Ivan Lendl has often been lauded as the man who helped Andy Murray achieve his dream of winning Grand Slam titles. Murray went on to win two Grand Slam titles under the American’s tutelage. Being a powerful baseliner himself, Lendl instilled a more offensive approach to Murray’s game.
It has been a difficult three years for Murray since parting ways with Lendl. Multiple hip surgeries had taken the Scot out of the top 800 (currently world No. 121). Five years since his last major title in Wimbledon, he has taken part in only four slams out of a possible 13.
While the former world No. 1 may not be the player he once was, he was always known for his fitness and consistency. As tennis moved on from the 1970s to the 2000s, fitness was essential to performing well and staying at the top.
At SportTechie’s State Of The Industry conference, Lendl headlined the Athlete’s Voice panel, discussing his playing and coaching priorities. He said, “As time moved on, I realized very quickly when I was on the Tour that top fitness is essential to performing well. Because if you can outlast the guy, you’re unlikely to lose to an opponent. I think it’s really important for people—recreation or college players—to make sure they take care of their bodies. And that’s before and after they play.
“I don’t think it’s very well known that professional players who are really professional, for example, Andy Murray, how much time they take. I would say that, Andy, if he has no injuries, he will spend preparing for a practice session between 60 and 90 minutes before he even steps on the court. That is true stretching, that is true activating muscles, and so on”.
Andy Murray looks to make a comeback in Wimbledon
Andy Murray will set his sights on Wimbledon.
While the Scot has entered his name into the French Open qualifying tournament, his sights will be set on Wimbledon. The 2016 French Open finalist made a first-round exit from the French Open last year. And with constant injury problems, there won’t be much expectations for the clay-court season.
Down at world No. 121 and with only three ATP-Tour level matches this year, it does not get any tougher. But tennis fans all over the world will hope to see Andy Murray competing for important titles again.
