Daniil Medvedev coach’s NHL love has proved good luck at US Open

Three years ago, when Daniil Medvedev won his first U.S. Open title, his coach, Gilles Cervara, was wearing a blue New York Rangers cap.

Cervala, who is originally from France, a country not well known for hockey, said hockey is his second favorite sport after tennis.

So the longtime coach started collecting NHL hats from cities he visited four or five years ago and continues to do so now, in his seventh year working with Medvedev.

However, the Rangers game proved to be special at this time of the year.

“I found a blue Rangers cap in the shop but it wasn't an official cap. [NHL] “I chose this restaurant because it was closed at the time due to COVID and it was the last one left,” Chelvara told The Post after Medvedev’s practice and ahead of his quarterfinal match against top-seeded Jannik Sinner on Wednesday night.

“I don’t buy any caps, I only buy ’47s. [brand hats]I've been wearing this hat every day since day one. [on] And he won a trophy here. I [wore] Until last year again [at the Open] And he made it to the finals.

“Before the final, I thought to myself: 'How is this possible? He won the tournament and I get to wear the cap just for this tournament!' It's crazy.”

Cervala, wearing a different camouflage Rangers cap to wear on practice days at Flushing Meadows, said he's never played hockey but has tried skating, recalling the first time he watched hockey as a 15-year-old in France.

The 43-year-old can't help but smile when talking about the Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup in 1993.

One could go on and on about Hall of Fame goaltender and current Islanders coach Patrick Roy and Cervara.

Cervara was happy the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup this year, as he lived in Miami during some of the most important years of his life.

The fact that star goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky was leading the team prompted Cervara to wear his Panthers cap more proudly during his time at Wimbledon earlier this summer.

If it wasn’t obvious from the four NHL teams and two NHL players already mentioned, Cervara is a fan of the sport as a whole and is fascinated by goalies.

“I was very impressed with the goalkeepers,” he said. “There's something about the way they move that's just mind-blowing. And the goalkeepers… [game]that is, something similar to me.”

Cervara has seen NHL games in Los Angeles and Florida, but has never been to a game at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers' home stadium, and hopes to do so someday.

Cervara roots for the Rangers in Flushing, while Blueshirts star Artemi Panarin has previously rooted for Medvedev.

Panarin attended Medvedev's title fight in 2021. The compatriots were friendly and Panarin even gifted Medvedev a No. 10 jersey.

Maybe the New York Rangers will get lucky for Medvedev again.