Andy Murray has caused a stir in the world of sports after announcing that he is reuniting with his former coach Ivan Lendl. The 29-year-old tennis champion confirmed the news on Sunday, following weeks of speculation that the pair would once again be joining forces.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesAndy Murray is reuniting with coach Ivan Lendl
"I had two very successful years working with Ivan, he's single-minded and knows what it takes to win the big events," Andy said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to Ivan joining the team again and helping me try and reach my goals."
Ivan will begin coaching Andy as of Monday, as the Scottish star prepares to head to the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club. Fans were clearly delighted - minutes after the story broke, 'Ivan Lendl' was trending on Twitter.
© Photo: Getty ImagesIvan was Andy's coach when he won the Wimbledon tournament in 2013
It comes as no surprise that Andy has chosen Ivan – the coach trained him between 2012 and 2014, and was by his side when he won the Wimbledon tournament in 2013. However, scheduling conflicts meant that in 2014 Ivan stepped down as Andy's coach, to focus on other projects including starting up a tennis academy in South Carolina.
Following the news, Andy appointed Amélie Simone Mauresmo as his coach, reaching the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon. In May earlier this year which saw Andy losing the French Open title to Novak Djokovic, Amélie and the sportsman announced that they had mutually decided to part ways.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAndy was defeated by Novak at the French Open
It's no doubt been an exciting few months for Andy, who welcomed baby daughter Sophia with wife Kim Sears in February. Their little girl's arrival came almost a year after the couple tied the knot in Andy's hometown of Dunblane in April 2015.
The British star had previously opened up about juggling fatherhood and his tennis career, revealing that he was excited about the "life changing" moment when the pair would become parents.
"It's going to be life changing when the baby comes but I am excited about that," he told Daily Mail. "People have asked 'Do you think it will be a distraction?' It might be but it's a good distraction. It's actually not good to be just concentrating on tennis and your training all of the time.
He added: "It is important to be able to take a step back from it and, when you finish on the practice court, be able to just go away and be with your friends and family, so I'm looking forward to it."
