Daniil Medvedev has broken his silence on his split from coach Thomas Johansson.
Medvedev began working with former Australian Open champion Johansson in September after he parted ways with his long-term coach Gilles Cervara.
This collaboration produced lots of success for Medvedev, who won three titles with Johansson as his coach and returned to the top 10 in the ATP rankings.
However, after Medvedev lost in the third round of Wimbledon, he decided to call an end to his partnership with Johansson, who he has now spoken about ahead of the Canadian Open.
Daniil Medvedev confirms when he will have a new coach after Thomas Johansson split
Medvedev was asked about Johansson in an interview with Tennis Bolshoi ahead of the Canadian Open this year.
The former world number one confirmed in this interview that he will be working with a new coach at the Cincinnati Open later this month.
Medvedev explained that he is still on good terms with Johansson, but felt like he needed to make the change after his disappointing Wimbledon.
“We ended our partnership with Thomas, so or during this tournament or after we’ll tell a little more about who I’ll be working with in Cincinnati,” said Medvedev.
He continued, “Of course, it’s never easy to stop working with someone, especially when it was a good partnership, I mean there were a lot of good results, I’m fifth in the race.
“So I’m grateful to Thomas for everything, but again sometimes it’s just there are certain reasons that appear in your head and you think it will be better this way because in everything you do, you try to do what’s best for yourself.
“You can only find out later whether it was the right choice or not, but sometimes in life you have to make those decisions. We’re on good terms, I’m sure he’ll appear soon on tour with someone new, I’ll also be with someone new. It’s just what sport is like, no hard feelings, all good.”
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Medvedev was then asked about who will be in his team for the Canadian Open, where he will be reuniting with one of his friends.
“I have a fitness coach here and I have one of my best friends here, he lives in Canada, in Toronto,” answered Medvedev.
“He used to play tennis, so he helps and we just have a good time. Sometimes that’s very important to be able to play well.”
Daniil Medvedev explains why he was wearing tape on his knees during Canadian Open practice
Medvedev has a big opportunity at the Canadian Open this year, with the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all not playing.
However, there was some concern for Medvedev after he was seen practicing with strapping on his knees in Montreal, but he has reassured that this is nothing too serious.
“Sometimes it’s not easy to change surfaces after grass,” said Medvedev.
“Let’s say my knees hurt a bit and I tried to see, maybe with tape they would hurt less, but with tape they hurt even more, so no tape from now on. No need to worry, everything should be fine.”
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Medvedev is a former Canadian Open champion, having won the title in Toronto in 2021, and he will now be hoping to win the tournament in Montreal.
As the fourth seed, Medvedev receives an automatic bye to the second round, where he will play either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Botic van de Zandschulp.
