No 2: Stefan Edberg
Guardian Unlimited
Thursday October 7, 1999
In its continuing study of the best Scandinavian nation in the world - Sweden, of course - Football Unlimited profiles the glittering career of tennis player Stefan Edberg.
1) Born to Bengt and Barbro Edberg on January 19, 1966, Edberg grows up in Vastervik - a coastal town with 330 miles of coastline, famous for its narrow-gauge railway.
2) He starts playing tennis at the age of seven, and his movement on the court catches the eye of trainer Sven Bergsten. In 1977 Stefan starts climbing up the ladder of success with his first title: the Donald Duck Cup.
3) In 1980 Edberg wins the European Youth Championships in both singles and doubles. He drops Bergsten and Percy Rosberg is appointed as his new coach. Rosberg advises Edberg to switch from a double to a single-handed backhand.
4) Edberg turns professional in 1983. He joins both the junior and the senior ATP tour. In his first season he wins the grand slam of junior titles and is considered the 53rd best player in the world.
5) His first senior title came in 1984 when he beat fellow Swede Mats Wilander in the final of the Milan Open. The next year he beat Wilander again to win the Australian Open in the Melbourne Kooyong stadium. The year after that he started to date Annette Olsen, Wilander's ex-girlfriend.
6) Edberg successfully defended his Australian title in 1987 (the tournament having been put back). The following year, Edberg won the singles title at Wimbledon, beating Boris Becker 3 sets to 1. "I'm the happiest man in the world," said Edberg, but a 'motivation gap' was soon to follow.
7) With his form at an all-time low, Edberg won nothing for 18 months. It all turned around when in 1990 he again beat Becker at Wimbledon, this time in five sets. This win, coupled with a 14-match unbeaten run, took Edberg to number one in the world.
8) Thanks to victory in the US Open, Edberg finished 1991 at the top as well. He regained the US title in 1992, but ended the year at number 2. His stature in world tennis was never to be the same again.
9) By this time, more important considerations had come to bear on Edberg. He married Annette Olsen on Easter Saturday 1992 (the marriage of the year in Sweden). The couple relocated to London and in 1993 Annette gave birth to their first child, a daughter Emilie Victoria. Stefan showed how his priorities had changed when he said "This is the most important moment of my life, even more important than winning my first Wimbledon title".
10) In 1996, at the age of 30, Edberg retired from professional tennis to live with his wife, daughter and young son Christopher. Jim Courier paid him this tribute: "Stefan Edberg is the perfect example of a champion. But people think he's boring. He is a great example of what we want for the next tennis generation."
Observer
Sunday July 11, 1999
...with a mixture of blond hair, blue eyes and natural athleticism, the Swedes are Europe's most beautiful people. If you remember, attention was always focused on 'the blond one' from Abba, not her darker Norwegian partner. Beautiful male Swedes include the 'broody' Stefan Edberg, the 'mysterious' Bjorn Borg and the 'talented' Ingmar Bergman. EY ...
With the world No. 1 Pete Sampras missing from the Australian Open which starts today, the battle is on for the coveted top spot in men's tennis. Stephen Bierley assesses the pretenders to the American's throne
Guardian
Monday January 18, 1999
... "Pat (Rafter) is perhaps the only natural serve and volleyer at present, but he isn't in the same league as Edberg. He doesn't move so well, he doesn't float and glide. But his two wins at the US Open were tremendous achievements," says Tony Pickard. ...
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Aftonbladet Sport, October 28, 2000
Det finns inget bättre än Sverige
Stefan Edberg om sitt nya liv, pengar och flytten hem De var inte ens födda när han tog sin första Wimbledon-titel.
Ändå vrålar tjejerna som på en pojkbandskonsert när Stefan Edberg besöker Utsäljeskolan i Huddinge.
– Det är kul att det fortfarande finns intresse, säger flickidolen själv.
De omkring 100 eleverna som samlats i gympasalen hänger på varandra och brottas för att få komma i närheten av stjärnan.
Föremål för hysterin: en 34-årig pensionär.
