Stefan Edberg is a throwback to the great Australian and American serve-and-volleyers of the 1950s and '60s. His game has developed differently from the rest of his countrymen and most European players. An all-court, all-out attacker, he is one of a handful of players who has a chance to become the world's No. 1 player. Tall and lanky, quick and strong, Edberg is a perfect tennis athlete. But can a great player have a weakness and still become No. 1?
STROKE ANALYSIS
FOREHAND-The "book" on Edberg is that his forehand is his weakest shot. The problem is his grip and how far away from his body he hits the ball. Great forehands are usually hit with a semi-Western grip, relatively close to and in front of the body. Edberg's grip is a hybrid between Continental and Eastern. His grip inhibits him from naturally bending his elbow at contact point. (This technique normally provides support to most Eastern and semi-Western forehands.) Edberg's hand and wrist support most of the shot, causing him to hit the ball further away from his body with a straighter arm and medium contact point. Consequently, he doesn't control his forehand as well as players who use a semi-Western grip. It is not as "heavy" a shot as Boris Becker's, Ivan Lendl's, or other great forehand players. He hits crosscourt better than down-the-line. The shot is deceptive because he can hit winners, but it is not as steady as other forehands, nor is it as steady as the rest of his game.
BACKHAND-The best one-handed backhand in the sport. His slice is perhaps the most penetrating of all slices. He virtually swoops in on the ball, leaning into his shots in a classic sideways position. His finish on both the drive and slice are disciplined. His backswing is early and precise, with great depth, control and pace on the slice. His topspin backhand is a flatter drive but also an excellent shot.
SERVE-one of the most unusual deliveries in the sport. The ball toss is thrown markedly to the left-center of his head, rather than to the right. He arches his back and comes over the top of the ball, imparting topspin on both first and second serves, the latter more severely. The enormous kick he gets on his second serve makes it one of the three or four best. He has a hitch in his backswing: He virtually stops mid- way, his racket head pointing toward the ground. But his excellent wrist allows him to complete his backswing, getting his racket head into the back-scratch position. For the average club player, it is best not to imitate this motion because the ball toss can strain the back and the backswing is not a continuous motion.
The tremendous kick Edberg gets on his second serve allows him to move to the net quickly. Although Edberg's second serve is one of the best in the game, players like Becker can still take this shot on the rise and put great pressure on Edberg's first volley. John McEnroe and Miloslav Mecir can half-volley Edberg's second serve, keeping him in the backcourt. If he added a low-slicing second serve to his repertoire, he would have an excellent defense against those who attack his second serve by hitting it on the rise.
APPROACH GAME-Slices most of his approach shots. The backhand slice approach is the sport's best - deep, penetrating and powerful. His forehand approach is not as strong as his backhand, but he controls it well, hitting deep with a firm wrist on slice and drive.
VOLLEYS-The first great volleyer to come out of Europe in 20 years, Edberg is second only to McEnroe as a volleyer. The backhand volley is awesome, like Ken Rosewall's, with excellent pace, control, depth, touch - everything. It is hit with a locked wrist, high racket head, punched with subtle slice well in front, a classic. His forehand volley is not as strong. He hits the forehand volley in a medium contact point zone, giving him disguise. His first forehand volley, crosscourt and crosscourt soft angle are classics, hit with excellent control, penetration, power and depth. He pulverizes high balls off both sides. His touch, angle and drop volleys are masterful. His rush to the net behind first serve is decent, but not as fast as McEnroe's or Becker's. His footwork could be improved, especially on his second serve, when he rushes. Sometimes his ball toss is thrown so far to the left that his balance is poor, making his first step toward the net a bit awkward.
PASSING SHOTS-The backhand passing shot is stronger than the forehand. He hits great slice-angled passes on the backhand, drives well, and has excellent touch passes. Because his backhand is so formidable, he can drive the ball if it is a sitter. When in a defensive position, he uses his slice angles and slice lobs to great advantage. His strength on the forehand pass is crosscourt-angled, but it is more hit-or-miss than steady.
RETURN OF SERVE-One of the premier shots, taken on the rise, moving, and leaning well into the court. He can go either way, cross-court or down the line. He has excellent change of pace and hits angled dinks to disrupt opponents' momentum. His is a thinking player's return with depth, variety and touch. His forehand return is weaker than his backhand. However, he takes chances with the forehand and hits winners when he "goes for it."
TOUCH SHOTS-His lobs, drop shots, angles and variety shots are better on the backhand than forehand side. The slice backhand gives him tremendous variety.