We have seen Andy Murray shed tears on a tennis court plenty of times.
Win or lose, he invariably ends up in tears, like he did on Sunday in the Wimbledon final, sobbing into the towel after brushing aside Milos Raonic.
But et tu, Ivan Lendl?
Now, how many people have seen the former world No 1 shed a tear in his playing days? But emotions got the better of the “Old Stoneface” following Murray’s win, and though he tried to pretend his watery eyes were due to some “allergy”, he was eventually forced to admit those were tears flowing from his eyes.
“Of course we are emotional,” he was quoted as saying in Daily Mail. “We are all busting our chops for Andy to do well and win. When it is achieved, it is a very good feeling.”
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Lendl, of course, credited the “tremendous job” that Team Murray had done from the start of the season for the success, but as he said, in these exact words, he was the missing piece of the jigsaw.
His arrival has brought instant rewards – Murray is unbeaten in 12 matches since Lendl’s return a month ago and he has now ended his three-year wait for a third major title.
His first two major titles had also come under Lendl’s watch, and in both those finals – the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon – the Scot had defeated his nemesis Novak Djokovic for the title.
Murray has lost 13 of his 15 duels against Djokovic since, including three grand slam finals. Lendl is determined to help him turn those stats around. “I will do whatever I can to help him achieve his goals,” he said. “My goal is to win as many majors as possible.”
The coming months, then, will be crucial. But the way Murray played this Wimbledon fortnight, the hopes should be high in his camp. He played Djokovic-like tennis not just in the final against Raonic alone. He was flawless in the semis against Tomas Berdych as well, and he played great matches against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nick Kyrgios.
Of course, these players are not in the same league as Djokovic. But these performances will certainly boost Murray’s confidence.
With Lendl in his corner, come the North American hardcourt swing, we could find the Wimbledon champion emerge as Djokovic’s biggest rival.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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