As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the US Open, we look back at the 50 champions who have left an indelible mark on this inimitable event.
Frank Sinatra famously sang, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” in his smash hit “New York, New York.”
Ivan Lendl made it both here and everywhere in his brilliant Hall of Fame (Class of 2001) career of eight Grand Slam crowns and four year-ending world No. 1 rankings.
For eight consecutive years, from 1982-89, if you saw a US Open final, you were watching Lendl. His string of successive finals equaled the tournament’s record set by Bill Tilden from 1918-25.
After losing in his first three appearances to his American rivals, twice to Jimmy Connors in 1982 and 1983 and then to John McEnroe in 1984, Lendl reeled off three consecutive victories. His string started with a straight-sets win over McEnroe in 1985, followed by wins over Miloslav Mecir (1986) and Mats Wilander (1987). He lost to Wilander in the 1988 rematch and lost his last Open final to Boris Becker in 1989.
His 1987 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-4 win over Wilander on a Monday final because of rain was a signature win for Lendl. The marathon took nearly five hours of physically and mentally exhausting baseline rallies; yet, at the end, Lendl looked ready to play another five hours.
Never giving an inch in any match was Lendl’s bedrock philosophy.
“You go and play every match as hard as you can,” he explained.
Unlike his more flamboyant and fiery rivals McEnroe and Connors, Lendl seemed mismatched to be a New York champion. Born and raised in Czechoslovakia, Lendl was stoic and unemotional with little flair in his punishing grind-it-out baseline game that was anchored around a heavy forehand. He was focused, dedicated, determined and had a fanatical work ethic. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Lendl was an imposing and intimidating opponent.
Lendl played five more US Opens after 1989, never reaching another final. His best result was the semifinals in 1991. He retired shortly after a second-round loss in 1994, his career slowed by chronic back problems. His US Open career mark was an astounding 73-13.
50 Fact: Lendl returned to the US Open final in 2012 as Andy Murray’s coach, helping the Scot win his first major.