MEMORABLE BATTLES
For the British crowd, Edberg's reappearance was long overdue. They took the Swede to their hearts after his memorable battles with Becker in three consecutive Wimbledon finals, winning the title in 1988 and 1990.
"This is big for me but it's nice because it's London and the Albert Hall has a fantastic atmosphere...it's one of the best places to come to," Edberg said before stepping on court.
"It will give me a little bit of a taste (of the seniors tour) but whether that would sway me, probably not," he added shaking his head and smiling.
Once the former London resident stepped on court, it was hard to believe he had not played in Britain since his second-round Wimbledon exit in 1996.
Having enjoyed a number of concerts at the Albert Hall during his decade-long stay in the English capital, Edberg showed his classic serve and volley game was still perfectly in tune as he beat Bjorkman 6-4 3-6 10-8 (champions tiebreak) in a highly entertaining match.
Looking as fit and lean as he did during his reign as world number one, Edberg rolled back the years to defeat Bjorkman, who still plays on the main tour.
Edberg, who also showed his backhand was still on song, poured cold water on the myth that "Swedes do not have a sense of humor" by sharing several on-court gags with his fellow countryman.
To the delight of the fans, Edberg mimicked the service action of McEnroe and then set the pulse of a lineswoman racing when he ended up on her lap after fruitlessly chasing a Bjorkman winner.
Despite his obvious appeal on the circuit, Edberg said he was not about to give up his laid-back lifestyle.
"It's been pretty quiet for me for the last six years. I still do some work with tennis back home but I'm quite happy leading the quiet life," said Edberg, who now runs a low-key academy back in Sweden.

The only thing about Stefan Edberg that was ever high-profile was his sumptuous tennis. The court was the only place where he did not blend into the background as if camouflaged. During the many years he lived in Kensington, as a Wimbledon champion and world No 1, Edberg would stroll to Queen's Club to practise between tournaments, not exactly unnoticed but never pestered.
At 36, Edberg is even more selective about where and when he plays. His preference is a "small little court" near his home in Grimslov, Sweden, where he can play for an hour-and-a-half with one of the teenagers from his tennis foundation.
Returning to London this week for an exhibition match in aid of Tim Henman's charity, Kids at Heart, Edberg enjoyed meeting old friends such as his former coach Tony Pickard, from Nottingham, and was happy to treat spectators at the Royal Albert Hall to a sample of his elegant serve-volley style.
At one point Edberg imitated several of John McEnroe's idiosyncrasies, but he did not go too far along that route. His opponent, Jonas Bjorkman, a fellow Swede, is the ATP's master mimic, just as Mansour Bahrami is the trick-cyclist of the Delta Tour of Champions (the 46-year-old Iranian leapt over the net and returned one of his own shots when playing doubles here yesterday).
Edberg drew the line, however, when McEnroe tried to recruit him to the senior tour, explaining politely that he understood why younger former players were needed, but was not inclined to be one of them. They had had the same conversation before.
"It was nice to play in this lovely arena again," Edberg said, "but coming here is too much like the old days. I'm still involved in tennis, but it's more at grassroots now." That, he added, is a big enough challenge now Swedish tennis is in decline after the astonishing era of Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Edberg, even though Thomas Johansson won the Australian Open this year.
"Time has changed, and it's difficult getting hold of talent," Edberg said. "Other countries now have the equipment and the hunger. Tennis in Sweden has fallen back, and other sports are bigger there now."
Petr Korda, who won the Australian Open in 1998 with Pickard giving tactical tips on the telephone, joined Edberg and the coach for a brief reunion on Thursday evening. Yesterday the Czech secured his place in the Honda Challenge semi-finals by defeating Australia's Pat Cash, 7-6, 6-3. "Petr hits the ball harder than any other player out there," Cash said.
"I never won a tournament in England," the 34-year-old Korda reminded us. "It would be great to win here at the Royal Albert Hall. You can't compare this court to any other indoor court in the world. I call it 'Little Wimbledon'. I need to enjoy myself when I play. I play tennis from the heart." Korda advanced to the Honda Challenge final last year and was defeated by Guy Forget, of France. Henri Leconte, another crowd-pleaser, joins Korda in the semi-finals. The Frenchman beat Mikael Pernfors, of Sweden, 6-3, 6-2, following on from his opening day win over John McEnroe.
HONDA CHALLENGE (Royal Albert Hall, London) Round-robin: J McEnroe (US) bt M Pernfors (Swe) 6-1 6-0; P Korda (Cz Rep) bt P Cash (Aus) 7-6 6-3; H Leconte (Fr) bt M Pernfors (Swe) 6-3 6-2. Exhibition match: S Edberg (Swe) bt J Bjorkman (Swe) 6-4 3-6 10-8.

Bjorkman was outwitted by Edberg The second set was a closer affair, but at 3-3 Edberg produced a stunning winning backhand down the line.
This was swiftly followed by a delightful backhand volley.
The shot, the like of which we so rarely see from today's players, was carefully disguised with backspin to totally outwit his opponent and he looked to be on his way to a straight-sets victory.
However, it was Bjorkman who fought back to come out on top in the set and the crowd were treated to a Champions tie-breaker to decide the winner.
After a series of glorious rallies it was Bjorkman who led and looked like spoiling the party.
But a spirited Edberg fought back, and to the delight of a packed Albert Hall, took the tie-breaker 10-8 to seal victory.
The match was played in a good spirit, with plenty of fun and jokes from both players, but when it mattered most the competitive edge was still there.
Edberg showed that he could still teach today's professionals a thing or two and after four years in retirement and with six Grand Slam titles under his belt, it was clear that his popularity has not dwindled.
Perhaps the affection in which he is still held by the public will convince him to join the senior's tour very soon. McEnroe and co had better watch out.