Ivan Lendl, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has added another distinction to his record: priciest home sale in the history of Litchfield County.
The legendary athlete sold his 445-acre estate at 400 5 ½ Mile Road in Cornwall, Connecticut, for $12 million, Mansion Global reported. Last week’s deal narrowly surpassed an $11.5 million deal to become the most expensive in county history.
While the sale was a victory for Lendl, who won eight major titles from 1984 to 1990, it took quite a bit longer than a fortnight. The property had been on and off the market since he listed it eight years ago for $19.8 million. Lendl lowered the price to $16.4 million in March 2021 and most recently to $15 million.
The former world No. 1 purchased the enormous estate in the 1980s for $4.2 million.
The vast plot of land has an 18,000-square-foot mansion roughly two hours from New York City and Boston. The home has 10 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, a gym, a locker room, an outdoor granite pool, a fishing pond, a barn and, of course, a tennis court.
Architect Allan Greenberg designed the three-story home for Lendl and his wife, Samantha. Before then, the couple lived in a seven-bedroom mansion in Greenwich, which they sold in 2020 for $5.2 million. The couple had been using the Cornwall estate as a summer-fall house, going back and forth from Florida.
The buyer of Lendl’s massive estate could not immediately be discerned. Elyse Harney Real Estate’s Elyse Harney Morris and Bill Melnick had the listing. William Raveis’ Kiara Rusconi represented the buyer.
Lendl earned more than $21 million in prize money during his playing career, winning the Australian Open twice, the French Open three times and the U.S. Open from 1985 to 1987. The Czech native was also a two-time Wimbledon finalist. In retirement, Lendl has coached the likes of tennis superstars Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev.
— Holden Walter-Warner