Connors frappait effectivement la balle assez tôt et avait des frappes assez plates, mais son jeu était basé essentiellement sur le contre, s'appuyant sur la puissance de la balle adverse, donc rien à avoir avec un jeu d'attaque du fond de court

Tout le monde ? Ca m'étonnerait

Moi, un gars qui prend la balle en phase descendante avec un style patient, c'est pas un attaquant de fond de court. Après, c'est une affaire de définition. Si on considère qu'un gars qui frappe très fort des deux côtés avec un gros coup droit pour déborder est un attaquant de fond de court, ok, pourquoi pas après tout. Ca me choque quand même qu'on classe Lendl dans la catégorie "attaquant".

Quant au jeune Ivan, je te conseille sa finale de RG contre Borg. N'oublie de prendre un bon café avant.
Bon d'accord, il a évolué après.

Lendl a posé les bases du tennis moderne, le "hitting hot" comme il appelait ça , le tout avec des méthodes de préparation inspirées du monde de l'athlétisme, ça donnait un style de jeu bizarre pour l'époque, pas vraiment un rameur de fond de court, ni un attaquant au filet

mais ça s'est fait en 2 phases car au début il n'avait pas du tout le physique pour pratiquer un jeu de puncheur du fond du court, il se fatiguait vite, était pris de stress et perdait des matchs à cause de ça

faut attendre juillet 1984 lorsqu'il a commencé un programme de préparation physique inédit à l'époque qui a donné ses fruits dès l'US Open 1985

Je suis tombé sur cet excellent article qui explique pourquoi et comment Lendl doit être considéré comme le père du tennis moderne

Citation:

