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mats wilander media conference call
for upcoming SUCCESS Magazine Champions
May 1, 2001 1:00 p.m. MT
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D. McKibben: Pretty good, LA Times. You’ve been on this tour a couple of years now I think. I’m just wondering what your impressions were of the tour and what you think maybe can be done to generate more interest in the tour, or improve it.
M. Wilander: Well I think, improving it, I think its changing a little bit already, we’ve got a couple of new guys in there, like Pat Cash and a few other guys. So I think it would be nice to have maybe a Stefan Edberg to play a few events, and possibly a Boris Becker or somebody. That’s the only way you can generate more interest in a way I think. Are you still there?
Q: How come we haven't heard anything from Stefan Edberg since he retired? Where has he been? Also, do you agree that he was the best serve-and-volleyer the game has seen, or does that crown go to Pete Sampras? —Rahim Bhayani, Wooster, Ohio
A: When Edberg retired, he warned us that he was going to fade into oblivion, that we weren't going to see him trolling for glory on the Legends circuit or providing color (there's a Swedish joke in here somewhere) commentary on television. Last I heard he was sponsoring a training center for Swedish tennis prospects. But I also heard he still has a flat in London. So, in other words, he's making good on his promise. And, yes, even though Sampras has won more Wimbledon titles, I'd say Edberg is the best serve-and-volleyer of all time.
Q: ... are there any great young serve-and-volley players, à la Stefan Edberg, on the horizon? —Khari Williams, Kingston, Jamaica
A: For the most part, serve-and-volleying has gone by way of white tennis balls. I haven't seen anyone approaching Edberg's game -- here's a guy so faithfully wedded to serve-and-volleying that he would do it on second serves on clay -- but there are a few players like Rafter and Henman who will acquit themselves well given the right surface.
Edberg says no way as Swedes wrap up tie
23jul00
BAASTAD: Former great Stefan Edberg says he's not interested in the job as coach of the Swedish Davis Cup team– at least for the time being.
Edberg, 34, who retired four years ago. said Swedish tennis was doing fine without him.
"If they asked me today," the answer would be no," said the six-time grand slam champion.
"Of course that could change in five years – but it's what I said five years ago."
The Swedes took an unassailable 3-0 lead over India in their World Group playoff here overnight, winning the doubles match despite dropping two sets in the face of a strong challenge from India.
After the singles, Sweden led 2-0, but Mahesh Bhupathi and Syed Fazzaluddin quickly put the heat on Nicklas Kulti and Mikael Tillstrom, breaking Kulti's serve at critical moments in both the second and third sets.
After winning the first set 6-3, Sweden dropped the following two sets (3-6, 4-6) before rallying to take the final two sets (6-3, 6-3) from India.
Neither Bhupathi nor Fazzaluddin took part in the first day's play. Bhupathi played despite carrying some minor injuries that may have affected his stamina.
In St Gallen, Switzerland, Roger Federer and Lorenzo Manta have given the home side a 3-0 lead over Belarus in their World Group qualifying round match.
After dropping the opening set to Wimbledon semi-finalist Vladimir Voltchkov and Max Mirnyi, Federer and Manta battled back to 2-6 7-6 7-5 7-6, sending Switzerland back into the World Group.
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MORNING SESSIONS:
Relationship between Sports & Business
09:00-10:00 The Athletes' view
The key players are athletes.
Are they provided with the tools to cope with both stardom
and failure? Present Versus Past
Moderator: Mr. Willie Banks Former World Record Holder Triple Jump
Mr. Pat Cash, Tennis Champion
Mr. Stefan Edberg, Tennis Champion
Mr. Johann-Olav, Koss Olympic Gold Medallist, IOC Member & Member
of the IOC Doping Commission
Mrs. Greta Waitz, Olympic Champion
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BORG, WILANDER AND Edberg - AN HISTORICAL MEETING
The Stockholm International Fairs centre was inaugurated on 13 January with new facades, a new entry hall and a completely new 14,000 m2 exhibition hall. The Stockholm International Fairs centre was filled with nostalgia during the inauguration when three Swedish tennis masters met in the new hall. Björn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg played in a not only nostalgic, but also an historic tournament since it was the first time the three players had met in the same tournament.
"We want to emphasise in particular the unique possibilities the centre offers as a meeting place. Getting three of the most famous Swedes of the 20th century here is quite a way to kick off the 21st century!" says Tom Beyer, Managing Director of Stockholm International Fairs AB. Stefan Edberg won both of his matches quite easily whilst Wilander needed an extra set to beat Borg. The three matches were broadcast live on the Nordic TV channel, TV3.
(January 17, 2000 7:38 p.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com)
SWEDISH DELIGHT
Sweden's three greatest players took to the court in Stockholm before a packed crowd and live television audience. Bjorn Borg, the biggest winner in Swedish tennis history, was a double loser in his farewell matches. But Borg, who is retiring from the Senior Tour after this year, had so much fun playing Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg that he didn't rule out another similar exhibition in the future. The crowd of 3,500 included King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Princess Lilian and scores of Swedish celebrities.
"It was just an incredible feeling to be on the same court as Bjorn Borg." - Stefan Edberg.
