American star explains why he hired Daniil Medvedev’s former coach ahead of the Next Gen ATP Finals

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Daniil Medvedev’s former coach, Gilles Cervara, has joined the team of American star Nishesh Basavareddy.

Cervara split with Medvedev after a disappointing first-round exit at the US Open, ending the eight-year partnership.

The Russian has since appointed Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, with whom he has seen his results improve.

Months later, Cervara has now started working with Basavareddy, a 20-year-old who has previously received high praise from Novak Djokovic.

The US star, who enjoyed his debut year on the ATP Tour in 2025, is now preparing for the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Nishesh Basavareddy discusses the hiring of Gilles Cervara

Basavareddy will join the likes of Learner Tien and Justin Engel at the tournament, which is held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and set to begin on the 17th of December.

Past winners at the Next Gen ATP Finals include Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Basavareddy is one of the favourites, and will have received an extra boost ahead of the tournament with the appointment of Cervara, whom he discussed recently.

In an interview with the ATP Tour, Basavareddy said of his new coach: “Obviously, he had a long and successful partnership with Daniil, who was a good player before they started working together, but they did a lot of great things together.

“I thought that experience at the highest level could help me where I’m at in my career. It’s not just the tennis; he’s interested in all aspects.

“He’s diligent and professional in areas such as nutrition and fitness, and that will help me.”

Nishesh Basavareddy’s results during the 2025 ATP season

In his first professional season, Basavareddy had a record of seven wins and 13 losses and cracked the top 100 in the world.

At an ATP 250 event in Auckland, he put together his best campaign of the season by reaching the semifinals before being knocked out by Gael Monfils.

Basavareddy then made his first Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open, where he managed to take a set off Djokovic.

Prior to that match, the Serb said Basavareddy was a ‘very talented player’, stating he has ‘great hands’ and is ‘very dynamic’.

Outside of his run in Auckland, Basavareddy’s best result at an ATP Tour-level competition was a round-of-16 finish in Hangzhou, where he was ultimately beaten by Medvedev.