IVAN LENDL probably wouldn’t take too kindly to being described as middle-aged but with the advancing years comes experience and as he begins a second stint with Andy Murray, the former world No.1 may just have shown how canny he is.

Considering the dominance of Novak Djokovic, the task facing Lendl might seem to be even tougher than it was first time round.

But just over two years after their first spell ended – a spell which brought Murray’s first two grand slam titles and an Olympic gold medal – Lendl is back.

Getting Murray over the line in grand slams will probably require getting the better of Djokovic, who denied him in the final of the Australian Open and French Open.

But as he considered his return in a quiet moment at London’s Queen’s Club, Lendl said if anything, things this time should be more straightforward.

“It’s a very different the position this time,” Lendl said. “Until you win one [a grand slam] you never know you have it in you.

“We know he has it in him now, so the question is can he do it again. I think that’s an easier question to answer than can you do it at all? So I think it’s quite a bit different.”

In their time apart, during which Andy Murray hired Amelie Mauresmo, used Jonas Bjorkman and eventually brought Jamie Delgado on board, Lendl has been some of the United States’ best junior players.

The 56-year-old has had both hips replaced since their first spell together and his improving health was another reason to get back on the road.

As mischievous as ever, Lendl has been teasing (or abusing, depending on your point of view) everyone behind the scenes, as if he’d never been away.

The arrival on the coaching scene, for a while at least, of his old adversary John McEnroe may have inspired his return, while he’s been welcomed back by one of his old adversaries, Boris Becker.

Becker has been a significant factor into making world No.1 Djokovic even more dominant than ever and Lendl knows it will take something special to stop the Serb from winning at Wimbledon and everywhere else this year.

“To me in tennis there is career grand slam, four in a row, the calendar year Grand Slam and golden Slam and he has a chance to do that this year,” Lendl said.

“Obviously Andy and I would like to ruin those plans if we can. I don’t believe there was a time other than in 1938 when Don Budge won [the grand slam] and [Rod] Laver in '62 and '69,” Lendl said.

“Those were calendar year grand slams but I don’t believe there was another time when someone held all four. So if you start looking at it that way it’s phenomenal.

“Novak is holding all four. It’s something that hasn’t been done for a long time, almost 50 years, hasn’t been done by anyone else other than two men so you have to respect that.”

Murray and Lendl were out on the practise court at Queen’s Club yesterday, getting used to each other again and no doubt discussing some things they would like to work on.

First up, though, Murray has to take care of the British No.2, Aljaz Bedene, in the second round here, the first time he’s faced a fellow Briton since beating Tim Henman in Bangkok in 2006.

Murray has taken Bedene under his wing in the past 18 months, training with him and generally making him feel a part of the furniture, even if he remains, for now, out of the Davis Cup picture as his appeal goes on.

Bedene, born in Slovakia, beat Benoit Paire in round one and now has the chance to show his skills.

“I'm just going to try and play my best tennis and show myself, basically,” Bedene said.

If Kyle Edmund can beat Paul-Henri Mathieu today, then Britain would have two quarter-finalists for the first time since 2002 when Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski were plying their trade.

Edmund enjoyed the best win of his career, in terms of ranking, when he took out Frenchman Gilles Simon in three sets yesterday.