Lendl, Ivan, << LEHN duhl, ee VAHN >> (1960-…), a Czechoslovak-born tennis star, became one of the world’s top players in the 1980’s. Lendl won 94 singles titles and was ranked number one in men’s tennis for 270 weeks. He won eight Grand Slam tournaments. The Grand Slam consists of the Australian Open, the French Open, the United States Open, and Wimbledon in England. Lendl won the U.S. Open and the French Open three times and the Australian Open twice. Lendl’s strong serve, powerful forehand, and superb physical conditioning made him one of the sport’s most dominating players.
Lendl was born on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. He turned professional in 1978. Lendl settled in the United States in the mid-1980’s and became a U.S. citizen in 1992. He retired from tournament competition in 1994.
