US Open. The split turned heads, given everything they’d achieved together. Since then, Medvedev has been working with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Yet he’s stayed tight-lipped about what really led to the break.

According to sports correspondent Alena Mayorova, Medvedev was asked about his coaching shake-up and whether he still keeps in touch with Cervara. “I keep in touch with my former coach a little,” he said. “But it will never be daily again. It just so happens that I already know who he’ll be coaching, because we’ll most likely be training with that player during the preseason. And we’ll see each other on tour.”

They had been a team since 2017. The big break came in 2019, when Cervara was honored with ATP Coach of the Year for guiding Medvedev’s rise. That season, Daniil claimed his first two Masters 1000 titles. He followed that up with the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020, his maiden major in 2021, and the World No. 1 ranking in 2022. All under Cervara’s sharp eye. But after a 50-tournament title drought since his last win in Rome in 2023, Medvedev finally decided to move on. The big question now: Has the new team clicked?

“It’s possible to draw some preliminary conclusions because almost three months have passed,” Daniil said about his current setup. “The only thing is that we haven’t had much work outside of tournaments: I’ve played six in a row, and before that, we were only on the team for a week and a half.”

It looks like the Russian is aiming to carry his late-2025 momentum into the new season. Over six recent tournaments, he’s been a regular in the quarterfinals and semifinals, including strong runs in Shanghai and Paris. He also snapped his long winless streak with a title at the Almaty Open last month, beating Corentin Moutet in the final.

“So, the main work will be now, but in the interim, everything has gone great. We initially agreed that this would be a trial period until the end of the season. We’re all enjoying it, and we’re continuing to work. So next season will be more interesting: both they and I have higher expectations. We’ll see what comes of it.”

He’ll be starting 2026 ranked at No.13 in the world. While the Australian Open would have been his first tournamnet, things have changed with the ranking now.

Daniil Medvedev speaks on the expectation of the 2026 season

The former World No.1 is heading into 2026 with a new mindset and a bit of a reality check. In a recent chat with Championat, Daniil opened up about the dip that saw him tumble to 13th in the rankings after starting the year in fifth. It’s been a season of tough lessons, and now he’s preparing to grind for every point again.

“Of course, I would play the Australian Open right away. But when you’re 13 in the world, there’s no other choice. Now the situation is different than in previous seasons, so I had to play Brisbane, but I am glad,” he admitted. The Russian would have loved to kick off in Melbourne, but this time he’ll start his season at the Brisbane International in the first week of January.

With ranking points slipping away after early exits and missed defenses at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Medvedev isn’t taking any chances in 2026. This new schedule is about rebuilding, step by step. Brisbane marks his reset point, a fresh start after a complicated year.

He also poured serious effort into finding the right coaching team to help turn things around. In an interview with Bolshe, Medvedev said, “Many weren’t available or declined for various reasons. With those who agreed, we discussed their vision of my game and how they envisioned working with me. That’s basically it. And for the moment, my choice has fallen on Thomas [Johansson] and Rohan [Götzke].” It took time, but he seems settled and ready to put their ideas into motion.

And that recent win in Almaty? That might just be the spark he needed. So, is 2026 shaping up to be Daniil Medvedev’s big resurgence? Only time will tell for sure, but we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!