Lendl Sampras Philadelphia 1991

Ivan Lendl defeating Pete Sampras in the final

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Tennis
• Ivan
• Lendl
• Pete
• Sampras

[DingKong]

Lendl was the ultimate professional. He adapted his game to stay in and around the top for years. People should not underestimate how he brought in 'power tennis' and new regimes of fitness and strength training. His stamina was excellent and his baseline shots were awesome. An all time great player I reckon.

[Pitonto]

Lendl was the best of his era: Lendl's era.

[datacipher]

@Pitonto

No. It is a common myth that Lendl had a great deal of input into Sampras. In reality, Sampras was a sparring partner for Lendl for one week (as hundreds of juniors/journeyman have been). Sampras has said he learned something about the killer workouts Lendl did, but to say he was a "pupil", is an overstatement to the point of being an outright lie.

[mongovi]

I prefer finesse over power myself, I believe it requires more skill. So I'm more of a McEnroe/Federer guy, not Lendl.

[ulizinho]

No. Lendl was too succesful to be called merely a transmission player. He dominated in 1985 to 1989.

Yet he succesfully did succeed the biggest transformation in tennis: from wooden rackets to graphite rackets and he really geared up his play. Compare his late matches with the final against Borg in Paris. Looks like two different players.

[ripperduck]

With a bad hand/back as well. Lendl was about 10 years older than Sampras, yet was still capable of beating him when he was 30. He completely broke down at about 33 and retired a few months later...

[drumtum]

Screw you actually. Lendl was a force in three different eras in tennis. First against the likes of Borg, McEnroe, than against Edberg, Becker, and lastly against Agassi, Sampras. Sure, both Sampras and Federer have more grandslams, but Lendl had more final defeats, but also way more tournament victorys. He was great on all types of courts, and certainly closer than Sampras to win all four Grand Slams, but Federer is a little more complete.

[Pitonto]

Sampras was a Lendl pupil. Ivan could defeat Pete even at 33. few months before his retirement, when Sampras was no.1.

[walliegirl2]

Sampras' game was molded by Pete Fisher and Robert Lansdorp, along with Tim Gullikson.

As for Fed, I would assume it was molded by someone from Switzerland.

Sampras' game was power, but also was a very talented volley, which Lendl wasn't.

As for Fed, his game was much more subtle and complete than Lendl.

[nizzam1]

if it wasnt for lendl pete or federers game wud not have been what they are, lendl invented power tennis

[walliegirl2]

Screw Lendl - Federer and Pete are superior to Lendl, more imagination to their games.