Is Lendl the Only U.S. Hope in Masters? : Though Czech Star Is Introduced as Such, It’s Foreign to Him

Now, to go along with all his other complexes and phobias, Ivan Lendl has been given another bit of misinformation to disclaim. Just to clear this up, Lendl is not an American.

Despite what was announced to the press here Tuesday, Lendl, the world’s No. 1 tennis player, is from Czechoslovakia and remains a citizen of that country.

Lendl does live in nearby Greenwich, Conn. Yet, to his surprise, Lendl was introduced Tuesday as “the lone American in the field” that will compete for the title in the $500,000 Nabisco Masters tournament, today through Monday in Madison Square Garden.

Yes, Lendl repeated Tuesday, he will not play Davis Cup for Czechoslovakia, nor could he see himself living there. Yes, he said, he loves the life style of his suburban mansion. And, as the first male tennis player to earn $10 million in his career, he has been happy enough to have the Internal Revenue Service skim off the top of his income, rather than have that done by the Czech Tennis Federation.

But, he said, “I’m not an American. I just live here.”

If Lendl is to be considered a citizen simply on account of residence, then so should at least two other players in the field. Yannick Noah of France has lived in New York for several years and owns a thriving restaurant in Greenwich Village. Mats Wilander of Sweden recently married a fashion model based in New York and plans to move from that other Mecca for tennis players, the tax haven of Monaco.

For that matter, West Germany’s Boris Becker says he loves New York, “because I can walk on the streets without all the screaming.” Apparently, he just hasn’t hit the right neighborhoods.

That accounts for four of the eight players in the field, which is conspicuous by the absence of Americans. That may explain the impromptu swearing-in of Lendl by tournament director Eugene Scott. In men’s tennis these days, this country needs all the help it can get.

American men currently are either playing well but not winning (Brad Gilbert, Tim Mayotte), getting older (Jimmy Connors) or getting bored (John McEnroe).

So, foreign players will reap the foreign-exchange gains of the Masters, the culmination of the lucrative Grand Prix circuit. The tournament is limited to the top eight point-winners on the year’s circuit.

How important is the Masters? Vital, for any player bright enough to see the color of money. Lendl was awarded $800,000 Tuesday as the top point-earner during the year. The least the winner of this round robin tournament will win is $190,000 in prize money, and he can win as much as $210,000 if he wins all his matches.

Under a new, streamlined format, the field is down to 8 from last year’s 16, and the players are placed in two groups, playing each of the three other players in the group. The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals.

Ironically, this format was championed by McEnroe, a man who did not qualify. Since 1979, McEnroe has been in every Masters’ field. This year, because of his six-month layoff, he would have had to win nearly every tournament he entered in order to earn enough points to qualify. He almost did that, winning three straight tournaments after losing in the first round of the U.S. Open.

The players are Lendl, Becker, Stefan Edberg, Joakim Nystrom, Noah, Wilander, Henri Leconte, Andres Gomez and Miloslav Mecir.

Lendl and Becker are the hot items, each hoping to win and finish the year ranked No. 1. It used to be that the Australian Open, held in January, was the year-ending event of record. Now, with players such as McEnroe calling for scheduling reform within the sport, the Masters (moved to December from January) takes on more than monetary significance.

In this instance, Lendl finds himself in complete agreement with McEnroe. “Tennis really needs to move to a season, like the rest of professional sports,” Lendl said Tuesday. “Players are getting tired and they are also getting injured.”

Lendl should know. Although he won the U.S. Open this year, he has spent the fall rehabilitating from tendinitis in both hips.

Other players here have returned to the game after varying absences. Wilander, ranked third in the world, took six weeks off from the tour to spend time with his girlfriend. Leconte has been ill and injured and said he has been practicing regularly for only 10 days.

When play begins tonight, Becker will play Nystrom, Wilander will play Leconte, and Edberg will play Gomez.