British number one Andy Murray's former coach Ivan Lendl has opened up about splitting up with the Scot, citing extra family commitments and the difficulty of matching the emotional high of the world number nine's grand slam breakthroughs as factors in his decision.
Lendl, who coached Murray to the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon crowns after he had lost all four of his previous Grand Slam finals, ended one of tennis's most effective partnerships in March.
Beyond a terse statement in which he talked of working on some of his own projects and playing on the champions tour, Lendl had steadfastly declined to elaborate on the break-up, Sport24 reported.
Just before the US Open, however, where Murray will bid for his third Grand Slam title under the guidance of Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, Lendl revealed changes in his personal life had cut the time available to spend with his former client.
Lendl, the eight-times Grand Slam champion, said that it was lots of little things combined, like playing more on the vets tour, and one of his daughters returned home. He added that the youngest one is 16 and she had been away at horse riding school but now she has come back to live with them.
Lendl said that his mother is now 79 and lives in Prague, adding that he needs to go more to the Czech Republic than he used to. He added that the planes are a pain in the arse.
The former coach of Murray also said that the places, the hotels; England was good, Australia was good, here it was alright. He said that it was the smaller trips he didn't like.
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And, Lendl said that with Murray, after his surgery and after winning Wimbledon and all that, he felt that if anything the Scot needed was more time rather than less time.
Initially considered an odd-couple pairing, Lendl guided Murray to an Olympic gold medal for Team GB at the London Games, one highlight of a glittering year featuring his first major title at Flushing Meadows and second at Wimbledon 10 months later.
The latter ended Britain's 77-year wait for a men's champion at the home Grand Slam, triggering a huge outpouring of emotion, the report added.