Ivan Lendl picks up another gold medal during PPA’s Daytona Beach Open

HOLLY HILL — Ivan Lendl made the drive up I-95 to collect a gold medal Thursday. It’s becoming a habit.

The tennis legend, who turned to competitive pickleball a couple of years ago, paired with Jean Halahan to win their mixed-doubles division at the PPA Tour’s Daytona Beach Open. They’ll try to win another gold Saturday in a more advanced class at the Pictona facility in Holly Hill.

“I enjoy winning; I want to win,” Lendl said. “But I get my enjoyment from getting better.”

Earlier this year at Pictona, Lendl and Halahan won their mixed doubles division in the Pictona Challenge, while Lendl paired with another former tennis pro, Mikael Pernfors, to win men’s doubles in the 60-69 age division.

Two weeks ago, Lendl, who lives two hours south in Vero Beach, again paired with Halahan to win their age division in the U.S. Senior National Championships at Pictona. Saturday they’ll compete in the Daytona Beach Open’s 50-and-over open division.

The attention to detail, physical training and work ethic that carried Lendl to eight Grand Slam championships (and 270 weeks as World No. 1), has been just slightly redirected at age 65 during this later-in-life return to competition. A couple of years ago, tournament pickleball was still new and he appeared to be working his way into it, but today it’s obvious he’s all in.

“I’m more into it now,” he said Thursday. “I’m more specific in my training, more specific in my diet. I do pay more attention to what I eat, more attention to what I do for training. I’m trying to get faster.

31 years ago today, two future Vero Beach residents played in the French Open final, Mikael Pernfors falling to Ivan Lendl pic.twitter.com/E4FPErDNwY

— Vero Beach Futures (@VeroFutures) June 8, 2017

“I wake up every day and plan every day — ‘how am I going to get better?’ What am I going to do to get better? Is it drilling, is it speed work, is it agility work?”

It’s not just the collection of medals telling him his game is improving. He sees it nearly every time he gets on the court with familiar partners and foes.

“I’m playing the same people,” he said. “The results are a little different. The character of the points is a little different. I have friends in Vero Beach I play with, and I can judge, hitting balls, what quality am I getting back and I can judge the shots I’m making.

“Just like tennis, but it’s different now. Getting better is my enjoyment now.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ivan Lendl wins gold at PPA Daytona Beach Open pickleball tournament