Andy Murray has finally managed to get at the top of the rankings after he defeated Novak Djokovic in last year’s final in London. Now the challenge for the Brit is staying no.1, and he thinks that Ivan Lendl will be essential to do that. Ivan was decisive for Andy’s ascent once again after he rejoined the team last summer.

Why Lendl is essential for my rankings. MURRAY

During a recent interview, Andy explains why Lendl’s role is pivotal in his rankings and why Ivan will help him to stay at the top. The Brit commented

“The reality is, in sport, that things keep moving on. I’ll get older, the young guys will continue to improve, and also Novak and Roger and Rafa and all the guys at the top are still going to be wanting to get there [No1].

So that’s why having someone like Ivan on my team who has been in that position before and knows what that’s like has been important. I need to continue to improve.

I don’t think that necessarily means working harder than I have in the past, but just having the mindset that I need to keep getting better. Any weaknesses that are in my game, I’ll try to get rid of them.” 

The opener vs. Marchenko

Andy will play Illya Marchenko in the opener. The head to head is 1-o for Andy that defeated the Ukraine in the Australian Open back in 2011 6-1 6-3 6-3.