With every near-miss Andy Murray suffered in his quest for a maiden Grand Slam title, many feared he was destined to just be the next nearly man in British tennis.
In an era defined by the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, it was almost impossible for almost anyone outside of the ‘big three’ to get their hands on a major trophy, and Murray certainly felt that in the early stages of his career.
At Grand Slam events from 2008 to 2011, the Scot made eight semifinals, advancing to the title bout on three separate occasions. Across those eight campaigns, with the exception of Wimbledon 2009, when he was beaten by Andy Roddick, Murray was denied by one of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic every time.
In December 2011, Murray made a decision that would ultimately change the course of his career: hiring eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Ivan Lendl. The news of the Czech legend taking the then-24-year-old under his wing came out on New Year’s Eve, and it did not take long in 2012 for Murray’s appointment to start paying dividends.
With Lendl in his corner, Murray went all the way in his first tournament campaign of the season by winning the Brisbane International title. He then went on to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open and made his first Wimbledon final.
The loss to Federer in the final of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships was an emotional one, but he quickly bounced back later that summer by beating the Swiss in the Olympic men’s singles final to win his first of two gold medals.
In September, Murray then finally got over the line at a Grand Slam, beating Djokovic in the US Open final to claim his first major title. Speaking at the Shanghai Masters roughly a month after the triumph, Murray had incredibly high praise for Lendl.
“We speak about pretty much everything to do with my tennis career,” said Murray of his coach in a press conference. “I mean, you know, I always said it was only a few percent I needed to improve and change, and he’s definitely helped a lot with that.
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“You know, he gave me a bit of extra confidence. He gave me a bit of extra belief. We worked hard on a lot of things and I trusted what he said. He brought obviously a lot of experience ‑ not just to me but to the rest of the guys, to the big events, also to the preparation of those events.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to put it into, I don’t know, a number, say exactly how much he’s helped. But I also have to remember all the stuff that I’d done before. I had got close before. But just getting over that final hurdle, I probably needed someone like him to help with that.
“Yeah, it’s worked well. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. I hope he’s enjoyed it, as well. He seems to have anyway, so I hope that continues.” Murray went on to win Wimbledon for the first time in 2013 with Lendl, before the two parted ways in 2014. Murray rehired Lendl before Wimbledon in 2016, which he won to secure his third major.
What Ivan Lendl said about Andy Murray after being hired by him
As per Fox Sports in 2012, Lendl spoke highly of Murray after being appointed to his team. “I see a guy who wants to win, a guy who wants to work hard,” said Lendl. “Obviously, I see the parallels between his career and my career, and I want his career to end up like mine.
“We have been through similar things, things I went through, he likes to work hard I like to work hard. I also admire his guts for hiring me because he had to know it would create a lot of interest.
“It would have been very easy just to hire someone, just another coach, and not get a high-profile person. Obviously I really enjoy Andy’s sense of humor. Hopefully he enjoys mine. We’ve had good laughs. I think it’s important that it’s not only work but fun as well.”
Outside of his work with Murray, Lendl has also had coaching stints with Alexander Zverev and Hubert Hurkacz.
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