TennisWorthy: How Ivan Lendl Reinvented Himself
Ivan Lendl was one of the best tennis players in the world in the early 1980s. He briefly reached the world number one ranking in 1983 and enjoyed a 44-match winning streak in 1981 and ‘82. He won his first major, the French Open, in 1984, but still felt that he wasn’t reaching his full potential on the court.
While his primary rivals, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, frequently won major championships, Lendl struggled at the biggest events. To reach the very top, it was necessary for him to reinvent himself.
Those changes needed to come from within. And Lendl knew it.
One of the primary issues Lendl needed to address was his diet.
“It was the sort of the diet that will throw up a brick wall in the way of performance,” said Dr. Robert Haas, who had worked extensively with another Czech star, Martina Navratilova, earlier in the decade.
Lendl had terrible serum cholesterol levels due in large part to a diet that consisted of a half a dozen eggs for breakfast, ample helpings of fast food and red meat, hardly any vegetables or fruits.
Under Haas’ guidance, Lendl completely changed his diet to include more pasta, soup, vegetables, fruit and water - and scarcely an ounce of red meat.
“I started having enough energy to get my feet in position for shots I was always lunging at before,” said Lendl at the time.
As he improved his physical approach to the game, Lendl also needed to address his psychological game as well. On many high stakes occasions, he had proven emotionally brittle.
To combat his mental issues, Lendl began working with psychologist Alexis Castorri. Castorri believed that physical and mental health were tied together and suggested Lendl begin taking ballet and aerobics classes. These would help sharpen his focus and create additional flexibility on the court.
Finally, there was room for improvement in his tennis. Early in 1985, Lendl made a major change, replacing longtime coach Wojtek Fibak with Tony Roche, an Australian who had once been ranked number two in the world.
What made Lendl’s move to Roche strategically unique was that Roche was a lefthander – just like McEnroe and Connors.
“With Tony I had someone who could help me see how a lefthander saw the court,” Lendl said years later.
Lendl struggled to begin the 1985 season as he implemented all of these changes. But the ultimate tests stood before him when he reached the US Open that year.
In the semifinals, Lendl faced off against Connors. Where he struggled to finish matches in previous tournaments, Lendl’s training now began to pay dividends. Patient in the rallies, skillfully keeping Connors off-balance with both his slice backhand and topspin forehand, Lendl was in control from start to finish, winning the match handily.
After Connors, Lendl was staring down a final match against McEnroe. The American won 12 of the first 13 points in the match and broke Lendl to take a 3-love lead. Lendl had a career record of 1-6 in his previous seven major finals. It’s likely that earlier in his career such a poor start would have proven fatal.
With McEnroe serving to win the first set, Lendl battled back and earned a huge break. From there the complexion of the final completely changed.
“After I broke him at love, I felt like I was flying out there,” Lendl said after the match. “I felt I would get to every ball and that there was no shot I couldn't hit.”
Lendl won the first set in a tiebreaker and completely controlled the next two sets.
Over the course of two days, Lendl had overcome his two biggest rivals without the losing of a set. Those victories were, in large part, rewards for his relentless newly-dedicated work ethic and attention to detail. Having now won a second Grand Slam singles title, Lendl had proven conclusively that he had what it took to be an enduring champion.
By Joel Drucker, ITHF Historian-At-Large
