Daniil Medvedev will begin life under his new coach, Thomas Johansson, at the Hangzhou Open, an ATP 250 event in China.
After his first-round exit at the US Open, Medvedev parted ways with Gilles Cervara, his longtime coach who helped guide him to a maiden Grand Slam title.
It was a tough, but necessary choice for the former world number one, who has seen his ATP ranking tumble to as low as 18th in the world this season.
Medvedev has since hired Johansson ahead of the Asian swing, who has previously worked with Caroline Wozniacki, David Goffin, and Kei Nishikori.
The appointment is not a worthwhile one, however, in the eyes of a former world number one, who has criticised the 29-year-old.
Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty ImagesDaniil Medvedev’s coaching switch-up criticized ahead of Asian swing
As per Championat, two-time Grand Slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov said: “Understand, the problem is this – athletes of that status don’t want to listen to anyone, they don’t take anyone seriously.
“Whoever you give to Medvedev now, he won’t see that person as a coach, as a mentor, and follow everything they say flawlessly. That’s it.
“Medvedev already has a huge number of titles. I don’t know what he wants to achieve, what motivation he still has left. To win a Grand Slam tournament? To return to No. 1 in the rankings? I don’t know.
“Unfortunately, everything isn’t as bright as many would like to think. Next year he’ll already be 30 years old — that’s the age when any radical changes won’t bring much benefit.”
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesDaniil Medvedev made the right decision to change coaches
Though it may not work out in the end, Medvedev ultimately made the correct decision to part ways with Cervara and change coaches.
The former US Open champion has been a shell of his former self during the 2025 season, crashing out in the early stages of all four Grand Slam events.
He has yet to win a title since his triumph at the Italian Open in 2023, and has made just one final this year, which came at the Halle Open.
Medvedev can look to Naomi Osaka for inspiration, who herself has rediscovered her form under the wing of new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.