Sir, I would like to add a personal reminiscence on the career of Stefan Edberg, who retired from tennis at the end of last month.

I first watched him play during the junior event at Wimbledon in 1983 and was immediately amazed that a Swedish player actually enjoyed and thrived on playing serve-and-volley tennis. Although his demeanour typified national traits then exhibited by Wilander and Nystrom, his attacking game was an even greater contrast. Here was a future world No 1.

The emergence of Boris Becker removed potential focus from Edberg and enabled him and Tony Pickard to concentrate on the natural improvement required in his game. There were some early carps about his apparent lack of personality and defeatist countenance, but the cognoscenti knew better. By his first Wimbledon win, in 1988, Edberg had become the greatest reflex volleyer the game will likely see. In spite of Becker's hard hit service returns in the final, he was able to put the majority of them away with volleys hit at acute angles using the return's pace.

It appears contradictory that a man who played such a physically demanding (though graceful) game should also display the sportsmanship that is now a matter of legend. Yet this is the very attribute that certain tennis followers most appreciate about him, as it portrayed a socially acceptable example to future players, in a period when tennis players remain over-compensated and are sometimes criticised for not always showing their teeth.

Unfortunate injuries probably cost Edberg the Australian Open singles title in 1989 and 1990. However, his five-set loss from two sets to one up against Chang in the 1989 French Open final represents the closest a male player has come to winning all four grand-slam championships since Rod Laver's success.

The game would have significantly benefited from Edberg converting two of the ten break-points he held on Chang's service in the fourth set. History would then have recorded that the most complete player of the decade was also the most unassuming.

Yours sincerely,
HUW REES,