République Tchèque

Ivan LENDL

aka Ivan the Terrible

If you were given the clue, "serious face, never smiles", you would immediately think of Ivan Lendl.

The Czech showed nothing, but was omnipresent. The proof? Between 1981 and 1991, there was not a year in which he did not play at least one Grand Slam final. In 1984, he drove John McEnroe crazy at Roland-Garros, coming back from two sets down in the final to ultimately win his first French Open title. Standing before a French crowd that did not care for him, Ivan the Terrible held up the first of his eight major trophies. Beyond his powerful and efficient backcourt game that was all about strength, Lendl was one of the first to embrace intense physical training and a healthy lifestyle. Alongside the Australian Tony Roche, he left his mark on the 1980s, with 94 titles, 52 unsuccessful finals appearances and 270 weeks atop the world rankings. His great regret is that he never won Wimbledon. Since his 1996 retirement, Ivan Lendl has indulged his passion for golf and  coached Andy Murray. As for Michael Chang's underhand serve in the Round of 16 at Roland-Garros in 1989, Ivan Lendl has fully recovered: "We've talked about it and still laugh about it today!" 

Current projects

Television commentator


 

 

palmares

Titles

94

Finals

52

Higher ranking

1

ATP Singles, 28/02/1983

grand slam

victories

  • Australian Open (2): 1989,1990
  • Roland-Garros (3) : 1984, 1986,1987
  • U.S. Open (3) : 1985, 1986,1987

finals

  • Australian Open (2): 1983, 1991
  • Roland-Garros (2): 1981, 1985
  • Wimbledon (2): 1986, 1987
  • U.S. Open (5): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989

others

victories

  • Davis Cup (1): 1980
  • Masters (5) : 1982, 1983, jenuary 1986, december 1986, 1987

finals

  • Masters (4): 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988