Daniil Medvedev's childhood coach discloses how Russian avoided punishment with clever trick

During his formative years, Daniil Medvedev once shrewdly found a loophole in a disciplinary rule to dodge punishment, his childhood coach Igor Chelyshev revealed.

Before moving to France with his family at the age of 18, the Russian used to train at the Bud Zdorov Club in the southwest of Moscow, where he joined as a 12-year-old. He was under the watch of coaches Chelyshev and Ivan Pridankin for around six years.

Known for playing by his own rules, Medvedev was often punished for throwing his rackets. The disciplinary punishment required offenders to run 10 laps around tennis courts, which became frequent for the former World No. 1.

During a recent interview, Chelyshev blew the whistle, saying:

“Earlier, we used to run 10 laps around four courts for throwing rackets. He could run 20 laps during training. He lost 15 minutes of training that lasted one and a half to two hours."

One fine day, however, the 2021 US Open champion substituted the racket with his sneakers since there was no rule about throwing sneakers.

"When he realized that it was useless to throw rackets because he was missing important things, he took off his sneakers and started throwing them. No one came up with the rules about sneakers, so he got out of the situation using his own head," he added.

Chelyshev was asked what he thought of Daniil Medvedev as a child, to which the coach said:

"Nothing. Ordinary. Just a little meaner than the others. And if something does not work out, the well-known hysteria begins. But he is playful. I think if he had not got into tennis, but into another sport, then he would have succeeded there too. The tactics have not changed. He recently came and said, 'I play the same way, I throw the same sh*t, just a little faster'."

Daniil Medvedev to face Christopher Eubanks in Miami Open 2023 quarter-finals

Daniil Medvedev during the 2023 Miami Open

Daniil Medvedev has had a great start to the season, having already won three titles (in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai) and reaching the final of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he lost to World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Looking for his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title, the fifth-ranked Russian has reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Miami Open, where he will take on Christopher Eubanks later today (March 30).

This is the first time that World No. 119 Eubanks has reached the last eight of a Masters event. The two players have never clashed on the tour.