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Daniil Medvedev's new coach, Gilles Simon, was spotted watching the Russian from his player's box during his first-round triumph at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships on February 27.
Gilles Simon is a former player who retired from tennis in 2022. The Frenchman reached a career-high ranking of World No. 6 and won 14 titles on the ATP tour. He got into Daniil Medvedev's coaching team last week, joining Gilles Cervara, Eric Hernandez (physical trainer), and Yann Le Meur (sports scientist).
Simon made his first appearance in Medvedev's player's box during his first-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships against Alexander Shevchenko. The Russian was given a run for his money by Shevchenko but overcame the challenge in straight sets.
Daniil Medvedev expressed optimism about his progress after joining forces with Gilles Simon. The 28-year-old said he hoped that working with Simon would make him a better player and that they would be together for a long time.
The Frenchman will accompany Medvedev in the tournaments where Gilles Cervara would not be present.
“He is an addition to the team. He is going to help us move forward, help us win titles, and help me become a better player. We see how it goes. So far it has been going good. Hopefully it is for a very long time but that depends on a lot of factors. We will see how much time he spends,” Medvedev said (via Tennis Majors).
“For sure Gilles Cervara will be more time with me than Gilles Simon. That is how it works because that is how it was. We will see what the future brings as to how many weeks he will be with us,” he added.
Gilles Simon - "I've been working with Daniil Medvedev since December"
While the news of Gilles Simon joining Daniil Medvedev's team came to light last week, the Frenchman revealed that he has been working with the former World No. 1 since December 2023, providing him with technical assistance.
Simon added that he had helped Medvedev during the 2024 Australian Open, where the Russian reached his sixth Grand Slam final. While Simon was physically absent during Medvedev's Australian swing, he would send his suggestions to Cervara, who passed them on to the Russian.
“I’ve already been working with him since December, but we haven’t said anything. In Australia, I sent all the tactics," Gilles Simon said on Tennis Majors.
"During Daniil Medvedev’s matches, I would send instructions to Gilles Cervara, who would pass them on, or not, in real time to Daniil! That’s really where I can help him," he added.
In Melbourne, Medvedev defeated Terence Atmane, Emil Ruusuvuori, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Nuno Borges, Hubert Hurkacz, and Alexander Zverev before losing to Jannik Sinner in the title contest.
