Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has revealed how an Australian coach – 20 years removed from the ATP Tour – has become the technical brains of an overhaul that has the former world No.1 back near his best.
A barren two years means the three-time Australian Open finalist will begin his season outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018.
But Medvedev’s form at the Brisbane International, where he’ll play a semi-final against American Alex Michelsen on Saturday night, means his cover is already blown.
Medvedev, currently world No.13 and turning 30 next month, estimates he’s already playing at a ‘top-five’ level again – and has his new coaching duo to thank.
Australian-born Rohan Goetzke began his coaching career in Europe, guiding an unseeded Richard Krajicek to the 1996 Wimbledon title.
He then coached Mario Ancic, but since 2006 has worked for the Netherlands’ men’s and women’s squads and held private roles in America.
Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has revealed how an Australian coach – 20 years removed from the ATP Tour – has become the technical brains of an overhaul that has the former world No.1 back near his best
Australian-born Rohan Goetzke began his coaching career in Europe, guiding an unseeded Richard Krajicek to the 1996 Wimbledon title – he is now tweaking Medvedev’s game
He’s now back in the hot seat, in partnership with Sweden’s 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, responsible for taking Medvedev back to the top.
The 2021 US Open champion said it took just one phone call to allay fears the Australian was a spent force.
‘I was kind of sceptical in the beginning…he (Goetzke) hadn’t been on tour for a long time, and usually that’s not a good thing,’ Medvedev said.
‘But when I talked to him for the first time on the phone, he kind of surprised me.
‘He analysed my game and said exactly what I felt was not working anymore.’
Medvedev described Goetzke as the ‘technical’ component of an overhaul prompted by two lean years that’s netted just one title since he clinched five in 2023.
‘The volley, on the serve, forehand, backhand, (he’s) maybe a tiny bit like, ‘If the ball is high you should do this, on the volley you should do this’,’ Medvedev, chasing a 22nd career title in Brisbane, said of his input.
‘Some (other potential coaches) gave me their vision, and I maybe didn’t like it or it didn’t work out. With Thomas and Rohan, straightaway I liked what they told me.’
Medvedev is building towards the Australian Open, where he is a three-time finalist
Medvedev’s high-quality victory over Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak on Friday took his record to 46-11 in Australia.
He made the final in his only other visit to Brisbane in 2019, won his maiden ATP Tour title in Sydney in 2018 and was beaten in the Adelaide International semi-finals by Novak Djokovic in his only visit there in 2023.
He’s also lost two of his three Australian Open finals after winning the first two sets at Melbourne Park, where he is 28-9.
Again Medvedev looks destined for a deep run at the Grand Slam and says his off-season has super-charged him.
‘(When) you haven’t played for like one month and a half, you’re probably trying few new things and there’s a tiny bit (of) stress,’ he said.
‘You wonder: ‘Is it going to work, maybe I’m going to miss, maybe I’m going to be scared or something?’
‘But…I love this.’
Medvedev has been in impressive touch at the Brisbane International, and faces American Alex Michelsen on Saturday night in a semi-final
Dominant top-two stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who boast a combined 12-1 in their last 13 meetings with the Russian, will again be the men to beat in Melbourne.
But Medvedev paid the price for focusing too much on the pair last year.
‘When I was top three, four, for sure thinking a lot about what to do with Carlos and Jannik, where I can improve and this and that,’ he said.
‘But because I played horribly, I never got to play them. ‘So this pre-season, I didn’t think at all about them.
‘I was, like, ‘Okay, how do I get back to the level I can play to, first of all, beating the other guys?’
‘And then maybe if I get to play them, I will talk to my new team and we see what we can do.’
