For most of the 2025 ATP season, Daniil Medvedev was a shell of his former self.
The former world number one failed to make it past the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017, and suffered multiple early exits at ATP Masters 1000 events.
Having started the season as the world number five, Medvedev‘s ranking plummeted to as low as 18th during his 2025 campaign, following several disappointing runs.
After a brutal first-round defeat at the US Open, the Russian ultimately decided to make a change in his coaching team.
Medvedev parted ways with longtime coach Gilles Cervara and appointed Tomas Johansson; a decision that did not go down well with his legendary compatriot, Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Yegveny Kafelnikov’s criticism did not age well at the end of 2025
In September, Kafelnikov criticised Medvedev for splitting with Cervara, claiming: “Unfortunately, everything isn’t as bright as many would like to think. Next year he’ll already be 30 years old, and that’s the age when any radical changes won’t bring much benefit.”
While the two-time major champion would have had his countryman’s best interests in mind when he made his statement, ultimately, his words did not age well at all.
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The idea that ‘any radical change would not bring much benefit’ was rendered nonsensical when Medvedev went on to enjoy a much-improved Asian swing after hiring Johansson.
He reached the quarterfinals in Hangzhou, and clinched back-to-back semifinals in Beijing and Shanghai.
- Hangzhou Open: Quarterfinals – Lost to Yibing Wu
- China Open: Semifinals – Lost to Learner Tien
- Shanghai Masters: Semifinals – Lost to Arthur Rinderknech
Soon after, Medvedev won his first title in 882 days, emerging victorious at the Almaty Open in what marked a statement victory for the 29-year-old.
While he may still be far away from the level that once saw him hoist the US Open title, Medvedev was incredibly wise to make the emotionally difficult choice of ending his player-coach relationship with Cervara.
Things did not look like they were getting better anytime soon with his former mentor, and his career would only have continued on a downward spiral had he kept him on board.
As Kafelnikov pointed out, Medvedev will turn 30 next year, but by no means does that mean he should call it a day on trying to improve his game.
These are still prime years for Medvedev, and should he look after his body, he is more than capable of playing at the top level into his mid-to-late 30s.
Medvedev’s experiment with Johansson will carry on in 2026, and even if it does not work out in the end, he should have no regrets about the decision he made.
Daniil Medvedev’s poor losses at Grand Slams in 2025
If Kafelnikov needed any evidence to show that Medvedev made the right choice, he needs to look no further than his Grand Slam losses in 2025.
At the Australian Open, Medvedev crashed out of the tournament in round two, falling to American teenager Learner Tien in five sets.
Then, at Roland Garros, he lost in his opening clash with Cameron Norrie.
Despite reaching his first final of the season during the grass swing in Halle, Medvedev’s Wimbledon campaign ended abruptly when he was beaten in the first round yet again; this time to Benjamin Bonzi.
Bonzi got the better of Medvedev’s once more in the US Open first round, which would ultimately be the straw that broke the camel’s back for Cervara’s role as head coach.
It was an incredibly disappointing Grand Slam season for Medvedev, but with the form he displayed late on in 2025, the star has shown he is not done just yet.
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