So why is he the father of modern tennis? Prior to the rise and domination of Ivan Lendl, professional tennis was ruled by 2 styles, players could either be classified as Borgians (High loopy, heavy topspin, from the baseline, very defensive, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake) McEnroeseque (serve and volleyers with weak ground strokes, who rushed the net at every opportunity), then came Ivan, he brought massive power from the baseline to the game. No longer where baseliners defensive players, he attacked and took control of the outcome of the point, instead of waiting for an error. The modern tennis game is based on the following strategy: *Big inside out forehand * Big serve *Total fitness *Speed afoot *Strong physique *Thorough preparation *Crush or be crushed Ivan was the first champion to use and master the inside out forehand from the ad-side of the court, crushing weak replies for winners. His forehand game was setup by his serve, during his domination, no one had a bigger, more consistent and accurate serve than Ivan Lendl. He used his powerful serve to dictate right from the beginning, and his forehand to close the point out. Ivan was the first champion to take advantage of scientific advances in training routines. He lifted weights, did aerobics and cross- training. At his prime, no other tennis player was in better shape. He may not have been the fastest, but his off court work and his anticipation, made it seem like there was no ball he could not reach. At 6'2" 175lbs, he was the prototype of the modern tennis player, he was not going to pushed around. He kept a little book consisting of notes on every player on the tour, tips on how to play them and most important, tips on how to beat them, he left nothing to chance, when he stepped on the court, the actual playing became the easiest part of the equation. "If I don't practice the way I should, then I won't play the way that I know I can." Ivan Lendl Bjorn Borg never had an easy match, his style of play did not allow him to take the initiative, with Ivan the approach was, if you're not going to hit it, I will, as a matter of fact, I'm going to hit it no matter what you do. Look at the men's a game, and to some extent, the women's game, what you will see are players, using the above formula perfected by Ivan Lendl to earn millions of dollars and entertain fans all over the world. Next time you see Pete Sampras (whom Lendl took under his wing and spent time observing and learning how to be a champion at Ivan's home) hit his famous patented running cross-court monster forehand, think of Ivan he did it first and intimidated anyone standing across the net. - Approach with caution! Next time you hear how fit Jim Courier & Thomas Muster used to be (two players whom Lendl has a 9-1 record against) keep in mind that they were following the example of the innovator of tennis fitness. Let's not forget Andre Agassi, whom Lendl called "A forehand and a haircut" during Andre's coming out year, he is now number one and the fittest tennis player on the planet but he too is following in the footstep of Ivan Lendl. To be a champion, one must work harder than work itself. Next time you see players changing racquets during ball changes, next time you see racquets being delivered in plastic bags, next time you hear of players having their own personal stringers, next time you hear how precise each racquet is customized, think of Ivan Lendl, he started the whole thing, which at the time fed the fuel of him being called a machine, but instead he was well on his way to being the first true professional tennis player the world had ever seen. No, he was not the most talented, but through hard work, he achieved a thousand times more than other gifted mortals. His tennis achievements when put together in a package has not been equaled by any other tennis player. He was not appreciated, he did not get his full merit, he did not get the love and respect that he deserved. We all remember Jimmy Connors's run at the 91 US open, Ivan's effort the following year was just as impressive if not more, in the 2nd round Lendl's victim was none other than Jimbo who quickly sniped "It's not the Ivan Lendl that I remember, he does not hit the ball hard any more, he just bunts it". If not for a rain delay the night before, Stefan Edberg would not have won the tournament, after jumping to a 2 set lead and a break, Ivan came roaring back and was leading until play was suspended. The next day, Ivan came to within a half inch to go up 5-3 in the 5th set, but Edberg broke back and went on to win the match in a 5th set tiebreak, 6-3,6-3,3-6,5-7,7-6, one of the best matches I have ever seen. He gave the world many 5 set thrillers, like his first Grand Slam final in 1981 at the French Open against Bjorn Borg, a match that most tennis fans seem to have forgotten. By 1984 even though he had already had two Masters (Tour championships) under his belt, the media gave him the choke label, he can't win the big one they said. He had reached 4 Grand slam finals and came up empty each time, a closer look at his opponents at those finals would reveal four of the greatest names in the history of the sport, Bjorn Borg once, Mats Willander once, and Connors twice, who won his first three grand slam finals. I think Ivan would have beaten Phil Dent and the well beyond his prime Ken Rosewall (twice) with the same ease. He could not play on grass they said, but he managed to win 89 matches on that surface, including 3 grand slam finals and two championships in consecutive years (89,90) at the Queen's Club event before Wimbledon. In 1990 en route to his victory there he beat John McEnroe and Boris Becker in the semis and finals respectively. The one aspect that always impressed me with Lendl was the fact that he served and volleyed on both first and second serves at Wimbledon all the time, he changed from a power baseliner to a serve and volleyer, could McEnroe have reached 5 semifinals and 2 two finals at the French by staying back on both 1st and second serves all the time, I doubt it, as a matter of fact he only managed one semi and one final at the French playing his normal aggressive style. Andre Agassi proved that one does not have to serve and volley to win at Wimbledon, perhaps if Ivan had maintained his regular game and not been so obsessed with winning the number one trophy in tennis, the question of who was the greatest would have been laid to rest a long time ago. Here's another example of the establishment, history and his opponent not giving Lendl any respect, if you look at any tennis encyclopedia or listen to any McEnroe broadcast, you will hear how "he got tired in 1984 and lost the French", but in reality, Lendl won that match on pure guts, determination, skill and power. The eventual score does not resemble someone who ran out of gas, it is more like a player who's tactics and nerve caught up with him and tried as hard as he could to weather the storm, but could not fight the fury. Score 3-6,2-6,6-4,7-5,7-5 Lendl McEnroe, Connors and borg are part of the greatest rivalries of all time, but one name is missing, you guessed it, the greatest rivalry of all-time in the open era is not McEnroe-Borg, but McEnroe-Lendl, but it sounds more glamorous for McEnroe to dismiss Lendl. The numbers don't lie, Ivan deserves his proper due, yes he will be inducted in the tennis Hall OF Fame, unlike Borg, I'm sure he will show up and accept his well deserve day of coronation. Ivan reached 19 grand slam signals finals, more than any other male player in the open era, he won 8 of them, but a closer look will reveal the fact that he lost 10 of those finals to 5 of the greatest champions in the open era, Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Willander and Becker. Pete Sampras, the greatest tennis player the game has seen so far, has a total of 12 grand slams, 7 of them were against players who not only were never number one, but players who never won a single grand slam tournament, of the remaining 5, three of them were against Andre Agassi. How many slams would Ivan have won if he had faced players of that caliber? Of the 19 Grand Slam finals, Ivan faced, players who were multiple slam winners and former number ones, 15 times. The US Open committee may never give him a day of his own, but as a true fan of the man's effort on the tennis court, I will not let his legacy die. Ivan Lendl was the best of his generation, his contributions to the game are innumerable. He is truly a champion of champions.

Je suis d'accord pour le match contre Borg mais comme il parlait du jeune Ivan...

De toute façon, plusieurs joueurs ont symbolisé à leur manière l'évolution du tennis, apportant chacun leur pierre à l'édifice.

Qu'est ce que Federer a apporté à l'évolution du tennis ?

