Tennis coach IVAN LENDL opened up about splitting with ANDY MURRAY, "citing extra family commitments and the difficulty of matching the emotional high of the Briton's grand slam breakthroughs as factors in his decision," according to Ian Ransom of REUTERS. 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. Just before the U.S. Open, however, where Murray will bid for his third grand slam title under the guidance of Frenchwoman AMELIE MAURESMO, Lendl revealed that "changes in his personal life had cut the time available to spend with his former client." Lendl said, "It was lots of little things combined. Like playing more on the vets tour, and one of my daughters returned home. The youngest one is 16 and she had been away at horse riding school and but now she has come back to live with us. My mum is now 79 and lives in Prague, I need to go more to the Czech Republic than I used to." Asked whether the difficulty of matching the "exhilaration of the period" had played a part in his decision, Lendl said, "Yeah, and that too. Everyone is different, and when you win a big tournament like Wimbledon, it's not easy sometimes. Some people find it more difficult than others, and I'm glad Andy found Amelie (Mauresmo) who can give him the time he needs" (REUTERS, 8/25).
