Lendl hits back at ‘ridiculous’ Courier comments

MELBOURNE: Ivan Lendl has denied money was behind his surprise decision to coach World No 4 Andy Murray after fellow great Jim Courier suggested there were “mercenary” reasons for the move, a report said yesterday.

The eight-times Grand Slam winner has returned to full-time tennis after playing for the last time in 1994, and has been ever present in Murray’s box during the early rounds of the Australian Open.

But he was hit by a broad- side from Courier, a commentator for Australian TV, who said the Czech had financial incentives for his move.

“There is a reason and it is a little bit more mercenary,” Courier told Channel Seven, according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph.

“He hasn’t been allowed to make any money from tennis for the past 15 years because he cashed in disability insurance. That is the reason Ivan is back playing. There are all sorts of complexities there.”

But Lendl called Courier’s comments “ridiculous”, according to the Telegraph.

“That’s ridiculous,” he was quoted as saying. “Jim shouldn’t be saying stuff like that. First of all, it’s wrong and he doesn’t have the proper information. End of story.”

Both Lendl and Murray have been positive about their partnership, which only began at the start of this year.

“When you just get that little bit of extra help from someone that’s been there and done it many, many times, it helps,” Murray said on Monday, after reaching the quarter-finals.

The 24-year-old Scot also credited Lendl with instilling a little bit of extra confidence in him.

“I think because it’s him, you’re kind of like a sponge,” he added.

“You’re kind of absorbing a lot of different information. You’re asking a lot of questions and you’re getting a lot of good answers, interesting ones.” – SAPA-AFP, Reuters