"He didn't say 16, they could say 32, 18, 21": Daniil Medvedev dismisses claim he gave Gilles Simon list of players to scout

Former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev has responded to claims that he gave his new coach, Gilles Simon, a list of players the Russian did not like facing.

The 2021 US Open champion recently added retired ATP player Gilles Simon to his coaching team, with the Frenchman appearing in Medvedev's coaching box during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week. Although the partnership was announced a few days ago, Simon revealed he has actually been part of Medvedev’s camp since December and sent him game plans during the 2024 Australian Open.

In a recent interview, Simon allegedly stated that Medvedev gave him a list of 16 players he didn’t like to face, and he prepared 16 different tactics for them. But the Russian has now cleared things up, claiming that even Simon had no idea where the number came from. Instead, the World No.4 believes that the group of tough rivals likely came from his long-time coach Gilles Cervara, and wouldn’t have contained as many names as 16.

“I try to not discuss like too much what's said in the media,” Medvedev said of his new mentor. “I heard him talking to someone, someone French. They were asking him this question. He was like, I don't know where they took 16. They could say 32, 18, 21. He didn't say 16. That's how sometimes things are.
"It was more I would say other Gilles Cervara who gave him that list. Me, it's tough to play against everyone. At the same time it's easy to play against everyone.
“Gilles, who is with me for 10 years, he can see more who is troubling more on the court for different reasons, so he gave this list to Gilles. I doubt it was 16 players. I would think it would be less.”