Lendl: ‘Andy has improved since Wimbledon win’
ANDY MURRAY has grown as a player and a person since winning Wimbledon in 2013, according to his coach Ivan Lendl.
Lendl returned to Murray’s camp ahead of the tournament after an absence of more than two years and the partnership is once again flourishing.
The Scot is a hot favourite to add a third Grand Slam title to the ones he won under Lendl at the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon the following year when he faces first- time finalist Milos Raonic this afternoon.
Murray was in fine form prior to reuniting with Lendl and will play in his third successive slam final but he has so far been unable to add to his tally.
Murray has talked about the extra confidence and belief Lendl gives him and the Czech- American has seen positive changes in the 29-year-old.
“Every player is improving all the time because if you’re not improving you get left
behind so I see improvement in his all-around game,” Lendl said.
“As people get older they mature as well, even though some people would argue that I haven’t, but Andy has.”
The expectation levels on Murray will be higher than ever but Lendl does not expect that to make a difference.
He said: “You just prepare the best you can and you can’t control who is on the other side so you prepare to play the best tennis and you hope it’s good enough.”
Lendl stopped working with Murray in 2014 because he no longer wanted to do the travelling but was tempted back after the Scot split from Amelie Mauresmo in May.
“It’s not about what it would mean to me, it’s what it would mean to Andy to win here again,” said Lendl. “It would be nice to win the last point.”
Murray’ s friend Ross Hutchins is not surprised to see the partnership bearing fruit again.
“He’s clearly playing very, very well,” said Hutchins. “He seems at ease with his game, very confident. You just have to look at what he’s done prior to Ivan as well on the clay courts.
“I know Ivan brings huge amounts to Andy’s game, huge amounts to his mind and also to his confidence. Andy and Ivan are an extremely good combination and they’re quite a unit to deal with.”
Hutchins was an emotional onlooker on Centre Court in 2013 when Murray won his first Wimbledon title.
The 31- year- old had just finished treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer, and was given the all-clear later that month.
The former British Davis Cup player returned to the tour in 2014 but retired at the end of that season and is now the ATP’s vice- president of player relations.
He has no doubt Murray’s hunger for more slam titles remains fiercer than ever.
“When someone’s achieved as much as players of his calibre have achieved, any title on a big stage means a huge amount,” said Hutchins.
“The more you win and the older you get, the more established you become, your expectation goes up and people’s expectation goes up.
“He’s achieving so much now it’s quite staggering and he’s playing at such a high level. True champions never get tired of winning and that’s what he is.”
Milos Raonic has been threatening to make a big noise in men’s tennis for a long time and he thanked John McEnroe for helping him find his voice at Wimbledon.
“That’s for sure,” said Ra onic, when asked if McEnroe had made him more vocal on court.
But Raonic insists there is no angry streak within him.
“I haven’t been angry. I’ve been quite positive,” he said.