Ivan Lendl Sees A Long Arrangement With Andy Murray

Written by: Staff on 21st December 2012

Ivan Lendl Sees A Long Arrangement With Andy Murray

epa03299004 Andy Murray of Britain (R) and his coach Ivan Lendl (L) during a training session at Aorangi Park prior to Sunday's men's final match against Roger Federer for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 07 July 2012. EPA/JONATHAN BRADY |

Almost a year into his coaching relationship with US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray, Ivan Lendl took stock of the latest twists in his life and concurred with the third ranked Scot that the once unlikely duo are now likely to be a long term double act.

Lendl had never coached before officially taking responsibility for Murray last New Year’s Eve and he initially only agreed to a trail period.

The 52 year-old is not a constant at Murray’s side and stayed home in the United States for some high profile events; most noticeably the Olympics where the British hero exacted revenge over Roger Federer in the final just three weeks after losing out in the battle for the Wimbledon title on the very same court.

“I do see it lasting long term as well,” said Lendl in a conversation with The Times of London. “However, things change and things come up in people’s lives and I always said to Andy that as long as it is working for us we should keep on working.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone about it, but I would assume that if someone said would he take the Olympic gold medal and the US Open title, everybody would have said yes. So from that point it is working. We get on very well, I think, and we have had a good time.”

Lendl, a winner of eight Grand Slam singles titles and a 14 year veteran of globetrotting on the men’s tour, isn’t enamored with everything about being back on the tennis circuit. “Are there things I hate?” he said. “ Absolutely.

“I hate being on the road. However, there are pluses and minuses to everything and sometimes you have to swallow the things you don’t like to realize the things you enjoy, like winning.”

But Lendl, credited with boosting Murray’s self-belief and temper control, is still demanding one more change in the 25 year-old’s character. “”I think Andy is too nice sometimes,” he said.

“You can only play the way you practice – there’s not way you’re going to play differently than the way you practice. At least I don’t see it. Andy knew what I wanted,” Lendl said after seeing an attempted lob float long. “I wanted it buried, either in the corner or in the guy’s nuts, but bury it somewhere.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Andy Murray, British tennis news, Ivan Lendl, Scottish tennis news, Sports, Tennis News