Sports Nicknames - The Terminator, Ivan the Terrible

Ivan Lendl

In the eras of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal, 10 major titles are no big deal. But there was this man who did it all before. Ivan Lendl was the man who started this habit of winning numerous major titles in the world of tennis. He was the first man to compete in 19 major finals, winning 8 of them. He also contested a record 8 consecutive US Open finals. In addition to that, he won seven year-end championships in tennis.



All these impressive achievements and domineering performances made him one of the greatest tennis players of all time.


Nicknames:

Because of his playing style and aggressive nature, Ivan Lendl earned a couple of very interesting nicknames.

The Terminator:

Ivan had a strong forehand which often came flat and hard to the opponent and allowed Ivan to dominate the game from the back of the court. His running forehand was his trademark shot. He was unbelievably accurate with his shots and could direct the balls down the line of cross-court. This impactful gameplay was the reason why Ivan was called "The Terminator." He had this insane ability to beat any player on his day, that too, in an assertive manner. His killer forehand made him the Terminator.

Ivan - The Terrible

Ivan Lendl had a marvelous career, but he was also one of the more hated and criticized players in the world of tennis because of his aggressive nature, expressive attitude, and domineering style. Many journalists referred to him as a mean-spirited, arrogant man who had a very nice forehand. While his talent made him the star of world tennis, his attitude attracted a great deal of hate and criticism. This was the reason why the nickname "Ivan the Terrible" surfaced.

There were people who just didn't like him, and they called him Ivan, the Terrible.

Despite all the criticism, no one can take anything away from Ivan Lendl. He was one of the greatest tennis players of all time.


Achievements and Records:

Ivan Lendl remained the top-ranked tennis player for a total of 270 weeks and won 94 men's singles titles in total.

He won the US Open (1985, 1986, 1987) and the French Open(1984, 1986, 1987) thrice while getting his hands on the Australian Open's trophy twice(1989 and 1990) while losing the finals of the Wimbledon in 1986 and 1987.

Lendl retired from Tennis in 1994.


Hall of Fame:

Lendl was included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001.


Coaching Career:

Ivan Lendl has enjoyed a fairly successful Coaching Career as well. He coached Andy Murray in his most dominant era. Under his Coaching, Murray won the US Open once, the Wimbledon title twice, and two Olympic Gold Medals in 2012 and 2016. Murray also won the ATP Finals under his coaching and was ranked the world's number one tennis player as well.

Lendl also helped Zverev make it to the top. Zverev won ATP Finals under his Coaching in 2018.


Post Retirement Life:

Lendl did everything to prove himself at the highest level as a player and a coach. As per reports, his main interests now involve spending time with his dog and swinging the club at the golf course.

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