– Ja det är lite överraskande att de kommer ihåg mig. Men det börjar bli på gränsen, bland de allra yngsta är det nog inte lika många som vet vem jag är, säger Stefan Edberg.
Tredje året i Stockholms skolor
Det är tredje året i rad han åker runt i Stockholms skolor som en del i Stockholm Opens ungdomssatsning.
Eleverna får autografer, ställa frågor och några lyckliga får till och med slå några bollar mot honom på en mini-tennisplan.
– Jag tycker att det är en rolig grej, ett kul avbrott i vardagen, säger Stefan Edberg. En vardag som har blivit mer hektisk än vad han trodde när han slutade med proffstennis för fyra år sedan. Han är vice ordförande i Stockholm Opens tennisstyrelse, jobbar med fondförvaltning och sitter i styrelsen för företaget Catella Capitals, sköter Växjö tennis-center och har en egen stiftelse för utveckling av unga svenska tennisspelare.
– Jag har aldrig gillat att ta det lugnt, men på sistone har det blivit lite väl mycket. Det känns som att jag måste banta ner på uppdragen nu för att satsa på det som verkligen är viktigt.
Har återvänt till sina rötter
Det kanske ändå blir lite lugnare på den småländska landsbygden än vad det var i London.
I somras lämnade Stefan Edberg och familjen den engelska huvudstaden efter 16 år. Nu bor de i ett hus söder om Växjö.
– Det är väldigt skönt. Både jag och Anette kommer ju från Småland från början så det känns som att komma tillbaks till sina rötter. Dessutom ville vi att barnen skulle gå i svensk skola.
Och han är full av beundran för sitt nygamla hemland.
– Det finns inget bättre ställe. Det är någonting jag har kommit underfund med när jag rest runt. Många fattar nog inte hur bra vi har det här.
Stephan Mendel-Enk
Stefan Edberg var i går på besök i Huddinge för att göra reklam för tennisen. 100 ungdomar hängde runt den pensionerade tennisstjärnan, som numer bor i Växjö, efter 16 år i London.
Foto: TOMMY MARDELL
Namn: Stefan Edberg. Född: 19 januari 1966. Familj: Hustrun Anette, barnen Emilie, 7, och Christopher, 3,5. Bor: Växjö. Meriter: 41 titlar i singel – 18 i dubbel. Australian Open 1985 och 87, Wimbledon 88 och 90, US Open 91, 92. Vann Davis Cup 84, 85, 87 och 94. Världsetta 1990 och 91 (72 veckor). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edberg om...
...återväxten i svensk tennis
– God. Det är många talanger på gång, men som på 80-talet blir det inte inom de närmaste 100 åren.
...svenska skatter
– I högsta laget. Min filosofi är att man aldrig ska betala mer än 50 procent i skatt.
....Stockholm Open
– Det var en dröm att vara med. Mina första matcher där och de första segrarna har satt sig starkt i minnet.
...Växjö
– Min nya hemstad. Det är en växande stad, helt klart på väg åt rätt håll.
...proffstouren idag
– Det är en generationsväxling på gång. Det vore fantastiskt kul om Magnus Norman kan vara med och flytta ner Agassi och Sampras från tronen
....aktier och placeringar
– Ett stort intresse. Oundvikligt med de pengar man tjänar som tennisspelare
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Found another gold mine: Tennis Week online's archive. Below are excerpts from some of the articles I found there. Interesting juxtaposition of the two news items: McEnroe laid the guilt trip on Stefan for not helping out with the Senior Tour while Stefan chastised Hewitt for not doing his share for the ATP Tour - Men's tennis really is in sad shape :-(
- A little more about McEnroe goading Stefan for not joining the Senior
Tour
Senior Circuit Scales Back Schedule
John McEnroe By Richard Pagliaro
11/28/2001
... The top-ranked player on the senior circuit, McEnroe is considering cutting short his senior career if top players don't join the tour to challenge him for senior supremacy. Six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg remains the player McEnroe believes would be the most valuable addition to the tour. But while the stoic Swede continues to train, he has yet to join the senior circuit.
