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Ivan_Lendl

Ivan Lendl

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Ivan Lendl (born March 7, 1960) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player of Czech origin. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. Tennis magazine named him as one of the ten greatest tennis players since 1966, calling him "the game's greatest overachiever" and emphasizing his importance in the game's history. In his book Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis, Bud Collins included Lendl in his list of the 21 greatest male tennis players for the period from 1946 through 1992.

Lendl captured eight Grand Slam singles titles during his career. He competed in a total of 19 Grand Slam singles finals, a record for a male player. He reached at least one Grand Slam final for 11 consecutive years, an all-time record since tied by Pete Sampras.

Lendl first attained the World No. 1 ranking on the men's professional tour on February 28, 1983, bolstering his claim to the top spot when he defeated John McEnroe in the 1985 US Open final. For much of the next five years, Lendl was the top ranked player until August 1990 (with a short break from September 1988 to January 1989 when Mats Wilander was at the top). He finished four years ranked as the world's top player (1985–87 and 1989) and was ranked World No. 1 for a total of 270 weeks, breaking the record previously held by Jimmy Connors (this has since been surpassed by Sampras).

Lendl's game relied particularly on strength and heavy topspin from the baseline and helped usher in the modern era of "power tennis". He himself called his game as "hitting hot," a relentless all-court game that was coming to dominate in tennis.

Personal life

Lendl was born into a tennis family in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). His parents were top players in Czechoslovakia. (His mother Olga was at one point ranked the No. 2 woman player in the country). Lendl turned professional in tennis in 1978. He started to live in the United States in 1981, first at the home of mentor and friend Wojtek Fibak; later, in 1984, Lendl bought his own residence in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ivan applied for and received a U.S. Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card) in 1987 and wanted to get U.S. citizenship as soon as possible to represent the USA in the 1988 Olympic Games and in Davis Cup. A bill in Congress to bypass the traditional five-year waiting procedure was rejected in 1988 because Czechoslovak authorities refused to provide the necessary waivers. He became a U.S. citizen on July 7, 1992.

On September 16, 1989, six days after losing the final of the US Open to Boris Becker, he married Samantha Frankel. They have five daughters - Marika (born May 4, 1990), twins Isabelle and Caroline (born July 29, 1991), Daniela (born June 24, 1993) and Nikola (born January 20, 1998). He transferred his competitive interests to professional golf where he captured a win on the Celebrity Tour. Still competitive at the mini-tour levels, Lendl now devotes much of his time managing the development of his daughters' golfing abilities. Three of his daughters (Marika, Isabelle and Daniela) play golf at U.S. Girls Juniors level. His other two daughters (Caroline and Nikola) enjoy eventing horses.

At one time in the 1980s, he was a minority owner of the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League (now the Carolina Hurricanes).

South African exhibition affair and disputes with Czechoslovak authorities

In July 1983, Lendl played three exhibition matches (against Johan Kriek, Kevin Curren, and Jimmy Connors) in Sun City, in the apartheid-era bantustan of Bophuthatswana. The Czechoslovak Sport Federation (ČSTV), controlled by the Communist Party, expelled him from the Czechoslovak Davis Cup team, fined him $150,000, and publicly threatened to prohibit him from traveling abroad for future tournaments. Lendl disagreed with the punishment and fine. He has not travelled to his native country since being there for the last time for the Davis Cup in March 1982.

In addition, the publication of his name and results in the Czechoslovak media was prohibited. The ban was extended not only to Lendl, but to anything about world tennis, all tennis tournaments, and both men's and women's circuits (with the exception of blank Grand Slam results without any comments). World tennis disappeared from the censored Czechoslovak media on August 16, 1983, when this "secret embargo" came into effect.

The appearance in this exhibition in Sun City and Lendl's Americanized living style ignited a long-lasting dispute between Lendl and Czechoslovak authorities, which was never settled and resulted in Ivan's decision to apply for a green card in 1987 and later on for U.S. citizenship.

Style of play

Lendl was known, along with Björn Borg, for using his heavy topspin forehand to dictate play. His trademark shot was his running forehand which he could direct either down the line or cross-court.

Early in his career Lendl played a sliced backhand but in the early 1980s learned to hit his backhand with significant topspin. This shift allowed him in 1984 to defeat John McEnroe in the French Open - Lendl's first Grand Slam victory. In the first two sets McEnroe used his habitual proximity to the net to intercept Lendl's cross-court passing shots. In the third set Lendl started using lobs, forcing McEnroe to distance himself from the net to prepare for the lobs. McEnroe's further distance from the net opened the angles for Lendl's cross-court passing shots, which ultimately gained Lendl points and turned the match around.

Lendl's serve was extremely powerful but inconsistent. His very high toss may be to blame. Lendl was the first of a new breed of power baseliners, and his consistency from the baseline was machine-like. Though tall and apparently gangly, Lendl was very fast on the court. Lendl did not win Wimbledon because he could not sufficiently improve his comfort level at the net. Grass courts yield notoriously bad bounces, and that destabilized his phenomenal baseline game more than other baseliners. His groundstroke setup was very complete, and repeated bad bounces made him uncomfortable. Wimbledon in that day required reducing baseline play by coming to net. He devoted considerable effort to significantly improving his net play, but fell short of a Wimbledon title. Toward the end of his days on the ATP tour Lendl ended his long term clothing, shoe and racket deal with Adidas. He signed with Mizuno, and finally began to play with a mid sized racket very similar to the Adidas racket he had used through out most of his career.

Tennis career

Lendl first came to the tennis world's attention as an outstanding junior player. In 1978, he won the boy's singles titles at both the French Open and Wimbledon and was ranked the World No. 1 junior player.

