After another disappointment at the US Open, Tomas Berdych has decided the time has come to up his game in the search for that elusive first Grand Slam event title and that could involve a telephone call to the technically available for hire Ivan Lendl.
The 54 year-old winner of eight major titles distinguished himself as a coach by transforming Andy Murray from a mere man to a big-time champion by winning both the 2012 US Open title and 2013 Wimbledon as well as the Olympic gold medal.
Lendl split with Murray six months ago but has left the door open for potential other coaching jobs and Berdych would be a perfect fit for the Czech-born legend who clearly still wants to keep his connections with tennis after turning up at Flushing Meadows just before the start of the current tournament.
Berdych and Lendl were partners in the 2013 Rally Against Cancer match at London’s Queen’s Club when they took on the Anglo-Scottish team of Murray and Tim Henman. The pair are known to get on and after losing Thursday’s US Open quarterfinal to Marin Cilic, Berdych admitted: “Well, I think it’s something which I was thinking about definitely.”
On the eve of the US Open, Lendl said: ““People ask me if I’m going to coach again. Maybe eventually if the situation is right. But the time now is not right.”
So Berdych knows he must choose the right occasion. “I think [it] just needs probably the right time and timing to make it happen,” said the seventh ranked Czech. “Let’s see. I hope for the time is going to come up. Fingers crossed.”
Berdych has been coached by another Czech, Thomas Krupka since 2009 and after a disappointing 2014, where he has lost in the Australian Open semi-finals and the last eight of both the French Open and US Open, he seems to think his career is in need of jump charging.
After a straight sets demise to 14th seed Marin Cilic yesterday, the need for Berdych to up his game has intensified and Lendl proved with Murray he has exactly the ability to do such a thing with a talented player.
Topics: Andy Murray, Ivan Lendl, Marin Cilic, Tennis, Tomas Berdych, US Open tennis
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