Zolbol's Tennis Special 27 - Lendl vs McEnroe

Ivan Lendl with some amazing backhand passes and lobs in the Canadian Open in 1989, making John McEnroe's pinkie seem rather large!

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Amazing
• Tennis
• Point
• 22
• Ivan
• Lendl
• John
• McEnroe
• Canadian
• Open
• 1989
• stunning
• magic

[starswillleadtheway]

Lenl was my idol! I loved his style. Most people disliked him. But from my point of view he had something aristocratic in his way.

[renatoaz]

Lendl = King of Tennis

[alin1975]

@Changfriedrice

He can no more stop coming to the net when things are not going his way than Nadal can start serve and volleying when Djokovic is pounding his ass :D

[Changfriedrice]

you would think mcenroe would learn to stop coming up to the net...

[mephatboi]

@casheasy lendl broke mac in the 1st game, then mac had break pt on lendl's 2nd serve but hit a FH long... lendl then just got on a roll... mac lost any chance to make the match close w/ that one unforced error

lendl played even better in the Qtr finals in the Aussie Open '89 vs. mac

against other players, his other gr8 matches later in his career were against edberg in the hamlet cup finals & in '90 when he won queens, drilling both mac & becker (he peaked 2 early 4 wimbledon though)

[Oanatinus]

Lendl was an arrogant bastard, but boy could he play. Even with the power and athleticism of the players today, Lendl in his day would give a lot of today's guys a run for their money. What an incredible player he was.

[rexkommher1]

@Pitonto nonono he was not really the best because when agassi had his best form he beat him when becker had his best form he beat him when sampras.....what iam trying to say is his(lendl) strength was that he was very constant on a high level(that keeps him on number 1) but edberg becker mcenroe(until 84) sampras agassi..... you name it they all beat him when both were in best form

[vlovesrafa]

@starswillleadtheway.I saw this match live and still have it on vhs...Lendl was my idol too.I loved the way he played.Completely professional and always extremely prepared.

[Pitonto]

@AT32123 Maybe Lendl was not so popular, but he was better than Becker or Agassi for sure.

As regards to Sampras who was 11 years younger, it's sufficient to remember that Lendl defeated him even in 1993, when Sampras was no. 1 in the world and Lendl few months before his retirement.

[AT32123]

@ripperduck Arguably Becker, Agassi, and Sampras were the new age power players, making hard hitting tennis popular, not so much Lendl despite the fact that he overpowered his generation...

[casheasy]

I read your description and remembered the comment from Mac about, "having more talent in my pinkie than Lendl has in his whole..." Good stuff. I remember watching this match, thinking that Mac was playing well enough to win, but Ivan was really really on that day. His return of serve was dead on and Mac didn't stand a chance.

[gonecammin]

I love how controlled the crowd is.