Lendl made an almost immediate impact on the game after turning professional. After reaching his first top-level singles final in 1979, he won seven singles titles in 1980, including three tournament wins in three consecutive weeks on three different surfaces. The success continued in 1981 as he won 10 titles.

In 1982, he won in total 15 of the 23 singles tournaments he entered and had a 44-match winning streak. He competed on separated WCT tour where he won all 10 WCT tournaments he signed-in. In an era when tournament prize money was rising sharply due to competition of 2 circuits (Grand Prix and WCT), Lendl's haul of titles quickly made him the highest-earning tennis player of all time.

He won another seven tournaments in 1983.

But Grand Slam titles eluded Lendl in the early years of his career. He reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open in 1981, where he lost in five sets to Björn Borg. His second came at the US Open in 1982, where he was defeated by Jimmy Connors. In 1983, he was the runner-up at both the Australian Open and the US Open.

Lendl's first Grand Slam title came at the 1984 French Open, where he defeated John McEnroe in a long final to claim what was arguably his most memorable victory. Down two sets to none and later trailing 4–2 in the fourth set, Lendl battled back to claim the title 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5. McEnroe gained revenge by beating Lendl in straight sets in both finals of the US Open 1984 and Volvo Masters 1984 (played in January 1985).

1985 was arguably Lendl's best year on the tour as he captured 11 singles crowns in 17 tournament appearances. Lendl lost in the final of the 1985 French Open to Mats Wilander. He then faced McEnroe again in the final of the US Open, and this time it was Lendl who emerged victorious in a straight sets win. It was the first of three consecutive US Open titles for Lendl and part of a run of eight consecutive US Open finals. In 1986 and 1987 he added wins in the French Open to his U.S Open victories

During each of the years from 1985 through 1987, Lendl's match winning percentage was greater than 90%. This record was equalled by Roger Federer in 2006. Ivan, however, remains the only male with at least 90% match wins in four different years (1982 was the first). From the 1985 US Open through the 1988 Australian Open, Lendl reached ten consecutive Grand Slam singles semifinals -- a record that was broken by Federer at the 2006 US Open.

1989 was another very strong year for Lendl. He started the year by capturing his first Australian Open title with a straight sets final victory over Miloslav Mecir and went on to claim 10 titles out of 17 tournaments he entered. Lendl successfully defended his Australian Open title in 1990.

The only Grand Slam singles title Lendl never managed to win was Wimbledon. After reaching the semifinals in 1983 and 1984, he reached the final there twice, losing in straight sets to Boris Becker in 1986 and Pat Cash in 1987. In the years that followed, Lendl put in intensive efforts to train and hone his game on grass courts. But despite reaching the Wimbledon semifinals again in 1988, 1989 and 1990, he never again reached the final.

Lendl was part of the team that won Czechoslovakia's only Davis Cup title in 1980. He was the driving force behind the country's team in the first half of the 1980s but stopped playing in the event after he moved to the United States in 1986 because, in the eyes of communist Czechoslovakia's Tennis Association, he was an "illegal defector" from their country.

Lendl was also part of the Czechoslovakian team that won the World Team Cup in 1981 and was runner-up in 1984 and 1985.

Lendl won the tour's year-end Masters championships five times in 1981-82 and 1985-87.

Lendl's success in the game had a lot to do with his highly meticulous and intensive training and physical conditioning regime, his scientific approach to preparing for and playing the game, and a strong desire to put in whatever it took to be successful. It is believed that a contributing factor to his run of eight successive US Open finals and long record of success at that tournament was that he hired the same workers who laid the hardcourt surfaces at Flushing Meadows each year to install an exact copy in the grounds of his home in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Lendl announced his retirement from professional tennis on December 21, 1994, due to chronic back pain. Although he didn't play an official match since his loss in the 2nd round of the US Open in 1994, he made a final decision to retire three and a half months later. It is an irony that the man who made such a religion of physical fitness had to close the career due to the health problems. Lendl cashed out an insurance policy he had with Lloyds of London, which stipulated that he could never play tennis again.

Lendl won a total of 94 career singles titles listed by the ATP (plus 49 other non-ATP tournaments thus making a total of 144 singles titles) and 6 doubles titles, and his career prize money of U.S. $21,262,417 was a record at the time. In 2001, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

After finishing his tennis career, Lendl has taken up golf, earning a handicap of 0 and organizing a charity competition in 2004 called the "Ivan Lendl Celebrity Golf Tournament".

Lendl's professional attitude, modern playing style, scientific training methods, and unprecedented long-term success have had a considerable impact on today's tennis world. A typical Lendl quote is: "If I don't practice the way I should, then I won't play the way that I know I can."

