Edberg at the 1996 US Open
Stefan Edberg (born January 19 1966) is a professional tennis player from Vastervik , Sweden. He was ranked the World No. 1 player in Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings for 72 weeks between 1990 and 1992. He won six Grand Slam singles titles.
Edberg's first two Grand Slam titles came at the Australian Open. In 1985, he defated Mats Wilander in straight sets to claim his first major title. Two years later, in 1987 he beat Pat Cash in a memorable five-set final to win the last Australian Open to be held on grass courts. Edberg also won the Australian Open and US Open men's doubles titles in 1997, playing with Anders Jarryd .
In 1988, Edberg reached the first of three consecutive finals at Wimbledon. In all three finals he played against Boris Becker in what is remembered as one of Wimbledon's great rivalries. Edberg won their first encounter in a four-set match spread over three days because of rain delays. A year later, in 1989, Becker won in straight set. The best of their matches came in the 1990 final, when Edberg won an epic five-set encounter. Edberg claimed the World No. 1 ranking in August 1990. He held it for the rest of of that year, and for much of 1991 and 1992.
Edberg's final two Grand Slam singles triumphs came at the US Open, with wins over Jim Courier in 1991 final, and Pete Sampras in the 1992 final.
In 1996, Edberg won his third Grand Slam doubles title at Australian Open with Petr Korda.
The only Grand Slam singles title Edberg never won was the French Open. He reached the French Open final in 1989, but lost in five sets to Michael Chang in a match best remembered for making the 17-year old Chang the youngest ever male winner of a Grand Slam singles title. Generally Edberg was most comfortable playing tennis on fast-playing surfaces. Of his six Grand Slam singles titles, four were won on grass courts at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and two were won on hard courts at the US Open.
Edberg also played on four Swedish Davis Cup winning teams in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1994. He appeared in seven Davis Cup finals - a record for a Swedish player.
Edberg also represented Sweden at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Tennis was then a demonstration sport, and Edberg won the men's singles Gold. Four years later tennis became a full medal sport at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, where Edberg won Bronze Medals in both the men's singles and the men's doubles.
Edberg won a total 41 top-level career singles titles and 18 doubles titles, and appeared in a record 54 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments. In 1993, he became the first player to finish nine consecutive years ranked among the world's top five players. Edberg was also a five-time recipient of the ATP's Sportsmanship Award (1988-90, 92 and 95). In recognition of this achievement, the ATP renamed the award the "Edberg Sportsmanship Award" in 1996. In 2004, Edberg was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
See also:
Grand Slam finals
Wins (6)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1985 Australian Open Mats Wilander 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
1987 Australian Open Pat Cash 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3
1988 Wimbledon Boris Becker 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2
1990 Wimbledon Boris Becker 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4
1991 U.S. Open Jim Courier 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
1992 U.S. Open Pete Sampras 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2
Runner-ups (5)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1989 French Open Michael Chang 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
1989 Wimbledon Boris Becker 6-0, 7-6, 6-4
1990 Australian Open Ivan Lendl 4-6, 7-6, 5-2 (retired)
1992 Australian Open Jim Courier 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
1993 Australian Open Jim Courier 6-2, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5
External links
Last updated: 08-23-2005 17:06:45