"If a guy chooses not play I can respect that," McEnroe said. "Lendl wanted to be on the celebrity golf tour or whatever. What I find strange is apparently Edberg plays on a regular basis. Apparently, he plays three to four days a week and it looks like he hasn't gained an ounce of weight. I played a few exhibitions with (him), I've talked to him a few times and I just suspected it was too close (to the end of his ATP career), but it's been like four years now."
The two-time Wimbledon winner splits time between Sweden and London where he occasionally trains with Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. Henman has said in the past that Edberg can still win practice sets against him. While he believes Edberg could help revive the tour, McEnroe is growing weary of waiting for him and warns if Edberg waits any longer the tour could be extinct by the time he decides to play.
"My understanding is that he was still training with Henman and Rusedski," McEnroe said. "The guy doesn't drink, he eats right and lives a clean life. There's no reason why he couldn't come back and be a force. I'd ask him and he'd say 'I'm not quite ready.' I don't know what he's thinking at this point, to be honest. Because there ain't gonna a tour if he keeps thinking this way." - I find the highlighted lines in this story amusing
Edberg Hammers Hewitt For Stockholm Withdrawal Lleyton Hewitt
By Richard Pagliaro 10/24/2001
Tennis' quiet champion made a very vocal statement today. Stefan Edberg, who is so highly respected as a sportsman the ATP named its sportsmanship award after him while he was still active, has blasted Lleyton Hewitt for withdrawing from the Stockholm Open. The top-seeded Hewitt withdrew yesterday — a day before his scheduled match — citing a back injury.
Edberg, who is a member of the tournament organizing committee, ripped the Australian, questioned the legitimacy of his injury and flatly stated there is "no way" Hewitt will ever be invited back to play.
"I think it stinks," Edberg said. "Injuries are always a sensitive subject, but there should be a limit to letting things like this happen. Players need to realize they are part of a chain. They've got to think 'maybe the event really needs me.' "
The U.S. Open champion, who has won more matches than any other player this year, is known for being one of the game's grittiest competitors. Hewitt, who rarely withdraws from events, was assessed a $50,000 fine for his late withdrawal.
In a statement released by his management company, a defiant Hewitt defended his decision to pull out.
"I've never begun a tournament that I didn't think I could finish just to receive a guarantee — and I'm not going to start now," Hewitt said. "I will get fined for pulling out this week, but I would rather pay it than be unprofessional and compete in a tournament when I'm not physically able to give it my all." Hearing the stoic Swede lash out at a player is like hearing Mr. Rogers rip into a kindergarten class in an Andrew Dice Clay-diatribe — utterly inconceivable. Edberg was not alone in criticizing the Australian. Tournament director Per Hjertqvist said Hewitt has hurt the tournament by pulling out on such short notice.
"This is going to hurt us, no doubt about it," Hjertqvist said. "We signed a binding agreement with Hewitt in November 2000. We've been telling our sponsors and our public ever since that he would be here. We're not accusing him of faking an injury. But it's damned sad."
Despite rumors during the Tennis Masters Series-Stuttgart event that Hewitt might pull out of Stockholm, tournament officials were reportedly reassured Hewitt would play and even offered to send a plane for Hewitt and his coach, Darren Cahill. According to tournament organizers, Hewitt officially withdrew 10 minutes before the plane sent to pick him up took off. Hewitt has been in Luxembourg to watch girlfriend Kim Clijsters play in a tournament.
"That was the most disturbing thing," said Hjertqvist. "He was telling that to other players in Stuttgart (that he wasn't planning to play). We were told last night at 6:30 by his agent that he was coming. We then heard in a telephone conversation this morning at 11 that he was not. I talked to both his agent Tom Ross in San Francisco and his coach Darren Cahill. The reason finally given was back problems." - Some players are not as fortunate ...