Career achievements

  • Most Grand Slam singles finals (19) in tennis history.
  • Winner of 8 Grand Slam tournaments (tying Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi and bettered by only 6 male players in tennis history).
  • Won 222 Grand Slam singles matches (third after Connors and Agassi).
  • Eight consecutive singles finals at the US Open (1982-1989), winning three of those finals (1985-1987).
  • Appeared in three consecutive singles finals at the Australian Open, four consecutive finals at the French Open, and two consecutive finals at Wimbledon. During the open era, Borg and Rafael Nadal are the only other male players to appear in four consecutive finals at the French Open.
  • Beginning with the 1982 US Open and extending through the 1991 US Open, Lendl reached at least the semifinals in 27 of the 34 Grand Slam tournaments he played.
  • Second most consecutive Grand Slam singles semifinals during the open era, with ten from the 1985 US Open through the 1988 Australian Open (after Roger Federer).
  • Second most consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinals during the open era, with fourteen from the 1985 US Open through the 1989 Australian Open. (Federer has the longest streak. As of the 2008 Wimbledon, he has reached at least the semifinals of 17 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.)
  • For eleven consecutive years (1981-1991), reached at least one Grand Slam final (equaled by Pete Sampras 1992-2002).
  • Four times the year-end World No. 1 (1985-1987, 1989) (tied with John McEnroe and Federer, after Sampras with six years and Connors with five years).
  • One of five players (the others being Connors, McEnroe, Sampras, and Federer) who were the year-end World No. 1 for at least three consecutive years (1985-1987).
  • One of five players (the others being Connors, Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt and Federer) who held the top ranking every week of a calendar year.
  • ITF World Champion (1985-1987, 1990).
  • ATP Player of The Year (1985-1987).
  • ATP Most Improved Player (1981).
  • Second in career ATP tournament singles titles, with 94 (Connors won 109 ATP singles titles).
  • Second in weeks (270) as the World No. 1 player (Sampras was the top ranked player for 286 weeks).
  • Third (behind Connors and Federer) in most consecutive weeks (157) as the World No. 1 player (September 9, 1985-September 11, 1988).
  • Second (behind Connors with 659 weeks) in most consecutive weeks (588) among top 5 ranked players (October 20, 1980-January 20, 1992).
  • Second (behind Connors with 788 weeks) in most consecutive weeks (626) among top 10 ranked players (May 19, 1980-May 11, 1992).
  • Second in career singles match wins (1,071) at ATP tournaments (Connors won 1,222 matches).
  • Longest winning streak indoors: 66 matches between April 1981 (lost to Smid, Frankfurt 2R) and January 1983 (lost to McEnroe, Philadelphia F).
  • Second longest winning streak on all surfaces: 44 matches during 1981-1982 (after Guillermo Vilas with 46 matches from 1977).
  • Only player to have won three tournaments in three consecutive weeks on three different surfaces (1985 Fort Myers-Hardcourt, Monte Carlo-Clay Court, Dallas, WCT Finals-Indoor Carpet).
  • Most consecutive singles finals (18) in 1981 and 1982.
  • Only male player to have won at least 90 matches in three consecutive years (1980-1982).
  • Only male player to have won at least 90 percent of his matches in five different years (1982: 106-9; 1985: 84-7; 1986: 74-6; 1987: 74-7; 1989: 79-7).
  • Nine consecutive finals (1980-88) at year-end championships in New York (called Masters Grand Prix at that time), winning five of those finals (1981-82, 1985-87).
  • Shares with Sampras the record for most Masters singles titles (5).
  • Second most tournaments won (15) in a single year (1982) after Vilas who won 16 singles titles in 1977.

Record against top players

Wins Losses % won Opponent Reference
6 2 75 Andre Agassi
11 10 52 Boris Becker
2 5 28 Bjorn Borg
5 3 62 Pat Cash
5 2 71 Michael Chang
22 13 63 Jimmy Connors
4 0 100 Jim Courier
13 14 48 Stefan Edberg
21 15 58 John McEnroe
3 5 38 Pete Sampras
15 7 68 Mats Wilander .

Countries won in

Lendl won singles titles in 17 different countries and districts: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Taiwan, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Grand Slam singles finals (19)

Wins (8)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1984 French Open John McEnroe 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5
1985 US Open John McEnroe 7–6, 6–3, 6–4
1986 French Open (2) Mikael Pernfors 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
1986 US Open (2) Miloslav Mečíř 6–4, 6–2, 6–0
1987 French Open (3) Mats Wilander 7–5, 6–2, 3–6, 7–6
1987 US Open (3) Mats Wilander 6–7, 6–0, 7–6, 6–4
1989 Australian Open Miloslav Mečíř 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1990 Australian Open (2) Stefan Edberg 4–6, 7–6, 5–2 ret.

Runner-ups (11)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1981 French Open Björn Borg 6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2
1982 US Open Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
1983 US Open (2) Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–7, 7–5, 6–0
1983 Australian Open Mats Wilander 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
1984 US Open (3) John McEnroe 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
1985 French Open (2) Mats Wilander 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
1986 Wimbledon Boris Becker 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
1987 Wimbledon (2) Pat Cash 7–6, 6–2, 7–5
1988 US Open (4) Mats Wilander 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
1989 US Open (5) Boris Becker 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–6
1991 Australian Open (2) Boris Becker 1–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4

Singles performance timeline

Name 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Grand Slams
Australian Open A A 2R A A F 4R SF NH SF SF W W F QF 1R 4R 2 / 12 48-10
French Open 1R 4R 3R F 4R QF W F W W QF 4R A A 2R 1R 1R 3 / 15 53-12
Wimbledon A 1R 3R 1R A SF SF 4R F F SF SF SF 3R 4R 2R A 0 / 14 48-14
US Open A 2R QF 4R F F F W W W F F QF SF QF 1R 2R 3 / 16 73-13
Grand Slam SR 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 4 1 / 4 1 / 4 2 / 3 2 / 4 0 / 4 1 / 4 1 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 8 / 57 N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss 0-1 4-3 9-4 9-3 9-2 20-4 20-3 20-3 20-1 24-2 20-4 21-3 16-2 13-3 12-4 1-4 4-3 N/A 222-49
Year-End Championship
The Masters A A F W W F F W W W F SF SF SF A A A 5 / 12 40-10

