Berdych: Working with Lendl would be “an honour”

 

Originally published on: 02/06/12 00:00

Tomas Berdych, the Czech No.1, admitted at the French Open that it would be “an honour” if Lendl ended up coaching him one day.
 
“This is something that we would need to talk more about,” Berdych said when asked if he would like to see Lendl in his player box. “It’s not just about whether I want him or not. But if things worked out that way and we could work together it could definitely be nice.”
 
However, when he was asked if he felt jealous to see Lendl in Murray’s player box when he played the Scot, Berdych said: “Definitely not. I have no reason to be. I would say that it's an even bigger challenge if I see him there. I’m definitely not jealous. It was nice to have a good match with Andy in Monte Carlo – and I was the one who won.”
 
Berdych has been coached by another Czech, 39-year-old Tomas Krupa, since January 2009. Krupa was a player in the 1990s but never rose above No.278 in the world rankings. Berdych was No.20 in the world when he first linked up with Krupa, having initially broken into the top 10 three years earlier. The partnership has worked well since. Now world No.7, Berdych has won tournaments in Munich, Beijing and Montpellier and reached the Wimbledon final two years ago.
 
Lendl returned to Prague last month to play a match in the Czech capital for the first time for 22 years. He played his compatriot, Jiri Novak, in a one-set exhibition match watched by around 1,000 spectators at the Sparta Prague Open women’s tournament. Lendl won 6-3 and the players went on to play three more games, the score eventually finishing 8-4.

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