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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, March 19, 2014

 
Andy Murray and Ivan lendl

When Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl first announced their pairing, a new sense of belief permeated his camp. It is one of the things we'll always cherish about the now infamous duo.

Photo Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty

The news came through like a thunderbolt, splitting the early morning sky with an indefinable noise: Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl, one of the more perfect and successful player-coach pairings in recent memory, are going their separate ways.

>>>Murray and Lendl Announce End of Partnership

No matter who's decision it ultimately was (and theories, naturally, already abound) the fact of the matter is that rather than sadness, the only sensible reaction is to get up and start clapping, because what Murray and Lendl achieved together was truly historic and impressive.

In a two-year span, Lendl and Murray achieved the Olympic Gold, a maiden Grand Slam title in New York in 2012 and the Wimbledon title in 2013. Murray and Lendl came together in the finest of ways and created the most perfect of tennis storms, ending Murray's personal run of futility in Grand Slam finals while at the same time bringing Great Britain its first home-grown Wimbledon champion in 77 years.

It is definitely bitersweet that their immensely prolific run together has ended, but we're choosing to look at the glass as half-full: Murray and Lendl have done what they've set out to accomplish and their names will be etched in the lore of tennis from here to eternity. As far as the more immediate future for Murray goes, let's not forget that the Dunblane, Scotland native did all of the heavy lifting during his last two years with Lendl. Those are his titles, those were his mighty shoulders that the curse of Fred Perry tried to weigh down, and those were his arms and legs that blasted through to his monumental victories.

A new challenge awaits Murray, and we've got no doubt that he'll be up for it, just like Lendl will be up for his own future endeavors. And so, with that said, let's have a look back at five things we'll always cherish about the two years that Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl spent together:

1. We got to know Ivan Lendl Again

Tennis has a way of embracing its former stars like no other sport. When Murray brought Lendl back into the fold, it was like we finally got one of our true greats back to celebrate. He had been gone for so long, minding his own business and keeping out of the limelight. It was great to have him back.

2. The Jokes

Like this:

3. The Hope

Writer Peter de Jonge of the New York Times summed it up aptly in June of 2012 when he wrote: “Like stockholders of a beleaguered corporation welcoming the appointment of a ruthless C.E.O., tennis cognoscenti heralded the appointment of Lendl, who had mysteriously exiled himself from the sport for 15 years, as exactly what Murray needed.”

There seemed to be a faint smirk in his tone, as if he didn't believe Lendl's influence would pay off. At that time, results were mixed, but one thing was certain. Hope was at an all-time high in the Murray camp. It was that hope, that belief that Murray was a player on the rise and the long-dreaded curse of Fred Perry was close to coming to an end, that sent sparks and shivers through the tennis world.

4. The Strange Intertwining of their Senses of Humor

Which resulted in this priceless video clip:




5. The End!

Not the end of the relationship, though we do believe that Murray will become an even better player when he takes what he's learned and applies it in a more independent fashion under the guidance of another great coach, THE END OF THE CURSE!!!!! (in two parts)

2012 US Open Title




2013 Wimbledon Title



 

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