NH = tournament not held

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

ATP tournaments statistics

Name 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Total
ATP tournaments played 7 17 33 21 23 23 16 17 15 16 10 17 16 21 24 25 18 319
Titles 0 0 7 10 15 7 3 11 9 8 3 10 5 3 1 2 0 94
Runner-ups 0 1 3 5 5 6 8 3 3 4 2 2 1 3 3 2 1 52
Semifinal 2 3 8 2 0 3 1 1 2 2 2 4 4 6 2 0 1 43
Quarterfinal 0 4 5 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 8 5 4 36
Round of 16 1 5 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 5 7 4 7 46
Round of 32 2 2 7 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 2 6 1 31
Round of 64 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 10
Round of 128 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 7
Win-Loss 9–9 41-21 109-28 96-14 106-9 75-16 62-16 84-7 74-6 74-7 41-8 79-7 54-12 55-18 50-24 33-23 28-18 1070-243
Win% 50% 66% 80% 87% 92% 82% 79% 92% 93% 91% 84% 92% 82% 75% 68% 59% 61% 82%
Year-End ATP Ranking 74. 20. 6. 2. 3. 2. 3. 1. 1. 1. 2. 1. 3. 5. 8. 19. 54. N/A

ATP Win-Loss = includes WCT tournaments which were run outside Volvo Grand Prix and ATP Computer Ranking system during 1982-1984, also includes team events (Davis Cup, World Team Cup in Dusseldorf)

Career singles finals listed by ATP (146)

Singles titles (94)

Tournament Category No. of titles
Grand Slam 8
Year-End Championships: Masters Grand Prix (1978-1989), ATP Tour Championships (1990-1995), ATP World Championships (1996-1999), Tennis Masters Cup (2000-now) 5
Super high category (introduced in 1996): Super Nine (1996-1999), Tennis/ATP Masters Series (2000-now) 0
High category: Super Series (1978-1989), WCT (1978-1989), Championship Series (1990-1999), International Series 1/Gold (2000-now) 67
Low category: Regular Series (1978-1989), World Series (1990-1999), International Series 2 (2000-now) 14
Titles by Surface
Clay - Outdoor (28)
Grass - Outdoor (2)
Hard - Outdoor (22)
Hard - Indoor (9)
Carpet - Indoor (33)
Note: World Championship Tennis (WCT) tournaments were run outside Grand Prix and not counted for ATP Computer Ranking during years 1982-1984, furthermore even outside this 3 years split period between WCT and ATP some WCT tournaments were not acknowledged by ATP however they are counted for statistic purposes as official tournaments in players records

