Book on Lendl

GameSetAndMath

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Here is a new book on Lendl. Author is the same guy who wrote book on Murray after his Wimby win.
This book is being released just before Wimbledon 2014 as a nice marketing ploy to
relieve some cash out of the wallets of British fans of Murray.
 

tented

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Based on the description, it seems like a partial re-working of the previous book, with only profit in mind, as GSM mentioned.

"Who is Ivan Lendl and How did he turn Andy Murray, a four-time finalist - into the first British winner of Wimbledon in over 70 years? Mark Hodgkinson goes in search of Lendl 'the man behind the iron curtain' - his brutally tough childhood in communist Czechoslovakia, who defected to the US to pursue his dream of becoming a tennis legend. Competing against the loud-mouths of McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, who despised his ruthlessly scientific approach to the game, he lost four major finals before cracking McEnroe to go on to win 8 major titles. His greatest obsession though was Wimbledon, which he twice missed the French Open to prepare for, but still never won. When Murray took him on he had never coached anyone before, and failure seemed to be the only thing they had in common. Ahead of Wimbledon, when Murray will aim to defend his title, Mark Hodgkinson reveals through interviews with all the protagonists, including Lendl and Murray, what the magic formula was that Lendl used to turn Murray into a champion. It will left the lid on their relationship - one of genuine friendship as well as brutally hard work and the similarities in their familial upbringing and their shared obsession with the minutiae of the game that made this left-field combination the most successful in British tennis history."

There are seven sentences in that description. Four involve Murray.

If it is meant to be a biography of Lendl, he's got to be PO'ed that the focus of his life is now mostly on the few years he worked with Andy. He's now "the man who made Murray."
 

Iona16

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No doubt he played a huge part in getting Andy over the final slam hurdle but I think the title is overstating just a tad.

Also, Lendl is a legend in the sport. I think he's been a bit more than Andy's coach.
 

tented

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^ Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not trying to denigrate Murray, or his achievements. I simply find it odd that a book about Lendl is focused on someone else, based on that description.
 

tented

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Iona16 said:
No doubt he played a huge part in getting Andy over the final slam hurdle but I think the title is overstating just a tad.

That's true. He didn't "make Murray" as the subtitle claims. Lendl helped him, and no doubt in an important manner, but he did not make Andy.
 

Iona16

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tented said:
^ Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not trying to denigrate Murray, or his achievements. I simply find it odd that a book about him is focused on someone else, based on that description.

Agree 100%
 

Fiero425

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Iona16 said:
tented said:
^ Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not trying to denigrate Murray, or his achievements. I simply find it odd that a book about him is focused on someone else, based on that description.

Agree 100%

It would all be about Becker if Nole would win with the man sitting there in the stands, but so far it hasn't happened! Djokovic won 2 Masters in a row with his "main coach" laid up in a hospital bed and unable to travel! He comes back and Nole promptly loses to Federer for a second time! I didn't see Dubai and Nole probably protecting an injured wrist in Monte Carlo! I don't think Edberg can overshadow Federer; like Annacone, very low-key and unassuming! Becker with too strong a personality IMO! I've never warmed up to Boris; even when he was a kid! He just wasn't likeable! Later you hear how he played mind games with his rivals from Edberg and Stich to McEnroe and Agassi!
 

GameSetAndMath

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I don't think it is really a book on Lendl as in a biography of him. It is a book on
Lendl as it relates to his coaching success with Murray.

Why such a book now? The author has sold lots of copies of his previous
book that was directly focused on Murray winning Wimbledon.

It looks like he wanted to milk more with Wimbledon approaching. Writing
another book on Murray, especially in such a short span, would be futile.
Hence, it looks like he is slightly changing the view point and then rehashing
the same stories from a slightly different perspective.

p.s. Disclaimer: I have not read the book.
 

Kieran

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That's right. It's a way of milking the narrative, and getting a book out associating these two big names in tennis, before the trail gets cold. A full-on biography of Lendl, with Lendl's active participation, would be more welcome, and interesting...