Serena Williams coach surprised by Andy Murray's Ivan Lendl appointment
Patrick Mouratoglou, who coaches 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, admits he is surprised that Andy Murray has appointed Ivan Lendl as his coach for the third time.
Andy Murray has announced Ivan Lendl as his new coachThe pair last worked together in 2017 after a successful partnership which saw the eight-time Grand Slam-winning Czech guide Murray to three Grand Slams of his own, including Wimbledon twice.
Ahead of this summer’s grass season, which begins in early June, Murray and Lendl will spend a number of weeks together in the United States on extended training.
This is expected to begin after the Miami Open, with Murray already admitting he intends to miss the whole clay court season.
Speaking about the appointment of Lendl, Mouratoglou told Sky Sports: "I was very surprised that Andy and Ivan started to work together again simply because they broke up two times already.
"It's more difficult for him to win a Grand Slam now because of his surgery, but Ivan is probably excited to see Andy's motivation.
"What Andy is doing is super-inspiring but he's always been inspiring, winning three Grand Slams at a time when those three guys are playing - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - it's incredible!
"Being able to reach number one in the world with those three guys playing is also incredible. He's shown in the past how dedicated he is to this game and how much of a crazy hard fighter he is."
Mouratoglou also understands the reasoning behind Lendl’s appointment.
He continued, "It's always exciting to work with guys like that and I can understand why Ivan is doing it.
"I think it's great because they've made wonders in the past together and I think it's a nice message because it's probably the last part of Andy's career. For them to end their career together, I think it's very nice."
Murray will be looking for a strong performance at Wimbledon, but Mouratoglou believes he won’t be aiming to win it.
He said, "I don't feel like Andy's goal is to win a Grand Slam because I don't think he can see himself doing that at the moment but to do the best he can.
"He has always been like this throughout his career, with this mindset, to do the best he can.
"I think it's great and I can completely imagine him reaching a quarters or a semis of a Grand Slam, why not? And if he does, then everything is possible."