No. Date Tournament Surface Prize Money Opponent in the final Score
1. 1980 Houston, U.S. Clay $175,000 Eddie Dibbs 6–1, 6–3
2. 1980 Toronto, Canada Hard $175,000 Björn Borg 4–6, 5–4, ret.
3. 1980 Barcelona, Spain Clay $175,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 4–6, 6–1
4. 1980 Basel, Switzerland Hard (I) $75,000 Björn Borg 6–3, 6–2, 5–7, 0–6, 6–4
5. 1980 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Clay $125,000 Eliot Teltscher 3–6, 6–4, 6–0
6. 1980 Hong Kong Hard $75,000 Brian Teacher 5–7, 7–6, 6–3
7. 1980 Taipei, Taiwan Carpet $75,000 Brian Teacher 6–7, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6
8. 1981 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Hard (I) $75,000 Chris Lewis 6–3, 6–0, 6–7, 6–3
9. 1981 Las Vegas, U.S. Hard $300,000 Harold Solomon 6–4, 6–2
10. 1981 Montreal, Canada Hard $200,000 Eliot Teltscher 6–3, 6–2
11. 1981 Madrid, Spain Clay $75,000 Pablo Arraya 6–3, 6–2, 6–2
12. 1981 Barcelona, Spain Clay $175,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–0, 6–3, 6–0
13. 1981 Basel, Switzerland Hard (I) $75,000 José Luis Clerc 6–2, 6–3, 6–0
14. 1981 Vienna, Austria Hard (I) $125,000 Brian Gottfried 1–6, 6–0, 6–1, 6–2
15. 1981 Cologne, Germany Hard (I) $75,000 Sandy Mayer 6–3, 6–3
16. 1981 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay $175,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–2, 6–2
17. 1981 Volvo Masters, New York City Carpet $400,000 Vitas Gerulaitis 6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–4
18. 1982 Delray Beach WCT, U.S. Clay $300,000 Peter McNamara 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 7–5
19. 1982 Genova WCT, Italy Carpet $300,000 Vitas Gerulaitis 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–3
20. 1982 Munich-2 WCT, Germany Carpet $300,000 Tomáš Šmíd 3–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–2
21. 1982 Strasbourg WCT, France Carpet $300,000 Tim Mayotte 6–0, 7–5, 6–1
22. 1982 Frankfurt, Germany Carpet $250,000 Peter McNamara 6–2, 6–2
23. 1982 Houston WCT, U.S. Clay $300,000 José Luis Clerc 3–6, 7–6, 6–0, 1–4, ret.
24. 1982 Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet $300,000 John McEnroe 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
25. 1982 Forest Hills WCT, U.S. Clay $300,000 Eddie Dibbs 6–1, 6–1
26. 1982 Washington D.C., U.S. Clay $200,000 Jimmy Arias 6–3, 6–3
27. 1982 North Conway, U.S. Clay $200,000 José Higueras 6–3, 6–2
28. 1982 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard $300,000 Steve Denton 6–2, 7–6
29. 1982 Los Angeles-2 WCT, U.S. Carpet $300,000 Kevin Curren 7–6, 7–5, 6–1
30. 1982 Naples WCT Finals, Italy Carpet $250,000 Wojtek Fibak 6–4, 6–2, 6–1
31. 1982 Hartford WCT, U.S. Carpet $300,000 Bill Scanlon 6–2, 6–4, 7–5
32. 1982 Volvo Masters, New York City Carpet $400,000 John McEnroe 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
33. 1983 Detroit WCT, U.S. Carpet $250,000 Guillermo Vilas 7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
34. 1983 Milan, Italy Carpet $350,000 Kevin Curren 5–7, 6–3, 7–6
35. 1983 Houston WCT, U.S. Clay $300,000 Paul McNamee 6–2, 6–0, 6–3
36. 1983 Hilton Head WCT, U.S. Clay $250,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–2, 6–1, 6–0
37. 1983 Montreal, Canada Hard $300,000 Anders Järryd 6–2, 6–2
38. 1983 San Francisco, U.S. Carpet $200,000 John McEnroe 3–6, 7–6, 6–4
39. 1983 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $300,000 Scott Davis 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
40. 1984 Luxembourg Carpet $200,000 Tomáš Šmíd 6–4, 6–4
41. 1984 French Open, Paris Clay $875,000 John McEnroe 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5
42. 1984 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet $250,000 Andrés Gómez 7–6, 6–2, 6–1
43. 1985 Ft. Myers, U.S. Hard $250,000 Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–2
44. 1985 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay $405,000 Mats Wilander 6–1, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
45. 1985 Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet $500,000 Tim Mayotte 7–6, 6–4, 6–1
46. 1985 Forest Hills, U.S. Clay $500,000 John McEnroe 6–3, 6–3
47. 1985 Indianapolis, U.S. Clay $300,000 Andrés Gómez 6–1, 6–3
48. 1985 US Open, New York City Hard $1,250,000 John McEnroe 7–6, 6–3, 6–4
49. 1985 Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany Clay $100,000 Brad Gilbert 6–4, 6–0
50. 1985 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (I) $225,000 Henri Leconte 6–4, 6–4, 7–6
51. 1985 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $300,000 Mats Wilander 6–0, 6–4
52. 1985 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet $300,000 Boris Becker 6–7, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4
53. 1985 Nabisco Masters, New York City Carpet $500,000 Boris Becker 6–2, 7–6, 6–3
54. 1986 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet $375,000 Tim Mayotte walkover
55. 1986 Boca West, U.S. Hard $750,000 Mats Wilander 3–6, 6–1, 7–6, 6–4
56. 1986 Milan, Italy Carpet $300,000 Joakim Nyström 6–2, 6–2, 6–4
57. 1986 Ft. Myers, U.S. Hard $250,000 Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–0
58. 1986 Rome, Italy Clay $350,000 Emilio Sánchez 7–5, 4–6, 6–1, 6–1
59. 1986 French Open, Paris Clay $1,125,000 Mikael Pernfors 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
60. 1986 Stratton Mountain, U.S. Hard $250,000 Boris Becker 6–4, 7–6
61. 1986 US Open, New York City Hard $1,400,000 Miloslav Mečíř 6–4, 6–2, 6–0
62. 1986 Nabisco Masters, New York City Carpet $500,000 Boris Becker 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
63. 1987 Hamburg, Germany Clay $300,000 Miloslav Mečíř 6–1, 6–3, 6–3
64. 1987 French Open, Paris Clay $1,325,000 Mats Wilander 7–5, 6–2, 3–6, 7–6
65. 1987 Washington D.C., U.S. Hard $232,000 Brad Gilbert 6–1, 6–0
66. 1987 Montreal, Canada Hard $300,000 Stefan Edberg 6–4, 7–6
67. 1987 US Open, New York City Hard $1,670,000 Mats Wilander 6–7, 6–0, 7–6, 6–4
68. 1987 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (I) $275,000 Pat Cash 6–4, 6–2, 6–4
69. 1987 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet $375,000 Anders Järryd 6–3, 6–2, 7–5
70. 1987 Nabisco Masters, New York City Carpet $500,000 Mats Wilander 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
71. 1988 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay $492,500 Martín Jaite 5–7, 6–4, 7–5, 6–3
72. 1988 Rome, Italy Clay $595,000 Guillermo Pérez-Roldán 2–6, 6–4, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
73. 1988 Toronto, Canada Hard $410,000 Kevin Curren 7–6, 6–2
74. 1989 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard $933,000 Miloslav Mečíř 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
75. 1989 Scottsdale, U.S. Hard $297,500 Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–3
76. 1989 Key Biscayne, U.S. Hard $745,000 Thomas Muster walkover
77. 1989 Forest Hills, U.S. Clay $485,000 Jaime Yzaga 6–2, 6–1
78. 1989 Hamburg, Germany Clay $500,000 Horst Skoff 6–4, 6–1, 6–3
79. 1989 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass $350,000 Christo Van Rensburg 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
80. 1989 Montreal, Canada Hard $550,000 John McEnroe 6–1, 6–3
81. 1989 Bordeaux, France Clay $225,000 Emilio Sánchez 6–2, 6–2
82. 1989 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (I) $375,000 Lars-Anders Wahlgren 6–2, 6–2, 6–1
83. 1989 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet $832,500 Magnus Gustafsson 7–5, 6–0, 6–3
84. 1990 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard $1,462,000 Stefan Edberg 4–6, 7–6, 5–2, ret.
85. 1990 Milan, Italy Carpet $540,000 Tim Mayotte 6–3, 6–2
86. 1990 Toronto Indoor, Canada Carpet $1,005,000 Tim Mayotte 6–3, 6–0
87. 1990 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass $450,000 Boris Becker 6–3, 6–2
88. 1990 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $750,000 Boris Becker 4–6, 6–3, 7–6
89. 1991 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet $825,000 Pete Sampras 5–7, 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
90. 1991 Memphis, U.S. Hard (I) $600,000 Michael Stich 7–5, 6–3
91. 1991 Long Island, U.S. Hard $225,000 Stefan Edberg 6–3, 6–2
92. 1992 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $825,000 Henrik Holm 7–6, 6–4
93. 1993 Munich, Germany Clay $275,000 Michael Stich 7–6, 6–3
94. 1993 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $875,000 Todd Martin 6–4, 6–4

