Lendl Moves Closer to Gaining U.S. Citizenship

Ivan Lendl, the world’s No. 1-ranked tennis player, won a major battle Thursday in his bid to become a United States citizen and play in the Olympic Games at Seoul, South Korea in September.

A House subcommittee voted to give the native of Czechoslovakia immediate U.S. citizenship, but the legislation still could face serious obstacles in the Senate, where Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary immigration subcommittee, is wary of Olympic exemptions.

Lendl would not be automatically eligible for the Olympic team even if Congress swiftly approves the measure. Ronald T. Rowan, general counsel of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said that under International Tennis Federation rules, a player must represent his country in the Davis Cup before playing in the Olympics.

But federation rules also say that Lendl needs a special waiver to play for the United States in the Davis Cup, since he previously represented his native Czechoslovakia.