Daniil Medvedev's coach provides insights on how he prepared the Russian for the US Open final against Novak Djokovic, says everything you do against the Serb "has to be at the top"
Daniil Medvedev's coach, Gilles Cervara, recently provided some valuable insights into how he mentally and tactically prepared his charge ahead of the latter's US Open final against Novak Djokovic on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast.
Medvedev defeated Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on that day to lift his maiden Grand Slam trophy. In doing so, he also prevented Djokovic from achieving the Calendar Slam and exacted revenge for the Australian Open defeat.
In the 2021 Australian Open final, the 20-time Major champion had thrashed a hapless Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
Speaking to Jill Craybas on the podcast, Gilles Cervara explained that you need to be at your very best when facing Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev's coach also highlighted the fact that you must be prepared to make tactical changes during the match, given the Serb's ability to "adapt".
"Then tactically, well, to play Novak, you don't have something magic. It's not you arrive and 'okay you do this, you do this and it will work'," Daniil Medvedev's coach said. "No it's not like this. It's like everything you will do has to be at the top and everything you will do at the top, probably you will have to change it during the match because Novak would adapt and change something. We were ready for so many different things, different scenario to win this match."
Gilles Cervara believes that the Australian Open defeat was a good learning curve for his player, which he reckons helped them win the US Open. He also thinks that Medvedev lacked a few elements on the psychological front against Djokovic in Melbourne.
"Melbourne was a useful experience to help Daniil to win the final in the US Open," Cervara said. "In Melbourne, I think -- I don't think, I'm sure -- the match was not good from Daniil. Something was missing. Something, an invisible thing was missing you know, mentally, energy, something that is tough to explain but you can feel it when you see the match, when you are with Daniil, when you are Daniil's coach or his team."
Daniil Medvedev outclassed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev en route to the summit clash of this year's Australian Open. Gilles Cervara believes that while these results were good, they prevented Medvedev from trying something different against Novak Djokovic.
According to the Frenchman, this factor ultimately cost Medvedev the final.
"Especially after the quarterfinals or the semifinals where he played unbelievable," Cervara said. "And I think you know its like after these two matches its like if you expect that it can just continue like this without doing anything special. But that was a mistake and that also probably he didn't have enough experience at this moment."
As such, Cervara firmly believes that the Australian Open defeat was helpful in preparing Daniil Medvedev for the US Open final against Novak Djokovic.
Medvedev (+195) upsets Djokovic in straight sets to win the US Open https://t.co/YQXqgZWXT6
"Also that's why in the US Open, we used the Melbourne experience to prepare the match differently, mentally differently, and then of course, tactically to adjust different things against Novak," Daniil Medvedev's coach added.
"Mentally, first of all, it was almost easy for Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final": Coach Gilles Cervara
During the podcast interview, Daniil Medvedev's coach stressed that his ward was mentally far better equipped at the US Open final after having learned from his defeat to Djokovic in Melbourne.
"Mentally, first of all, it was almost easy (in the US Open final) I want to say, of course not easy but because we had Melbourne experience," Daniil Medvedev's coach said. "So it was like okay we almost know what we have to do or at least to not miss."
Cervara recalled that he kept mentioning to his colleagues on Medvedev's coaching team that the World No. 2 desperately needed a "good start" in the US Open final. He believes this was of paramount importance as another bad start like the one he had endured in Melbourne could have broken his spirit.
"I was saying to the team it will be important to have a good start and at least to have a good second set because if you feel you can compete or at least the same level as your opponent it gives you hope to continue," Cervara explained. "If you start bad for a second time, it's tough mentally to do your best. After the first game I was like, he's in the final, we have chance to do great thing."
DANIIL MEDVEDEV
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