Singles runner-ups (52)

  • * - not listed on ATP Website by mistake, final matches were left unfinished and both players received runner-up prize

No. Date Tournament Surface Prize Money Opponent in the final Score
1. 1979 Brussels, Belgium Clay $50,000 Balázs Taróczy 6–1, 1–6, 6–3
2. 1980 Washington-2, U.S. Carpet $125,000 Victor Amaya 6–7, 6–4, 7–4
3. 1980 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay $75,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–3, 6–2, 6–2
4. 1980 Volvo Masters, New York City Carpet Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
5. 1981 Richmond WCT, U.S. Carpet $175,000 Yannick Noah 6–1, 3–1, ret.
6. 1981 La Quinta, U.S. Hard $175,000 Jimmy Connors 6–3, 7–6
7. 1981 French Open, Paris Clay $450,000 Björn Borg 6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
8. 1981 Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany Clay $75,000 Björn Borg 1–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–4
9. 1981 Indianapolis, U.S. Clay $175,000 José Luis Clerc 4–6, 6–4, 6–2
10. 1982 La Quinta, U.S. Hard $200,000 Yannick Noah 6–3, 2–6, 7–5
11. 1982 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay $300,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–1, 7–6, 6–3
12. 1982 Madrid, Spain Clay $200,000 Guillermo Vilas 6–7, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–3
13. 1982 Toronto, Canada Hard $300,000 Vitas Gerulaitis 4–6, 6–1, 6–3
14. 1982 US Open, New York City Hard $600,000 Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
15. 1983 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet $250,000 John McEnroe 4–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–3
16. 1983 Brussels Indoor, Belgium Carpet $250,000 Peter McNamara 6–4, 4–6, 7–6
17. 1983 Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet $300,000 John McEnroe 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
18. 1983 US Open, New York City Hard $797,000 Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–7, 7–5, 6–0
19. 1983 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass $500,000 Mats Wilander 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
20. 1983 Volvo Masters, New York City Carpet John McEnroe 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
21. 1984 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet $300,000 John McEnroe 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6
22. 1984 Brussels Indoor, Belgium Carpet $250,000 John McEnroe 6–1, 6–3
23. 1984 *Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet $250,000 Jimmy Connors 0–6, 0–1 div'd-match cancelled (bomb threat)
24. 1984 Forest Hills WCT, U.S. Clay 300,000 John McEnroe 6–4, 6–2
25. 1984 US Open, New York City Hard $1,066,676 John McEnroe 6–4, 4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3
26. 1984 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (I) $225,000 Anders Järryd 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
27. 1984 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $300,000 Jimmy Connors 6–4, 3–6, 6–0
28. 1984 Volvo Masters, New York City Carpet John McEnroe 7–5, 6–0, 6–4
29. 1985 French Open, Paris Clay $975,000 Mats Wilander 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
30. 1985 Stratton Mountain, U.S. Hard $250,000 John McEnroe 7–6, 6–2
31. 1985 Montreal, Canada Hard $300,000 John McEnroe 7–5, 6–3
32. 1986 Chicago, U.S. Carpet $250,000 Boris Becker 7–6, 6–3
33. 1986 Wimbledon, London Grass $1,306,690 Boris Becker 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
34. 1986 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (I) $275,000 Boris Becker 3–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–0
35. 1987 Key Biscayne, U.S. Hard $750,000 Miloslav Mečíř 7–5, 6–2, 7–5
36. 1987 Wimbledon, London Grass $1,467,542 Pat Cash 7–6, 6–2, 7–5
37. 1987 *Stratton Mountain, U.S. Hard $250,000 John McEnroe 7–6 1–4 div'd-match cancelled (weather)
38. 1987 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet $300,000 Stefan Edberg 6–7, 6–4, 6–4
39. 1988 US Open, New York City Hard $1,683,333 Mats Wilander 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
40. 1988 Nabisco Masters, New York City Carpet Boris Becker 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6
41. 1989 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Hard $425,000 Stefan Edberg 6–3, 2–6, 6–4
42. 1989 US Open, New York City Hard $2,000,000 Boris Becker 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–6
43. 1990 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Carpet $825,000 Boris Becker 6–2, 6–2
44. 1991 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard $2,023,760 Boris Becker 1–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
45. 1991 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet $450,000 Omar Camporese 3–6, 7–6, 7–6
46. 1991 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Hard $825,000 Stefan Edberg 6–1, 7–5, 6–0
47. 1992 Toronto, Canada Hard $930,000 Andre Agassi 3–6, 6–2, 6–0
48. 1992 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard $1,125,000 Pete Sampras 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
49. 1992 Long Island, U.S. Hard $235,000 Petr Korda 6–2, 6–2
50. 1993 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet $575,000 Mark Woodforde 5–4, ret.
51. 1993 Nice, France Clay $275,000 Marc-Kevin Goellner 1–6, 6–4, 6–2
52. 1994 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Hard $288,750 Pete Sampras 7–6, 6–4

Other (non-ATP, invitational & special events) singles finals (59)

Here are Lendl's tournament finals that are not included in the statistics on the Association of Tennis Professionals website. It includes non-ATP tournaments such as special, invitational and exhibition events.