Bounced Czech: Former Pro Srejber Jailed
By Richard Pagliaro
09/28/2001
In the summer of 1986, former Czech standout Milan Srejber was in the select company of elite players including Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker as a U.S. Open quarterfinalist. Yesterday, Srejber learned he will join a far different crowd in the population of a Prague prison - Jennifer sent in this amusing reference to Edberg, which appeared in an
article entitled "Women are still underachievers in sport" By Sue Mott, filed
with the
Telegraph (British), 28/09/2001:
Aren't women just too nice to play decent, watchable sport? Mind you, they said that about Stefan Edberg, with his infinite courtesy and the kind of eyes that made Bambi famous, and he won Wimbledon twice.
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Discovered a newsgroup for Swedish Tennis on Yahoo today, and promply joined.
There's wonderful articles posted there. Below are some of the best:
- From: Marianne
Date: Thu Aug 24, 2000 2:21 pm
Subject: for Edberg fans
Hi everyone!
I just found an article on Stefan Edberg in a Swedish online newspaper and translated it (no I obviously don't have enough to do at work...) here goes: (to the Swedes on this list: hope I didn't make any blatant mistakes... don't hesitate to point them out if I did!)
----------------------------------------------------
Edberg moves home to Sweden
Tennis star Stefan Edberg has moved home. Despite the fact that he has to pay many more millions in tax in Sweden. "But 16 years abroad are enough" he says.
Expressen can confirm that Edberg exchanged the fashionable Kensington, London with cosy Grimsloev, south of Vaxjo. The Smalander has longed for home. "Both me and Annette have grown up here, and now it feels right to go back." The tennis star left Sweden already as an 18 year old, partly as a tax escape. But contrary to most others, he ignored Monte Carlo and chose London instead. "For a long time I travelled 35 weeks per year, I didn't have a real home then. But the last few years I have spent much time in London, it has really been home for me." The Edberg family has lived in a one-floor apartment with roof terrace in the borough Kensington.
Will you still have a place to live in London? "No, I don't think so." Stefan says that he has liked London a lot. "There is nothing wrong with London, but after 16 years it feels that I've had my dosis of the city." Now it'll be Smaland all year round. Daughter Emilie, 7 years, and son Christopher, 4 years soon, have already become members in the Alvesta tennis club.Work with tennis
Tennis is still a big part of Stefan Edberg's life. "I will work with tennis at home, partly with the Scania Stockholm Open, partly with Vaxjo tennis centre." As an active sportsman Edberg earned around 140 million kronor. Add to this that he earned at least as much in advertising.
You still choose to move home to Sweden and the high tax pressure here? "Yes, but that is a minor problem, money is quite far down on my list at the moment." Edberg has governed his income well after the tennis career.
Will you move some of your money to the Stockholm stock exchange? "We'll see" he says laughing. Edberg seems to feel really good. "It's nice to be home" says the 34 year old.
Picture shown with article attached (see above, right). - March 2, 2001
Latest Headlines
Edberg to open tennis centre
Sweden, March 1 – Two times Wimbledon champion busy in retirement
Former world no. 1 Stefan Edberg and Swedish Davis Cup captain Carl-Axel Hagesgog are hoping to open their training centre this year.
The centre is being built in Vaxjo, Sweden, where Edberg is now based, having sold his homes in London and Mougins, France. Edberg is thought to be keen for his two children, Emily and Christopher, to be educated in his home country.
Edberg, who retired from the ATP Tour in 1996, has also taken on the role of joint tournament director of the Stockholm ATP tournament and devotes much of his time to the Stefan Edberg Foundation, run by the Swedish Tennis Association for the benefit of young players in Sweden.
At 34, Edberg is still too young to play on the Seniors Tour, along with the likes of John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, but McEnroe is hopeful that once the popular Swede hits 35, he will join up. For more information on Stefan Edberg and other tennis legends, check out the tennis.net times past section - Marianne, July 2000
I just found this at the atptour web site, it's a part of a news article
from I think 2 weeks ago. Borg and Edberg visit Bastad
" Wideyes Swedish Open
Two former No. 1s have made appearances here in Bastad this week, Bjorn Borg and Stefan Edberg.
....
