Ivan Lendl the perfect foil for kindred spirit

ANDY MURRAY could not have known what a perfect fit it would be when he chose to hire the former world No1 Ivan Lendl as coach.

ANDY MURRAY could not have known what a perfect fit it would be when he chose to hire the former world No1, who spent his entire career with his nose pressed against the window, looking in on the glory boys, knowing that he may never be truly accepted among their number.

The appointment of Ivan Lendl to Team Murray, settled in December 2011 after a subtle set of approaches, was not an accident. The idea had been floated a few months earlier, the smoke signals evaporated and then the deal was on again, as discussion, negotiations and introductions were carried on far from the public gaze, which is exactly where Lendl and Murray have preferred to be.

Lendl saw a kindred spirit, someone who was battling away against the odds, against players who were more readily accepted - even in his homeland - and who was battling more and more against himself, craving acceptability from a country that struggled to tolerate his excesses and had only a passing interest in his tennis. Lendl was The Outsider, a lot more than Jimmy Connors ever was, despite that being the title of the latter's autobiography.

In a sense, Murray was the same. No Middle Englander he, but a Middle Scotlander who had a bit of a thumb-yer-nose attitude towards the "done thing", and he did it his way, relishing the idea of working hard to hone a talent with which he had been blessed.

If it meant he would have to fight harder for what he might receive, then that is how it would have to be. Lendl did not come in and push, he did not shove, he said that he knew what Murray could do and he admired his guts for bringing him on board.

"He knew we would not go unnoticed, it upped the ante a little bit and I liked that about our arrangement, it showed he was not scared of anything," Lendl said. "It would have been very easy to hire someone without a profile."

The sensation was mutual. Murray knew that if he was to win the matches that really mattered, as competent and thorough as his former coaches had been, he required someone really different, someone who could put themselves inside his head and know exactly what he was thinking.

When they practise, Lendl stands behind Andy, not to the side, he wants to know why he played a particular shot at a particular time. The essence of their partnership is co-operation, not confrontation.

That said, one suspects that after the five-set quarter-final victory over Fernando Verdasco last Wednesday, Lendl would have found just cause to have gone straight for his charge and ask him what he heck he thought he was doing out there.

Murray said that he had not done his job properly, that he had played a poor match, that he had survived. Lendl may just have given him two out of ten for that. But that is what makes their relationship such a solid one - the man who became No1 almost because he thumbed his nose at those who said that he wouldn't.

We are talking a different level of achievement and respect here.

For Lendl, this week was seen as a means of refining a thoroughbred rather than breeding a racehorse. It was about subtle changes in approach to fitness, mental approach, strategy, preparation for matches, all the little things that no one realise goes on between the coach and the player, but can make all the difference.

So is Lendl the boss? "No, I don't see it that way," Lendl said. "You have to have the co-operation of the entire team and an understanding with the player of how you do things and why you do things. The player has to believe in it and if he doesn't its pointless trying. I try to do what Andy does best and stay close behind. If I see something he does wrong I try to point it out. And then let Andy do what he does best."

Could Murray have done this without him? "It's not up to me to say anything like that." Lendl being Lendl.

The Times