Ivan Lendl and Mizuno

Ivan “The Terrible” Lendl was not considered the most exciting Tennis players to many but regardless any former world number one that wins 8 Grand Slams was an out and out star.
I mean the guy did have his own NES game, all be it a shared one with Chris Evert (The Shark's recently married and then divorced wife).

Ivan's shared NES Game

His play on court may of have been regarded sometimes boring, but for the most part of his Career Lendl at least played in the most tidy Tennis gear going around from a year after turning pro in 1981 to 1989.
Although others had more revolutionary and out there gear such as Becker with Ellesse, and a number of names with Sergio Tacchini none of these outfits remain anywhere near as timeless and Classic as the Adidas gear that Ivan wore and Casuals loved him for it!

 

Lendl's Great Adidas Range



A combination of usually White and pastel colours or primary colours in plain simple shapes (His Argyle print Pringlesque gear being the most famous) alongside his neat Adidas Trainer range Ivan lays claim to the Tennis range from the 1980’s that still holds up the best today...

Then in 1989 Lendl terminated his perfectly good Adidas contract that had served him so well for eight years to go where for $15 Million USD on a Multi Year Deal?

The land of The Rising Sun and Japanese new player in Tennis: Mizuno!

Ivan was fed up he had won every Grand Slam and still had not won Wimbledon and worst of all out his two attempts the first time he was beaten by an 18 year old in Boris Becker in 1986 who had meant to of fluked it the year before according to the Media and even worse by a mullet head nobody Australian named Pat Cash in 1987.

Mizuno promised him the best in Racquet in Technology (This turned out to be a considerably bigger racquet) to win the elusive UK Tournament once and for all.

Instead the only Grand Slam he won from there on was the Australian Open the next year in 1990 and he got to wear the ugliest Tennis Gear ever seen for almost five years. (So Ugly That I love It!)

Please Enjoy!



Mizuno Lendl Ones

SLIP SLOP SLAP



The Standard Mizuno Lendl Eagle Design

Is that Gang Writing?