Stefan Edberg, who helped out at the Kids' Day, gave a press conference yesterday. "Magnus Gustafsson has been on my case about this Kids' Day, but that's not the only reason that I'm here. I also have some activities with my foundation. I have been spending time with sponsors and guests, watching tennis, playing golf. The Stefan Edberg Foundation started out with 2 million Swedish kronor and I believe we now have around 6 million. This year we're spending approximately 400,000 kronor on various projects", said Edberg. He also revealed that he stays in shape by playing tennis or squash two to three times a week, before rushing off to a board meeting. - Julie. July 2000
Edberg was on one of the late night shows on Eurosport! You know the show where they tell you what happened during the day! Well, it was during the 1st week and Edberg said that Kuerten was his favorite to win. He was only on the show for maybe 45 seconds but I was happy I got to see him! - Lesley, posted this tantalizing bit on the Swedish Tennis board of Yahoo
in June 2000:
Thought I'd give you the latest news I have about Stefan.
My sister was recently on business/vacation at a resort hotel in Key Biscayne and guess who was staying there with his family? Yep, Stefan and his family were vacationing in the Miami area. He was virtually unnoticed, except my sister recognized him immediately with only a glimpse of his ear as he walked by. Her fiancee spoke with him briefly, but it was clear that he just wanted to be left alone with his family.
He still looks great and is even thinner than when he competed. He didn't play any tennis while there, as far as we know, and spent quite a bit of time at the pool.
My sister called me from the hotel the day she first saw him and I couldn't believe her luck. I would have done anything to have that experience, but it wasn't meant to be, I guess.
She didn't even get a picture of/with him.
These opportunities only come along once, so I would have never let him go that easily, especially if I saw him every day for 5 days.
The very next week Stefan was at Roland Garros for the FO.
In a similar vein, I just read that Tony Pickard is coaching Marat Safin. Now if he can just give him Stefan's temperament and volleying skills, he'll be unbeatable!!!
Alas, there's only one Stefan and no one will ever duplicate him, not even a great mentor like Tony.
It will be interesting to see how that partnership works - Lesley, June 23, 2000
Yes, I was dying to see how the children looked. My sister said they are very cute, especially Kristopher (or is it Christopher?). Emilie was like a fish, loved the pool, and I think she's tall.
Of course, they are both blond as can be. Annette looks the same......and in very good shape after having 2 kids. (What else would you expect? Everyone in that family is perfect....damn it.)
My sister said it would have been easy to talk to them, especially Annette, if you were there with children. Then the kids could have played together and you'd have something in common as parents. I believe Stefan was speaking to Emilie in English (since they live and go to school in London, that's a necessity). I suppose they are bilingual. - September 1999
Then in end of august we saw that Stefan was going to play an exhibition in Bastad. So we went there and it was fun. Stefan meet L-A Whalgren (he was ranked top-60 in 1989) and almost qualified for Bastad this summer. Stefan played great tennis. We where surprised. I mean he quit the tour in 1996 and now 1999 he played cat and mouse with a guy who almost qualified for an ATP-tour event this year. We saw the backhand make winners. The serve and volley was there as it used to be. We both wondered why Stefan quit. He could have played 1997 and 1998. I'm pretty sure that he still could been top-50 in the world. Stefan was also joking a bit. Once a man screamed "Kom igen Stefan" then Stefan turned around and said "Hi! What's your name" to him. :) Well, Stefan has been in his summer house outside Alvesta from mid july-september. He is also pretty much involved in the Stockholm Open. We also saw Stefan in Düsseldorf during the WTC. There he was for Adidas signing autographs and he was interviewed. Besides that he is involved in stockmarkets. He still playes tennis at the Queens club three times/week. There he plays english juniors and sometimes Henman and Rusedski.>> - Jan 2000
Kristofer Björklund wrote:
Today was the big meeting of the old Swedish tennis stars. Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander and Bjorn Borg. They played in Stockolm tonight infront of the Swedish king and queen.
