World number two and two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray discussed the decision to reunite with former coach and 8-time major winner Ivan Lendl. After his first round win at the Aegon Championships in London, Murray revealed his aspirations under the Czech and why he got back together with Lendl after a two-year break.
Murray on reuniting with Lendl
"It all happened very quickly. When we stopped working together before, there was no fallout, there was no argument, there were no disagreements. The amount of time that’s required to do the job was tough and it had sort of run its course," said the Scot after his first round win over Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut.
"It will be 18-20 weeks and will often practice in Miami. But I think it’s quite different [now]. I always loved working with Ivan and I would have liked to have continued working with him in the past. It’s something I’ve thought about and talked about even over the last few years as well. It’s not like I haven’t wanted to – but a lot goes into coaching, and Ivan’s willing to do it now. When he agrees to do something, I think he goes in 100%. He’s not just going to do it a little bit," said the two-time major winner and 2013 Wimbledon champion.
Murray on his goals with Lendl in his corner
When asked about his struggles against world number one and 12-time major champion Novak Djokovic, the defending Olympic gold medalist said, "I don’t think it’s just mental. Novak is playing great tennis, simple as that. There are many different parts of tennis: the psychological aspect is one, the physical aspect, technical and tactics. There are many things that go into the matches."
"The last few matches I’ve played against him they’re not all negative, there have been a lot of positives there and I think I’m getting closer, which is good. Ivan can help me with that as well, That will be a big part of [Lendl's job]," added Murray.
When asked how he believes he needs to play against the best players in the world, Murray said, "It’s about developing your game to a place where, when you do come up against the best players, you’re ready to do it. You don’t just play a different way, the whole way through the tournament and then try to change your game style in the final. That’s why weeks like this are important and all the practice days you have in the build-up to the event are important to get your game in place, practice the correct things. I think that I am on the right track. I think Ivan might be able to help with some things."