Ivan Lendl return a boost for Andy Murray ahead of Wimbledon, says Barry Cowan
Monday 13 June 2016 17:02, UK
The reappointment of Ivan Lendl as Andy Murray's coach will be 'a massive boost' ahead of Wimbledon, says Sky Sports tennis expert Barry Cowan.
Lendl was Murray's coach for two years until 2014. In that time, he won the US Open and an Olympic gold medal in 2012 before winning Wimbledon the following year, becoming the first British man to win that title since Fred Perry in 1936.
But eight-time Grand Slam champion Lendl decided he no longer wanted to spend 20-plus weeks a year travelling.
Since their split the former world No 1 has been working with the US Tennis Association Player Development program, a role he will continue
Murray has since lost three Grand Slam finals under the guidance of Amelie Mauresmo, Jonas Bjorkman and Jamie Delgado all to world No 1 Djokovic - the man he had beaten in his two major successes.
But Cowan feels the steely Czech will offer the 29-year-old British No 2 something that he has been missing for some time and bring back the glory days.
"I think it's a massive boost," Cowan told Sky Sports News HQ. "You have to look at the two years he was with Ivan, he won his two Grand Slams and what Ivan was able to do was to bring him that extra one or two per cent to get over the finishing line like the US Open and Wimbledon final when he was mentally stronger than Novak.
"Andy is in a great place at the moment. He played fantastic tennis at the French Open so is Lendl going to change his forehand and is he going to make changes technically? Absolutely not. But just mentally being able to help him and if Andy can look up to his box, if he plays Djokovic in the final, and sees Ivan sitting there then that's going to give him a boost and also we may potentially have the [Boris] Becker-Lendl rivalry back.
"Andy is an unbelievable player. He could play without a coach and still win big matches, but ultimately it's the biggest, biggest matches where a coach and a personality like Lendl can really help.
"Interesting that when Murray talked about it, he said it's not just for the short-term. Of course he's going to say that but at the age that Andy's at right now as things stand he is the biggest challenger to Novak."
Overall, Murray has lost eight of his 10 Grand Slam final appearances, but Cowan feels the Scot will be a force on grass as he prepares to face Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in his opening match at Queen's Club on Tuesday.
"I certainly believe that Andy is at his best on a grasscourt. I think there's less people that can beat him on a grasscourt and with what he's done there after winning at Wimbledon in the past, having also won the Olympic gold medal, there's going to be a really good feeling about him over the next three or four weeks.
Andy is an unbelievable player. He could be play without a coach and still win big matches, but ultimately it's the biggest, biggest matches where a coach and a personality like Lendl can really help.
"At the moment Djokovic is head and shoulders above everybody else - the stats don't lie. He's able to win the big matches. The last big match Djokovic lost was against [Stan] Wawrinka [in the final of the French Open in 2015].
"Sometimes you have to make another statement and come with something extra and I reckon that's what Lendl and Murray will probably discuss when things are going against you. You don't want to leave it 30 or 45 minutes, you have got to react a little bit quicker. Andy has those tools but sometimes it can be those finer details, like I said."
Cowan also believes 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will be a danger at Wimbledon, despite the Swiss legend missing the French Open because of a back injury.
The 34-year-old returned to action at the Mercedes Cup ATP tennis tournament in Stuttgart last week but lost out to eventual winner Dominic Thiem from Austria in the semi-finals.
"You can never rule out Roger Federer on grass," said Cowan. "As things stand, given the injuries that he's had, given the age that he's at, and the type of tennis that he can play, and he's won Halle eight times, winning Wimbledon is his best chance of winning another Grand Slam.
"His year has been disrupted by knee surgery, illness and of course back problems that forced him to miss the French Open so the key for Roger was how did he feel on Sunday after playing that match against Thiem.
"They were on and off for weather so if he can put in a performance this week then that will definitely help him with back-to-back weeks going into Wimbledon."
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