Andy Murray part ways with coach Ivan Lendl

Andy Murray has parted company with Ivan Lendl, the coach who guided him to his first Grand Slam titles. The Scot announced the surprising news in a statement that indicated it was Lendl who wanted to end the highly successful partnership to concentrate on other interests.

Lendl has been playing regularly on the seniors’ tour and runs his own tennis academy in South Carolina. “Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me,” Lendl said in the statement released by Murray’s management company.

“He is a first-class guy. Having helped him achieve his goal of winning major titles, I feel like it is time for me to concentrate on some of my own projects moving forward, including playing more events around the world which I am really enjoying.

Murray, who under Lendl’s guidance last summer became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title for 77 years, said: “I’m eternally grateful to Ivan for all his hard work over the past two years, the most successful of my career. As a team, we’ve learned a lot and it will definitely be of benefit in the future. I’ll take some time with the team to consider the next steps and how we progress from here.”

Lendl, who was out of tennis for more than a decade after finishing his career, had never coached a senior player until he joined forces with Murray in 2012.

THE INDEPENDENT