Lendl Says He Is Slowly Getting Over the Pain of His Defeat at Wimbledon

WASHINGTON —  Ivan Lendl says the pain from his loss to Pat Cash in the Wimbledon final has been slow to heal, and he expects it to continue hurting for some time.

“I still have the razor blade in my pocket,” he said. “I’m getting over it a bit--I had it in my hand a week ago, now it’s in my pocket. When I put it in my bag, it will be all right.”

Lendl, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, lost to Cash, 7-6, 6-2, 7-5, at Wimbledon earlier this month. It was the second straight year he had lost in the final there, and it came after he had worked hard to improve his game on grass courts to give him a shot at the coveted title.

“It’s healing slowly,” Lendl said. “I’m still disappointed, and I’m sure I’m going to be for a very, very long time.”

He said he is trying to put the disappointment in England behind him as he prepares for next month’s U.S. Open in New York, an event he has won the last two years.

“I should get over (Wimbledon) before the U.S. Open,” Lendl said, “because if I don’t, it’s going to be hard to win. It’s hard to win anyhow, but it’s going to be even harder.

“I know my game will come around and will be there for the U.S. Open, but I want it to come around as soon as possible. I need to focus on it.”