Parenting & Family Quote by Ivan Lendl

Lendl’s praise lands with the careful diplomacy of an old-school champion who still believes behavior is part of the scoreline. He frames Andre Agassi as “two different models,” which is a flattering line on its face, but it also smuggles in a rebuke: the earlier Agassi wasn’t just stylistically different, he was, in Lendl’s view, not fit to be copied. In a sport that markets individuality, Lendl is drawing a bright line between being a star and being an example.

The key phrase is “role model for the kids.” That’s not random sentimentality; it’s tennis’s perennial anxiety about image, discipline, and legitimacy. Agassi’s early persona - denim shorts, attitude, ads, a kind of neon rebellion - sold tickets and offended purists. By pointing to “training differently,” Lendl implies that the real pivot isn’t hair, clothes, or press quotes; it’s professionalism. Work ethic is presented as moral reform.

“And so on and so on” is doing a lot of work. It’s Lendl waving away the gossip while signaling that everyone in the locker room knows the full list: commitment, consistency, focus, maybe humility. He doesn’t need to itemize because the audience already understands the code. Coming from Lendl - famously methodical, machine-like in his preparation - the compliment isn’t just about Agassi’s maturation. It’s a subtle endorsement of a particular tennis religion: greatness is allowed to be flashy, but only after it pays its dues in the gym.