Other singles titles - Draw at least 8 players (37)

Year Date Tournament Surface Final Opponent Final Result Winners Prize
1980 Sept 10-14 Sao Paulo Clay Gene Mayer 6–3 7–5
1980 Feb 25-27 Genoa - Bitti Bergamo Memorial Carpet Johan Kriek 6–2 6–2
1981 Aug 26-30 White Plains - AMF Head Cup Hard Ilie Năstase w.o. $50,000
1981 Nov 23-29 Milan - Master Brooklyn Carpet John McEnroe 6–4 2–6 6–4 $85,000
1982 Feb 4–7 Toronto - Molson Light Challenge Carpet John McEnroe 7–5 3–6 7–6 7–5
1982 Oct 19-24 Melbourne - Mazda Super Challenge Carpet Vitas Gerulaitis 6–2 6–2 7–5 $100,000
1982 Nov 30-Dec 5 Antwerp - European Champions' Championship Carpet John McEnroe 3–6 7–6 6–3 6–3
1983 Jan 10-16 Rosemont - Lite Challenge of Champions Carpet Jimmy Connors 4–6 6–4 7–5 6–4 $100,000
1984 Jan 30-Feb 5 Toronto - Molson Light Challenge Carpet Yannick Noah 6–0 6–2 6–4 $100,000
1984 Aug 20-26 Jericho - Hamlet Challenge Cup Hard Andrés Gómez 6–2 6–4
1984 Nov 12-18 Antwerp - European Champions' Championship Carpet Anders Järryd 6–2 6–1 6–2
1985 Aug 19-25 Jericho - Executone Hamlet Challenge Cup Hard Jimmy Connors 6–1 6–3
1985 Oct 28-Nov 3 Antwerp - European Champions' Championship Carpet John McEnroe 1–6 7–6 6–2 6–2 $200,000*
1986 Jan 6-12 Atlanta - AT&T Challenge of Champions Carpet Jimmy Connors 6–2 6–3 $150,000
1986 Apr 28-May 4 Ede Clay Stefan Edberg 7–6 6–3
1986 Aug 19-24 Jericho - Norstar Bank Hamlet Challenge Cup Hard John McEnroe 6–2 6–4
1987 May 7-10 Ede Clay Paolo Cane 7–6 6–3
1987 Jul 22-26 Stowe - Head Classic Hard Jimmy Arias 6–3 6–3
1987 Oct 27-Nov 1 Antwerp - European Community Championship Carpet Miloslav Mečíř 5–7 6–1 6–4 6–3 $250,000
1988 Jan 7-10 Gold Coast Hard Wally Masur 6–7 7–6 6–4
1988 April 28-May 1 Atlanta - AT&T Challenge of Champions Clay (Har-Tru) Stefan Edberg 2–6 6–1 6–3 $150,000
1989 Dec 28-Jan 1 Newcastle Hard Carl-Uwe Steeb 6–3 7–6
1989 Feb 6-12 Chicago - Volvo Tennis Carpet Brad Gilbert 6–2 7–6
1989 Aug 21-27 Jericho - Norstar Bank Hamlet Challenge Cup Hard Mikael Pernfors 4–6 6–2 6–4
1989 Oct 2–7 Stuttgart - Eurocard Classic Carpet Miloslav Mečíř 6–3 4–6 4–6 6–1 6–4
1989 Oct 19-22 Essen Carpet Miloslav Mečíř 6–4 6–2
1989 Oct 23-29 Antwerp - European Community Championship Carpet Miloslav Mečíř 6–2 6–2 1–6 6–4 $250,000
1990 Jun 4-10 Beckenham Grass Darren Cahill 6–3 7–5
1990 Aug 20-26 Forest Hills, New York - WCT Tournament of Champions Hard Aaron Krickstein 6–4 6–7 6–3 $100,000
1990 Oct 17-21 Hong Kong - Marlboro Championships Carpet Michael Chang 1–6 6–2 6–1 6–2 $200,000
1991 Jan 2–6 Salamander Bay Hard Carl-Uwe Steeb 6–4 6–2
1991 Jun 3–9 Beckenham Grass Pat Cash 3–6 7–6 7–6
1991 Oct 16-20 Hong Kong - Marlboro Championships Carpet David Wheaton 6–3 7–5 6–1 $200,000
1992 Jul 27-Aug 2 Boston - U.S. Pro Championships Hard Richey Reneberg 6–3 6–3
1992 Oct 19-25 Hong Kong - Marlboro Championships Carpet Michael Chang 6–3 4–6 6–4 6–4 $200,000
1993 Jul 13-18 Boston - U.S. Pro Championships Hard Todd Martin 5–7 6–3 7–6
1994 Jul 12-17 Boston - U.S. Pro Championships Hard Malivai Washington 7–5 7–6

Other singles titles - Draw less than 8 players (13)

Below are Lendl's winnings on exhibition tournaments (usually 4-men's draw)
Year Date Tournament Surface Final Opponent Final Result Winners Prize
1981 Nov 4–5 Calcutta Hard John Alexander 6–4 6–2
1981 Nov 7–8 Jakarta Hard Wojciech Fibak 6–1 7–6 9–7
1984 February San Juan Governor's Cup (Porto Rico) ? Gene Mayer 6–3 6–2
1984 Apr 7–8 Tokyo - Suntory Cup Carpet John McEnroe 6–4 3–6 6–2 $110,000
1985 Apr 20-21 Tokyo - Suntory Cup Carpet John McEnroe 6–4 6–2 $110,000
1985 Oct 8–9 East Rutherford - Tennis Members Only Meadowlands Challenge Hard John McEnroe 7–5 6–3
1987 May 5–6 Barcelona Clay John McEnroe 6–2 3–6 6–2
1987 Nov 25-29 West Palm Beach - The Stakes Matches Hard Pat Cash 11-21 21-18 21-7 22-20 $583,200
1989 May 27-28 Marseille Clay Andre Agassi 6–3 6–3
1989 Oct 24-25 Bologna Carpet John McEnroe 6–4 7–5
1990 Nov 10-11 Rome Carpet Stefan Edberg 5–7 7–6 7–6
1990 Dec 3–5 Bolzano - 6-men exhibition Carpet Goran Ivanisevic 6–2 7–6
1990 Dec 8–9 Zurich Carpet Pete Sampras 3–6 7–6 6–4

