Third partnership between Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl will begin after Indian Wells and Miami

By Ricky Dimon

Andy Murray-Ivan Lendl chapter three is happening.

Starting after the upcoming Miami Open, Ivan Lendl will be a part of Murray’s coaching team for the third time. The announcement was made last week as the 34-year-old prepares for upcoming Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Lendl will join Murray in preparation for the grass-court swing, as the former world No. 1 is not playing on clay this season.

Murray has secured all three of his Grand Slam titles under Lendl, with whom the current world No. 88 first joined forces in 2012. They did not have to wait long for a U.S. Open triumph (2012) and Murray went on to win Wimbledon, as well, in 2013. Following a 2014 split, they linked back up in 2016–leading to Murray’s second success at the All-England Club.

The Scot has been in the market for a full-time coach since the end of last year, when Jamie Delgado left to join Denis Shapovalov’s team. Murray had a brief trial period with Jan De Witt, but a couple of early exits–including at the hands of Taro Daniel in round two of the Australian Open–dissolved that experiment before it developed into anything more than a trial.

Murray has lost in the second round of four consecutive tournaments after beginning the 2022 campaign with a first-round ouster at a 250 in Melbourne and a runner-up performance in Sydney.

Will the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami bring some form of consistency and momentum? It’s possible. Murray is a former Indian Wells finalist (lost to Rafael Nadal in 2009) and he is a two-time champion in Miami–where he often spends a lot of time during the offseason.

Outside the cut line at entry deadline for Indian Wells and Miami, Murray has wild cards into both tournaments.

Ricky contributes to10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.