Ivan Lendl was already driving home Saturday night, halfway to his Connecticut home from Flushing after watching Andy Murray advance to the U.S. Open final with his gritty, four-set semifinal win over Tomas Berdych, when he pondered a question about the player he’s been coaching since January.
“Do you think whenever Andy breaks through, maybe in this U.S. Open final, it will liberate him to win more Grand Slams?’’ I asked Lendl.
“He’s already broken through — at the Olympics,’’ Lendl, now 52, said over the phone, referring to the gold medal Murray captured last month at Wimbledon. “He already won the biggest one in my mind. That was a big win — one on the level of the Grand Slams. In many ways, it’s much tougher to win.
“I don’t think [people] have seen the full significance of the Olympics. They may not be as established in the tennis public’s mind [as the Slams], but I think this will change very quickly now that Andy and Rafa [Nadal] have won the last two [gold medals].
“Before, it was a bit different, maybe because the top guys didn’t win, but you get a top guy winning in Rio [in 2016] and it will be right up there with everything else.”
Still, though, when Murray faces Novak Djokovic in today’s U.S. Open final, he will be playing in his fifth Grand Slam final seeking his first Grand Slam victory.
“He’s maturing,’’ said Lendl, who noted he prefers not to speak specifically about the things he works with Murray on or about Murray’s strengths and weaknesses. “He’s rounding his game nicely. He’s getting better. Let’s hope he can continue getting better [today]. I think he is ready to go and win.’’
The Lendl-Murray team is a fascinating one on a number of levels. The two share the dubious distinction as the only players in tennis history to lose in their first four Grand Slam finals. Lendl, of course, went on to win eight Slams in his remarkable career. Murray’s story has yet to be written in full.
Their pairing also is ironic in that Lendl, who was always viewed as having a dour demeanor on the court, has not only provided Murray with some masterful technical edges, but he’s become a psychological cheerleader of sorts behind the scenes.
Lendl, in a Stuart Smalley kind of way, constantly reminds Murray, by nature rather cheerless on the court, how good he is and he implores him to have more fun in the big matches like the one he won over Berdych on Saturday.
“Andy asks a lot of questions,’’ Lendl said. “The more questions he asks, the happier I am. It shows he wants to learn.’’
What Murray, who has ascended to No. 3 in the world under Lendl’s watch this year, wants most is that Grand Slam title that has eluded him — first and foremost for his own satisfaction, but also to silence the outside noise back in the United Kingdom always reminding him of his shortcomings.
The Olympic gold is special, but in the grand scheme of tennis greatness, the career of the top players are measured by Grand Slam wins — much the way careers in golf are measured more for majors championships than Ryder Cup success.
Murray, who craves that first Grand Slam title, has not addressed which would mean more — Olympic gold versus Slam — but he did say that winning the gold “maybe took a bit of pressure off me.’’
“The Olympics was the biggest win of my career by far,’’ Murray said. “It meant a lot to me. Whatever happens in the final here, it’s been a great year.’’ This has been my best year, with the majors and the Olympics. I’ve never made two Grand Slam finals in a year, so that’s obviously a good sign that I’m playing better and still learning.’’
Murray has gotten better and has learned immeasurably thanks, in large part, to Lendl’s subtle but powerful influence. They are an unlikely pair possibly prepared to enjoy some uncanny success together.