Other singles runner-ups - Draw at least 8 players (3)

Year Date Tournament Surface Final Opponent Final Result
1983 Dec 13-20 North Miami Beach - $305,000 Nastase-Hamptons Invitational Hard Jimmy Connors 3–6 6–7 1–6
1984 Nov 22-25 Canberra - Rio Tennis Challenge Carpet Mats Wilander 5–7 6–7
1994 May 20-22 Rouen Clay Jacco Eltingh 2–6 7–5 2–6

Other singles runner-ups - Draw less than 8 players (6)

Below are Lendl's runner-ups appearances on exhibition tournaments (usually 4-men draws)
Year Date Tournament Surface Final Opponent Final Result Runner-up Prize
1981 Apr 7–8 Rome Carpet John McEnroe 6–7 4–6
1982 Nov 5–7 Sydney - Akai Gold Challenge Matches Carpet Bjorn Borg 1–6 4–6 2–6 $100,000
1983 July 8-10 Sun City - Round Robin Bophuthatswana Hard Jimmy Connors 5–7 6–7 $300,000
1985 April 15-16 Inglewood - Michelin Challenge Carpet John McEnroe 4–6 6–7
1988 Dec 9-11 Inglewood - Michelin Challenge Carpet John McEnroe 5–7 2–6 $60,000
1989 Jul 28-30 Yokohama - ANA Cup Hard Andre Agassi 6–7 4–6 $140,000

Other sources for this section

  • Michel Sutter, Vainqueurs Winners 1946-2003, Paris, 2003. Sutter has attempted to list all tournaments meeting his criteria for selection beginning with 1946 and ending in the fall of 1991. For each tournament, he has indicated the city, the date of the final, the winner, the runner-up, and the score of the final. A tournament is included in his list if: (1) the draw for the tournament included at least eight players (with a few exceptions, such as the Pepsi Grand Slam tournaments in the second half of the 1970s); and (2) the level of the tournaments was at least equal to the present day challenger tournaments. Sutter's book is probably the most exhaustive source of tennis tournament information since World War II, even though some professional tournaments held before the start of the open era are missing. Later, Sutter issued a second edition of his book, with only the players, their wins, and years for the 1946 through April 27, 2003, period.
  • ITF World of Tennis annuals, London, published from 1969 through 2001.
  • Czechoslovak Sport newspapers

Career doubles finals listed by ATP (16)

Doubles titles (6)

  • 1979 (1): Berlin (CL) / (w/Kirmayr)
  • 1980 (1): Barcelona (CL) / (w/Denton)
  • 1984 (1): Wembley (IC) / (w/Gomez)
  • 1985 (1): Stuttgart Outdoor (CL) / (w/Smid)
  • 1986 (1): Fort Myers (H) / (w/Gomez)
  • 1987 (1): Adelaide (G) / (w/Scanlon)

Doubles runner-ups (10)

  • 1979 (1): Florence (CL) / (w/Slozil)
  • 1980 (2): Indianapolis (CL) / (w/Fibak), Cincinnati (H) / (w/Fibak)
  • 1983 (1): San Francisco (IC) / (w/Van Patten)
  • 1986 (1): Tokyo Indoor (IC) / (w/Gomez)
  • 1988 (1): Monte Carlo (CL) / (w/Leconte)
  • 1990 (1): Queen's Club (G) / (w/Leconte)
  • 1991 (1): Sydney Indoor (IH) / (w/Edberg)
  • 1992 (1): Barcelona (CL) / (w/Novacek)
  • 1993 (1): Marseille (IC) / (w/Van Rensburg)

click on the year link expands all Lendl's doubles matches for the respective year listed on ATP website

Career ATP Prize Money Statistics

Year Money list rank Prize Money ITD Prize Money
1978 - $0 $0
1979 47. $77,401 $77,401
1980 3. $583,906 $661,307
1981 2. $846,037 $1,507,344
1982 1. $2,028,850 $3,536,194
1983 1. $1,747,128 $5,283,322
1984 2. $1,060,196 $6,343,518
1985 1. $1,963,074 $8,306,592
1986 1. $1,987,537 $10,294,129
1987 1. $2,003,656 $12,297,785
1988 4. $983,938 $13,281,723
1989 1. $2,344,367 $15,626,090
1990 6. $1,445,742 $17,071,832
1991 4. $1,888,985 $18,960,817
1992 11. $961,566 $19,922,383
1993 11. $1,075,876 $20,998,259
1994 71. $263,914 $21,262,173

See also

References

  • Jiri Janousek, Pavel Vitous (1990). Ivan Lendl. Lidove nakladatelstvi, Praha, Czechoslovakia. ISBN 80-7022-088-0.
  • Ivan Lendl, George Mendoza (1986). Hitting Hot: Ivan Lendl's 14-days Tennis Clinic. Random House, Inc., New York. ISBN 0-394-55407-8.

External links

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