The winner was Stefan. He played great tennis and even Tony Picard was impressed. The players had their old coaches there to coach them during the matches. So Tony sat there with a smile on his face and enjoyed the lovley serve and volley game from Stefan. Stefan who has beaten Henman during practise last month and played even against Larsson. I could't not see any difference to the Stefan who lost to Kulti 1996 and the Stefan who played today. Same weight, Same volley, Same backhand, same everything. Tony Picard said "With a bit more training, then Stefan could be a top player on the ATP-tour" But Stefan dosen't have any comeback plans. He loves his life now and can spend a lot of time with his family. But it's sad. Because i miss Stefan's game on the tour. Now it's only powertennis that counts. It's not that fun to watch. Ok Rafter,Bjorkman and Henman play a bit like Stefan. But they dosen't have the feel that Stefan has in his racket. Stefan is Stefan.
Edberg beat Borg 4-1,4-1 and then he won the final against Wilander 4-1,4-2 and after the match Stefan recived the trophy from the hands of the swedish king. A great end to a great night of tennis.
Here are some links to reports of the match:
here, here, here, and here
- Jan 2000, Kristofer:
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Bjorn Borg, the biggest winner in Swedish tennis history, was a double loser in his farewell matches in his native Stockholm on Thursday night.
Borg is retiring from the Senior Tour after this year, but he had so much fun playing Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg that he didn't rule out another similar exhibition in the future.
``It was wonderful to feel the crowd's appreciation,'' said Borg, who received the longest standing ovation during the opening ceremony from the standing-room-only crowd of 3,500 that included King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Princess Lilian and scores of Swedish celebrities.
``I'm quitting the Senior Tour after this season, but I wouldn't mind playing an event like this again,'' Borg said. ``I enjoyed every minute of it very much.''
During Borg's heydays, his strong legs and stamina carried him to six French Open titles, the toughest endurance test in tennis. But at age 43, the man who also captured an unprecedented five straight Wimbledon titles, had no chance against his younger compatriots.
Wilander, 35, beat Borg 4-2, 2-4, 4-1 in the opening match of the round-robin series that lasted 50 minutes. Against 33-year-old ``youngster'' Edberg, Borg went down even faster, losing 4-1, 4-1.
To speed up play, a maximum of eight games were played in each set, with a tiebreak had there been a 4-4 score. The new format has been launched as an experiment by the men's ATP Tour.
Borg lost, but he received the biggest ovations from the crowd after some superb rallies, several of them ending with a dazzling drop volley. The volley was the shot they said he didn't master after his initial clay-court triumphs. He worked on that stroke and went on to win five consecutive Wimbledon titles, a feat that ranks as one of the greatest in tennis, if not all sports.
Borg, arguably Sweden's top athlete ever, also helped Sweden win its first Davis Cup title in 1975. His accomplishments helped trigger a tennis boom that later produced stars like Edberg and Wilander and made Sweden the dominating Davis Cup force in the last two decades of the 20th century.
Borg's 11 Grand Slam tournament singles titles ranks third behind Roy Emerson and Pete Sampras. Combined, Borg, Edberg and Wilander won 24 Slam tournament crowns. Wilander won seven, including three legs of the Slam in 1988. Edberg won six majors, including two at Wimbledon.
Borg had played both Edberg and Wilander in tournaments before, but this was the first time the great Swedish tennis triumvirate met together.
``I've never experienced a more nostalgic evening,'' said Wilander. ``I was more nervous than usual. But if you're not nervous on a night like this, it's time to quit.''
Edberg, who retired in 1996 after an early exit in the Stockholm Open, agreed.
``The atmosphere was fantastic,'' said Edberg, who won the tournament by beating Wilander 4-1, 4-2 in the last match. ``If I don't shift to the highest gear from the start, he'll win. So I gave 100 percent.
``I was nervous before this evening. I haven't played since 1996. It was just an incredible feeling to be on the same court as Bjorn Borg.''
Borg, Edberg and Wilander brought their former coaches -- Lennart Bergelin, Tony Pickard and John-Anders Sjogren, respectively -- for the matches.
``We spent 11 or 12 years together,'' Bergelin, who was one of Sweden's top players in the 1950s, said of Borg. ``It was a great time.''