Ivan Lendl, Czech tennis player and coach
Ivan Lendl (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɪvan ˈlɛndl̩]; born March 7, 1960) is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia who later obtained American citizenship. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all-time. He was ranked world No. 1 for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles. He won eight Grand Slam titles and was runner-up a joint record 11 times (tied with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic), making him the first male player to appear in 19 Grand Slam finals. He also appeared in a record eight consecutive US Open finals, and won seven year-end championships.
He is the only male player in professional tennis history to have a match winning percentage of over 90% in five different years (1982, 1985 to 1987, and 1989). Lendl also had a comfortable head-to-head winning record against his biggest rivals. Including a 21-15 record (7-3 in Grand Slam matches) against John McEnroe, a 22-13 record (4-3 in Grand Slam matches) against Jimmy Connors, and a 15-7 record (5-4 in Grand Slam matches) against Mats Wilander.Lendl's dominance of his era was most evident at the end of year ATP Finals which feature the top eight singles players in the rankings. He remains first in history for match wins with a record of 39-10, having made it to the final an extraordinary nine times, winning it five. His nine consecutive appearances in the final, and three consecutive tournament wins are also a record.Commonly referred to as the 'Father Of The Modern Game' and 'The Father Of The Inside Out Forehand', Lendl pioneered a new style of tennis; his game was built around his forehand, hit hard and flat, and his success is cited as a primary influence in popularizing the currently common playing style of aggressive baseline power tennis. After retirement, he became a tennis coach for many players. In particular, he helped Andy Murray win three major titles and reach the No. 1 ranking.