Ivan Lendl To Be Special Guest At Davis Cup Final In Prague

Written by: Staff on 15th November 2012

Ivan Lendl To Be Special Guest At Davis Cup Final In Prague

epa03080882 Ivan Lendl, tennis legend and now coach of Andy Murray of Great Britain, watches as Murray plays against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their men's single semi-final match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 27 January 2012. EPA/BARBARA WALTON |

Former great Ivan Lendl will be a special weekend guest for the Davis Cup final as his former nation, the Czech Republic, bid to stop Spain on what promises to be an ultra-fast indoor court in Prague.

The surface is as much of a tactic as the playing lineup for the hosts, who have only one Davis trophy – earned as the former Czechoslovakia in 1980 – in the cabinet.

Spain has been fearful in the run-up as to the precise speed of the hardcourt which is designed to accommodate the games of local singles ace Tomas Berdych and colorful 33-year-old Radek Stepanek.

Lendl, who has been an American for decades and now coaches Andy Murray from a Florida base, is hard-pressed to pick a favorite. “The result is hard to predict. It’s a balanced clash. The Spaniards are strong, but our boys play well too.”

Berdych and Stepanek are likely to cover all the bases for the hosts in both singles and doubles as they have done all season, winning 11 of a dozen matches in the team game.

Stepanek is chomping at the bit to play, even after a long season which saw both Berdych and him playing last week in London at the ATP World Tour Finals. “I can barely wait til Friday. I’m healthy. I hope my knee holds for the three days,” said the veteran married to former WTA player Nicole Vaidasova.

“I thought the court was too slow. That’s why we put on an extra layer. We chose the surface to suit our taste: no clay here,” added Stepanek.

The Czechs will be hoping to do the double at home in front of 14,000 fans less than a fortnight after the women’s Fed Cup team won that title over Serbia.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Berdych, Czech tennis news, Davis Cup, Ivan Lendl, Prague tennis news, Sports, Stepanek