Daniil Medvedev has cycled through more coaches in the past year than at any other stretch of his career, and his latest move might be the most unexpected one yet. The former World No.1 has hired former ATP pro Andrey Golubev on a trial basis for the upcoming events, including the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. Medvedev spoke about how working with a first-time coach was an exciting prospect for him as well.

“Well, we will try. We can say that he is a new coach, but according to the plans, we still have the Cincinnati and the US Open. Let’s see what will come of it. This is, of course, also a new adventure for me. Well, first of all, for him, this is, of course, the first experience on the ATP tour,” said Medvedev in an interview for a Russian publication. “Therefore, he is also still learning. And so far, we have spent too little time together to say for sure. But I definitely tried to find an understanding person who is able to help me, let’s say, in my current situation, in which I got into.”

As far as coaching assignments go, this will be quite a test for Golubev, who lacks experience doing the job at the highest level. The Kazakh has one Tour-level title to his name and has never advanced past the second round of a Slam, which is significant, as the consensus among experts was that Medvedev’s next choice would be someone with Grand Slam-winning credentials.

The hiring of Golubev comes after two significant coaching splits for Medvedev. The Russian ended an eight-year partnership with Giles Cervara after the 2025 US Open, where Medvedev had an early crashout at a Slam for a fourth consecutive time that season.

With Cervara gone, Medvedev moved towards Thomas Johansson, bringing the former Australian Open champion to his team. The on-court results changed for Medvedev, as he won a title in Almaty in 2025, which was his first Tour-level title since the 2023 Italian Open. The new duo started the 2026 season strong, with Medvedev winning Brisbane and Dubai, but the poor Slam results forced the Russian’s hand into going in a new direction.

Cincinnati and the US Open will be an early test of whether that new direction works. Medvedev’s form faded once the season moved onto natural surfaces, and now, back on his favorite surface, he’ll look to get some decent results, especially at the last Grand Slam of the year.

Daniil Medvedev Will Look to Change His Grand Slam Results With a New Coach

From the 2019 US Open to the 2024 US Open, Medvedev reached eleven Slam quarterfinals out of twenty, showing the Russian’s consistency at the biggest events on the Tour. However, in the last two seasons, Medvedev has struggled to get past the opening rounds, with the former World No.1 posting three first-round exits at Slams in 2025.

2026 has not changed Medvedev’s luck at the Slams as his best outing was at the Australian Open, where he lost to Learner Tien, which was followed by an opening round exit at the French Open and a third round loss at Wimbledon. Now, with Golubev at the helm, the Russian will hope to get back his winner’s mentality during the showpiece events on the tennis calendar.

For the time being, Medvedev’s immediate focus would be on the Cincinnati Open, where he is scheduled to begin his campaign against Marco Trungelliti in the second round. The Russian has a fine record in Cincinnati, having won the title back in 2019.

If there is one surface where the new coaching partnership could have a great start for Medvedev, it would be the hard courts. The Russian has reached six hard-court finals at the Grand Slam, with his best moment coming in New York in 2021. He has reached the finals of all six hard-court Masters 1000 events, winning five of them. If Golubev can help Medvedev find his vintage form, the Russian can make deep runs in Cincinnati and New York, given his hard-court prowess.