Même chose pour Borg, Sampras et Agassi

ça peut être intéressant comme sujet de discussion

2 vidéos de Lendl à Wimbledon, son tournoi maudit :


- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7P-9T3fkhY ( à la position 7:00 il y a un passage interessant où il semble sympathiser avec Connors pourtant presenté comme son pire ennemi )

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsJEliwHb4

sur la seconde vidéo on voit que Lendl a complétement modifié son style de jeu pour le gazon en pratiquant un jeu nettement plus porté vers l'avant ( service volée )

et toujours cette impression de tennis old-school bien sympathique avec les petites raquettes

une interview intéressante de Lendl dans le dernier tennis magazine commentée ici :

http://www.welovetennis.fr/blog-apolline/16038-et-ivan-et-john-se-marierent-au-bresil

l'ex-Tchecoslovaque confirme son caractère "hermétique" et anti-star, des réponses froides sans émotion aux questions du journaliste, il affirme ne pas avoir envie d'écrire son autobiographie ni vouloir entretenir sa légende, il dit que ses filles ( championnes de golf ) n'ont quasiment jamais vu un match de leur père et qu'il n'en parle jamais à la maison,

de tous ses adversaires le seul dont il a un certain respect et admiration est Edberg d'après une question du journaliste,

et sur cette célèbre couverture de la revue "Sport Illustrated" de 1986 Lendl avoue qu'il en a gardé une certaine rancune ( la une "le champion qui n'interesse personne" ) :



mais pourtant il fait tout pour que l'on garde cette image de champion froid qui veut se cacher du grand public

le documentaire de référence sur la rivalité Lendl-McEnroe est enfin disponible sur youtube

c'était à l'origine un documentaire français diffusé sur Arte, la version sur youtube est la version doublée en allemand mais comme il y a des passages en français sous-titrés en allemand on arrive à comprendre des choses

le documentaire est en 5 parties :

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7MRuln582k

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWX1AJ3bXHw

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grZYaRsxuOE

4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOpgib4a-ms

5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHFuo5bST2I

ce documentaire débute par une bio des 2 joueurs puis ensuite se concentre sur la finale de RG84 et le huitième de finale à RG88, le tout avec des interviews de Patrice Dominguez, Yannick Noah ( qui déteste Lendl et qui le fait bien savoir ), Jacques Dorfmann qui a arbitré la finale de 84, Wilander, Vilas, Leconte et quelques journalites sportifs

un des rares documents de qualité sur ces 2 joueurs et du tennis de la période des années 80 dont le souvenir a tendance à disparaitre avec le temps

J'ai jamais vu jouer Lendl, mais ces derniers temps j'ai regardé quelques matchs sur youtube. Et bizarrement je suis a peu près certains que j'aurais été un gros supporter de ce joueur.
Le fait qu'il soit un peu le mal aimé, moins flamboyant que les autres devrait etre repoussant, mais un peu comme Davydenko que j'aime beaucoup, je pense que Lendl aurait été celui que je supporte.
Je vais regarder ce documentaire pour en savoir plus sur le gugusse.

Dommage qu'on ne puisse pas l'avoir en Français... Mais ça a l'air bien fait. J'ai vu les deux premières parties, et cette finale Mc-Enroe - Lendl devait être électrique à voir Belle illustration que dans le tennis, rien n'est jamais perdu

Ouai c'est vrai ca fait chier les commentaires allemands qui couvrent les analyses, mais bon ca reste très intéressant.

Enfin, la dernière partie ressemble plus à une mise en valeur de la perruque d'Agassi, mais super documentaire sinon

oui la dernière partie est vite expédiée comme si le réalisateur ne pouvait pas dépasser les 42 minutes dans son doc

dans cette dernière partie ça insiste bien sur la fin d'un tennis particulier, ça évoque le passage de témoin vers une nouvelle génération de tennis, celle d'Agassi et ses tenues flashy qui jouait le même jour ( il portait peut-être déjà en effet une perruque )

en tout cas de nos jours il est difficile de retrouver une telle rivalité, celle de Lendl-McEnroe c'était vraiment spéciale, une grosse opposition de style et de caractère, les joueurs se détestaient vraiment et ne le cachaient pas

quand tu regardes la rivalité de maintenant ( Federer - Nadal ) c'est plutôt bon enfant, ils sont pratiquement copains dans la vie, s'envoient des SMS lors des grandes occasions genre mariage, font des exhibs ensemble, s'échangent des compliments réciproques, c'est limite bisounours

à la limite il y a peut-être juste Soderling et Nadal qui ne passeront pas leurs vacances ensemble, l'autrichien Daniel Köllerer qui fait peur au reste du circuit par son comportement étrange sur le court,

il y avait un bon début de clash entre Del Potro et Murray à Rome 2008 mais apparemment ils se sont réconciliés depuis, bref pas beaucoup de rivalité tranchante au sommet du circuit j'ai l'impression