London: Former World No.1 Andy Murray has announced his split with coach Ivan Lendl for the second time as he works towards regaining full fitness for the 2018 season.
The 30-year-old Scot has enjoyed all of his Grand Slam success under the guidance of Lendl, securing a second Wimbledon title last year and another Olympic title in the second installment of their fruitful partnership. Overall, in his two spells with Lendl, the Brit won three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic golds and reached the top of the rankings in a fearsomely competitive era of men’s tennis featuring Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“I’m thankful to Ivan for all his help and guidance over the years. We’ve had great success and learned a lot as a team,” Murray said on his website Saturday. “My focus now is on getting ready for Australia with the team I have in place and getting back to competing.” The statement said the decision to end the coaching relationship had been mutual.
Murray, who has missed a big chunk of the current season through injury, will continue to work on his fitness in Miami before heading to Australia ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
“I wish Andy well going forward. We had a great run and a lot of fun,” said Lendl, himself an eight-time Grand Slam winner as a player.
Murray has won just a single title in 2017 after his golden year in 2016. That came in Dubai in March, while his best Grand Slam performance was reaching the semifinals of the French Open.
A hip problem ruined his Wimbledon defence and forced him out of the US Open, ultimately ending his season with three months to run.
Agencies
