Tennis Legends: Ivan Lendl - The Father of Modern Tennis famed for eight Grand Slam titles and Andy Murray coaching success

Czech born Ivan Lendl was a revolutionary figure in 1980s tennis, raising standards in terms of fitness and, with the switch from wooden to graphite rackets, positioned himself as a relentless baseliner rather than adopting the more common serve and volley gamestyle of the period. It proved to be a recipe that yielded eight Grand Slam titles, and his total of nineteen Grand Slam singles finals is bettered only by the tennis holy trinity of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Born on the 7th of March 1970, in Ostrava, then part of what was called Czechoslovakia, to parents Jiri and Olga. His father once reached 15 in the world rankings and his mother peaked at second in the Czech rankings.

By the age of 14, Lendl was now beating his mom. He went on to enjoy a successful junior career, including junior slams at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Lendl turned professional in 1978. Two years later he announced himself as a considerable force, winning seven titles in the 1980 season. The first of these was in Houston. He finished the year inside the top ten. It was the beginning of a 13 year stretch where Lendl would conclude every season in the top ten.

The 1981 season witnessed a further elevation in Lendl's standing. Harvesting a further nine titles, including the retention of his Canadian Open crown. This year also saw him contest his maiden Grand Slam final. Lendl went down in a five set thriller to Bjorn Borg at the French Open.

In the following season, Lendl posted a win rate in excess of 90%. He'd pass this benchmark on an additional four occasions. He's the only player in the Open Era to record five campaigns with a win rate above 90%. Lendl amassed 14 titles during the 1982 season, making him by far the most prolific winner that term. However, Grand Slam glory continued to elude him and cast a cloud over his reputation. He made one Slam final, losing in four sets to Jimmy Connors at the US Open.

Lendl's 1983 campaign was somewhat inevitably lighter in titles won. He bagged seven tournament wins including a third Canadian Open success. A third and fourth consecutive Grand Slam final defeat would unfold this year when losing to Connors in New York and Mats Wilander at the Australian Open.

His Grand Slam hoodoo was brought to an end in 1984. Participating in a second French Open final, Lendl faced the world number one John McEnroe. At two sets down, a fifth Slam final defeat was looming. Then, in a remarkable turnaround, Lendl's revered fitness underpinned a comeback victory and silenced the naysayers over his lack of majors alongside his burgeoning haul of ATP titles. Lendl said at the time: “John was playing great in the first two sets. He was hitting corners and lines all the time. Then I think he got a little tired. I was in better shape today and could run all day long”.

This breakthrough proved the catalyst for the next three years which it's fair to be regarded as Lendl's zenith. Five of his eight Grand Slams would be accumulated in this period, and he would finish each season as world number one.

Ten titles were accrued by Lendl in the 1985 season. The highlight was a second Grand Slam title at the US Open, once again bettering old foe McEnroe in a major final. Other successes included a first title on the clay at Monte Carlo.

A pair of Grand Slams illuminated a stellar 1986 campaign which saw Lendl win 10 titles. The French Open was regained with a comfortable straight sets win over Swede Mikael Pernfors. He then went on to retain the US Open crown with an even more dominant victory over Miloslav Mecir in the final, losing just six games. A fourth title at the season ending Masters (now the ATP Finals) only reinforced Lendl's position as the current figurehead in men's tennis.

Lendl pocketed eight titles in the 1987 season. A campaign that saw the Ostrava native post a win rate over 90% for a third successive term. He and Roger Federer are the only two players to achieve this feat. He defended both the French and US Open titles before finishing with a then record-extending fifth Masters success.

The 1988 season witnessed a drop off by Lendl. He added just three titles to his resume and made a solitary Grand Slam final. His run of three US Open wins was halted by Mats Wilander in an epic contest lasting four hours and 54 minutes. This was the longest US Open final in history at that time.

Lendl reasserted himself in the 1989 season by winning ten titles including a first Australian Open title. He thrashed Mecir to win the last of his eight major crowns. A first trophy on grass materialised when winning the pre-Wimbledon warm-up at Queens. The world number one ranking was regained and he ended the year at the summit for a fourth season in five years.

The 1990s proved to be a period of decline for Lendl. He was still picking up titles but featuring less at the business end of Slams. Five titles in 1990 included a successful defence at Queens Club. Three titles in 1991 were all won Stateside where Lendl would obtain citizenship the following year. Two titles in 1993 would represent the last of an gargantuan haul numbering 94 ATP titles. It was bettered at the time only by Jimmy Connors. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are the only two to pass him since. The 94 final wins came from 146 appearances in tournament showpieces.

Wimbledon was the one major that proved elusive. Defeats to Boris Becker, in 1986, and Pat Cash, in 1987, was the closest he came. Serve and volley was the dominant gamestyle on grass back then. Lendl’s game centered on baseline brutality. He's credited with being the master of the inside-out forehand. His fitness levels raised the bar. Lendl was a furious lifter of iron at the gym, enabling him to hit with more power than most of his contemporaries.

Lendl formed part of the Czech squad which lifted the Davis Cup in 1980. After he moved to America in 1986, the Czech federation banned him from competing for the Czechoslovakia team as they considered him a defector.

The doubles career of Lendl was limited. He claimed six titles but only played in Grand Slam doubles events in the embryonic years of his career.

A total of 270 weeks at World Number One places him fourth on the all-time list. Only Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have earned more weeks. The majority of his time at the summit came under Tony Roche as his coach. The Aussie great replaced Lendl's first coach Wojtek Fibak.

Following his retirement in 1994, Lendl stayed away from tennis for many years. It was Britain's Andy Murray who brought Lendl back into the spotlight. At the time, Murray was attempting to break the Grand Slam stranglehold of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. It proved an inspired choice as Murray, like Lendl, lost his four Grand Slam finals before less than a year into their relationship, Murray was triumphant at the 2012 US Open. Under Lendl, he was encouraged to attack more and the abrasive Czech-American managed to curb Murray's habit of venting towards his player's box. All three of Murray’s Grand Slam victories were achieved on Lendl's watch, in addition to reaching number one. A later spell working with Murray was hampered by the Scot being physically reduced by serious surgeries. Lendl also briefly coached Alex Zverev and has recently started coaching big serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz.

Lendl had once hoped to represent America at the 1988 Olympics. This opportunity was blocked by the Czech authorities. He currently resides in Vero Beach, Florida.

Coming just after his last Grand Slam success in 1989, Lendl married Samantha Frankel. They've had five daughters together, Marika, twins Isabelle and Caroline, Daniela and Nikola. Marika, Isabelle and Daniela have all gone on to play golf at collegiate level. Their father once played at the Czech Open on the European Tour (now the DP Tour).

The personality of Ivan Lendl rubbed many players up the wrong way. He was never averse to hitting a ball at a player to win a point if necessary. His stony-faced exterior added to a presence that players felt angered by and left it hard for fans to connect with. All would say, however, Lendl was a tennis titan. His consistency is remarkable. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have raised the bar when it comes to the record books. For Lendl to sit behind only those three for Grand Slam finals played, underlines the longevity and consistent winning of Lendl through much of the 1980s - he reached every US Open final between 1982-89. A four time winner of ATP Player of the Year, Lendl features in the all-time top ten of many tennis observers’ lists. Even Lendl might raise a smile to that