NOTEBOOK: Nadal says Federer lets others cop heat for criticism

Jan 16, 2012, 1:05 GMT

Melbourne - Roger Federer's and Rafael Nadal's mutual admiration is being tested after the Spaniard said his rival may be letting other players take the heat as they criticize various aspects of tennis.

The elite rivals have always been more than civil - even friendly - but the relationship may be changing after Nadal launched an outburst on the eve of the Australian Open.

After advising in English that his days of publicly agitating for tennis reform had done nothing except make him an occasional villain, the number two then criticized the Swiss Federer when speaking to Spanish media.

Federer has long been something of a statesman for the sport, without ever igniting any controversy.

Nadal says the 16-time Grand Slam winner is letting other players cop the flak: 'For him it's good to say nothing. Everything positive. 'It's all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman,' and the rest can burn themselves. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions.'

Nadal, Scotsman Andy Murray and US player Andy Roddick led the chorus of criticism about the state of the game at the US Open, when poor scheduling and the contentious issue of how Grand Slam prize money is distributed arose during the dreary, rain-soaked major.

Federer and Nadal own 26 titles at the majors between them and won all of the Grand Slams for seven years prior to last season, when Novak Djokovic won three of the four.

Nadal said that he plans to make his opinions known in private rather than in post-match media conferences.

'Federer likes the circuit,' he said. 'I like the circuit. It's much better than many other sports, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be better.'

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Lendl knocked back coaching offers before taking on Murray

Melbourne (dpa) - Andy Murray came up lucky 11th as he took on Ivan Lendl as a coach after the tennis icon had declined a reported 10 previous offers since 2010.

'I've had between seven and 10 inquiries over the last 18 months, some more serious than others, but none was considered by me,' the 51-year-old Lendl told the British press in a private session prior to the Australian Open.

'I see a guy who wants to win, a guy who wants to work hard. Obviously, I see the parallels between his career and my career, and I want his career to end up like mine.'

Lendl, who eventually won eight Grand Slam titles after losing the first ones he played - like Murray, 0-3 in major finals - only returned to tennis nearly two decades after his retirement. He spent most of the intervening years on the golf course and raising a family of daughters.

'We've been through similar things. He likes to work hard - I like to work hard,' Lendl said. 'I also admire his guts for hiring me because he had to know it would create a lot of interest. It would have been very easy just to hire someone, just another coach, and not get a high-profile person.'