'Roger Federer worked on his backhand' - Medvedev's coach on importance of constant improvement
Daniil Medvedev's incredible from last summer, which saw him win the Cincinnati Masters and finish runner-up at the US Open, led many to believe he could break the hegemony of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the top of the men's game. But that didn't quite happen, as Djokovic won the next Slam while the Russian's form dipped.
The Big 3 are able to produce their best day in and day out while also constantly working on their weaknesses, and so far the younger generation hasn't found a way to match that. And recently, Medvedev's coach Gilles Cervara opened up about the difference in mentality between the top players and the rest on the tour.
Top players like Roger Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Wawrinka are able to maintain a stable mentality: Cervara
In an interview with ATP, Cervara spoke about Roger Federer's comeback to the tour a few years ago, and how a player with his ability and success was able to improve on his backhand technique - something that his own protege can work on.
"I heard Roger Federer a few years ago, when he came back after stopping for six months, I heard he worked on technique with his backhand," Cervara said. "You always have to improve something. It depends what you choose. Sometimes it’s more physical, sometimes it’s technical because you want to improve a shot and you realize to improve a shot like this it’s more technical than physical."
After his explosive form last year, and a tight match in the semi-finals of the ATP Cup against Novak Djokovic, the Russian has struggled to maintain his level. According to his coach, however, stability is vital for Medvedev - which he can learn from the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
"The top players like Novak, like Wawrinka, Roger Federer and Nadal of course, they know [themselves] so they’re able to maintain something (a stable mentality) better than the young players," Cervara went on. "That’s also what Daniil is learning. The bad thing is the tour stopped, because I think when Indian Wells was ready to start he was ready to have a high level."
The French coach, who started work with Medvedev in 2017, also spoke about the World No. 5's matchup against Rafael Nadal at the US Open final last year. He emphasized how the Russian was able to handle his emotions well and treat the match like any other, which made his job much easier.
"I think you don’t realize what’s going on really because you’re focused on the match, on the goals and the way to win. You’re not disconnected with the action and what was happening. You are 100 per cent in the action and you live this like it’s almost a normal match. I want to say for me it was like all the matches, because Daniil played it like this also," concluded the Frenchman.