Ivan Lendl
Lendl in 2012 | |
| Country (sports) | Czechoslovakia (1978–92) United States (1992–94) |
|---|---|
| Residence | Vero Beach, Florida, US |
| Born | March 7, 1960 Ostrava, Czechoslovakia |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Turned pro | 1978 |
| Retired | 1994 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Wojtek Fibak (1979-1985) Tony Roche (1985-1994) |
| Prize money | US$21,262,417 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2001 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1068–242 (81.5%) |
| Career titles | 94 (4th in the Open Era) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (February 28, 1983) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1989, 1990) |
| French Open | W (1984, 1986, 1987) |
| Wimbledon | F (1986, 1987) |
| US Open | W (1985, 1986, 1987) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987) |
| Grand Slam Cup | SF (1991) |
| WCT Finals | W (1982, 1985) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 187–140 (57.2%) |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Highest ranking | No. 20 (May 12, 1986) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (1984) |
| French Open | SF (1980) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1985) |
| US Open | 3R (1980) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1980) |
| Coaching career | |
| |
| Coaching achievements | |
| List of notable tournaments (with champion) 2x Wimbledon (Murray) | |
Ivan Lendl (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɪvan ˈlɛndl̩]; born March 7, 1960) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player and coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 270 weeks (fourth-most of all time), and finished as the year-end No. 1 four times. Lendl won 94 career singles titles, including eight majors (three each at the French Open and US Open, and two at the Australian Open) and seven year-end championships. He was runner-up at a further eleven majors and contested a record eight consecutive US Open finals.
Lendl is the only man in professional tennis history to have a match winning percentage of over 90% in five different years (1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989). He leads the head-to-head against his two biggest rivals, with a 22–13 record against Jimmy Connors and a 21–15 record against John McEnroe. Lendl's dominance of his era was most evident at the year-end championships, where he holds a win–loss record of 39–10 and contested the final a record nine consecutive times.
Commonly referred to as the 'Father Of Modern Tennis' and 'The Father Of The Inside-Out Forehand', Lendl pioneered a new style of tennis; his game was built around his forehand, hit hard and with a heavy topspin, and his success is cited as a primary influence in popularizing the now-common playing style of aggressive baseline power tennis. After retirement, he became a tennis coach for several players; in particular, he helped Andy Murray win three majors and reach the world No. 1 ranking.