Tennis : In Up-and-Down Year, Lendl Had Fewest Lows

It’s been a topsy-turvy tennis year, one that was finally over Down Under. Almost by default, Ivan Lendl is laying claim to the No. 1 spot for 1985. Fair enough, but there is grumbling in some quarters.

What about everyone’s favorite teen-age redhead, Boris Becker? Yes, what about Boris. The West German bedazzled the watching world while blitzing through Wimbledon, diving around the grassy lawns of the All-England Club.

But after that? Well, let’s see: There was the beach at Monte Carlo, the discos in Sweden, the shops in Tokyo . . . you get the picture. Becker is a wonderful athlete and, with his body-sacrificing style, has already made a significant impact on tennis, but you can’t rank him No. 1 on the basis of one win. Plenty of time for you, Boris.

What of the Swell Swedes?

Mats Wilander won the French Open and did well in the U.S. Open (he reached the semifinals), but he has shown he’s capable of long lapses. He lost in the first round of Wimbledon and went five months without winning a tournament. Nope, you don’t get points for being a nice guy, at least on the computer rankings.

Stefan Edberg, he of the high-kicking serves, at last fulfilled the promise foretold by his stellar junior career. Edberg was the first person to win the junior Grand Slam. But, until his impressive win in the Australian Open, Edberg failed to even get to the final of a Grand Slam tournament.

Bjorn Borg, the sentimental favorite, could get votes for his “comeback” in a series of exhibitions against John McEnroe. Even if the matches lack consideration on their artistic merit, Borg would still rank high in year-end earnings.

The matches against Borg seemed to be among the few McEnroe could win this season. It has been a tumultuous year for McEnroe. He failed to win a major title (not just a Grand Slam, a major ). More glaringly, McEnroe failed to handle the defeats and accumulated frustrations well. By the Australian Open, where McEnroe lost in the quarterfinals, his patience had worn thin and his petulance was showing.

Among the women, it looked as if Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd would continue their dog-and-pony show--if it’s a final it must be Martina and Chris. But Hana Mandlikova, who went to the same charm school as McEnroe, broke out and won the U.S. Open, to relieve the doldrums. Still, rank Navratilova No. 1 and Lloyd (again) No. 2.

Were it only so simple among the men. Process of elimination gives us Lendl, the changed Czech. He’s got a new diet, a new game (golf) and a new coach to advise him on footwork.

Whatever combinations of the above, Lendl has had the most consistent year among the men. Lendl won the U.S. Open and carried an incredible win streak to the Australian Open--since September, Lendl had won 27 straight matches and appeared invincible.

Oops, he lost in the semifinals to Edberg, complained of a sore knee (wasn’t it an arm problem the week before?) and came back to the States to recuperate (and play exhibitions.)

Still, Lendl is the man for this season. And let’s hope tennis can survive a year like this.

May we play through?: Golf has been taking on increasing importance in Lendl’s life. He was only half joking when he claimed to have prepared for the U.S. Open by spending hours on the golf course.

Here’s a portion of a Lendl press conference from the Australian Open.

Question: Ivan, is it true that you didn’t seem to like grass some years ago but now you’ve come to terms with it?

Answer: Well, I get a lot of practice on the golf course.

Q: Are you aware that a Texas millionaire is offering $1 million to the first guy to win the U.S. Open golf and the U.S. Open tennis?

A: Why do you think I practice every day?

Lendl said at one point, “As long as I can hit the ball solid and make the guy beat me, I’m going to be in good shape.”

Q: Are you talking about golf or tennis?

A: Both.

Then there’s Lendl’s golf tournament that will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The tournament is Feb. 8 at Delray Beach, Fla.

Notes Time marches on, even if it sometimes seems to march around the stuffed shirts at Wimbledon. In a tradition-breaking announcement, the Wimbledon Committee recently announced that, after 109 years of using white tennis balls at the Grand Slam event, Wimbledon was dropping the ball and going with yellow balls for next year. All other international tournaments use the high-visibility yellow balls. The players seem to be pleased with the decision, which was reportedly prompted by BBC-TV, which said the yellow ball was easier for viewers to pick up on the television screen. “I’ll be seeing the ball for the first time in London’s fog and mists,” Pam Shriver quipped.

The Grass is Always Browner, Down Under: Players are still complaining about the atrocious condition of the grass courts at the Australian Open. The courts that gave John McEnroe and others fits were devastated by alternating rain and scorching sun. “Good grass is the best surface in the world,” Chris Evert Lloyd said. “Bad grass is the worst surface in the world.” Which leads to the entrepreneurial tip of the year: Somebody manufacture a good artificial grass. Martina Navratilova claims that an excellent synthetic grass surface “hasn’t been invented yet,” but there’s money for whoever does. One happy note--Beginning in 1988, the Australian Open will move off the old grass courts and to the yet-to-be-completed National Tennis Center. Still undecided is what type of surface to install.