- From: "Mattias Ohlson"
Subject: Borg vs Wilander vs Edberg, the champions all played eachother in rr
Date: 2000/01/14
Newsgroups: rec.sport.tennis
Hello fellow tennis fans
I think of it as my duty to inform of the event held in Stockholm , Sweden yesterday. The great champions that hold 24 GS together all played in a round robbin format to decide who is / was the best ?
The first match up Borg vs Wilander Wilander took the first 4-2 but Borg came back strong in the second "set" which he won 4-2. In the final set Wilander was the stronger player much because Borg played with too many mistakes, a loss of concentration ? Wilander stayed back and Borg was the one playing aggressivly and displayed some beautiful ball sense at the net.
Next match up Edberg vs Borg
Edberg who has not played match tennis for a couple of years now ,would he be able to beat Borg and Wilander who both play on the senior tour with some regularity.Against Borg Edberg was the better player taking the match 4-1, 4-1 , but Edberg made some simple misstakes and had trouble with his toss up before serving although he had 70 % first serves in. Borg flased with some beutiful passes as well as net play. Now it was time for the final Wilander vs Edberg
I have always been a fan of Stefan so I was hoping for Edberg to be the winner. Wilander started serving and began with a double fault. Edberg then won that game without playing that well. Edberg then served OK but the speed seemed a bit slow, but the volley was still there as if he had not done anything else for the last couple of years. Edberg won the first "set" 4-1. At the end of the first set Tony Picard talked to Stefan at the change over. After that Edberg steamrolled Wilander at the end of set one and until 2-0 in the second set. Edberg was still playing well but missed one shot or so and Wilander started the come back. He broke Edbergs serve and then played home his own game. At 2-2 Wilander tried to challenge Eberg when serving but this time he was not really close. The next game at 3-2 in Edbergs favour turned at to be the final game of the match. Wilander served and both players were intent on winning. Both players made some good shots. In the end Edberg won the game on his second breakpoint. A champion of champions had been decided.
The night was a celebration of what has been in swedish tennis since the first coming of Borg back in the seventies. Many of the Davis Cup captains of the past were there, swedish celebrities, other good players such as Anders Jarryd and Mikael Pernfors. It was of course exhibition play of some sort, the more serious sort. None of the players wanted to lose. It was exhibition in the sense that all players tried to go for some difficult good looking shots instead of the simple winner. It was nice to watch, I saw it on television. we all got to se some of the their magic from the past in the present. I just wanted to let you know of this event.
Issue #47 30 November 1998
Davis Cup Centenary
Davis Cup Centenary ambassadors Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Nicola Pietrangeli will be at the launch of the Davis Cup Centenary celebrations to be held at the 1998 Davis Cup Final in Milan this weekend. The ambassadors will act as spokespersons for the competition throughout the one hundredth year of the competition, focusing on the tradition, passion, patriotism and personalities of the game, and will attend some of the planned events.
The year-long centenary programme is aiming to:
Raise the profile of the Davis Cup, and tennis in general, on the world sports’ stage Underline key messages about the competition - sporting heritage, international reach, and its role in developing the world game Generate long-term commercial interest in the Davis Cup through sponsorship, television and merchandising. Vijay Amritraj, Yannick Noah, John Newcombe and Stan Smith have also accepted the invitation to be Davis Cup ambassadors.
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SWEDISH - AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURIAL DAYS
Saturday August 18
All Day: Karl Oscar Dagarna
Morning: Tennis Tournament with
Stefan Edberg, Wilhelm Wachtmeister
Afternoon: SACC USA Golf Open organized by Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce USA
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Sweden's victory signals return of Davis Cup power
Click here for more on this story
Posted: Sunday April 08, 2001 12:29 PM
Updated: Sunday April 08, 2001 1:32 PM
MALMO, Sweden (AP) -- Sweden completed a 4-1 victory over Russia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, the teams splitting the last meaningless singles shortened to best-of-3 sets.
Reserve Andrei Stoliarov, replacing Yevgeny Kafelnikov, avoided a shutout for the Russians as he beat Magnus Norman 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the first reverse singles.
Thomas Johansson then defeated Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, completing a perfect Davis Cup weekend.
Johansson put the Swedes ahead in Friday's opening singles, outlasting Kafelnikov in a five-set match for his seventh consecutive win over the former two-time Grand Slam champion.
The most successful Davis Cup nation in the past two decades, Sweden will travel abroad to face Australia in the semifinals Sept. 21-23.
In Saturday's doubles on the Baltic Hall's hardcourt surface here, Davis Cup rookie Simon Aspelin and Jonas Bjorkman clinched Sweden's semifinal berth with a five-set win over Kafelnikov and Andrei Olhovski.
Bjorkman, who switched to the forehand side when receiving for the first time since 1997, now has an 18-2 record in Davis Cup doubles.
It was Sweden's fourth win in as many Davis Cup ties against Russia.
Sweden won the first in 1975 -- when the great Bjorn Borg was on the team that eventually won the final in Stockholm's Royal Tennis Hall -- and another early-round tie in the Sweedish capital in 1982 and the 1994 final in Moscow.
Sweden dominated the Davis Cup in the past two decades with stars like Stefan Edberg -- who watched the weekend tie against Russia -- Mats Wilander, Anders Jarryd, Thomas Enqvist and Bjorkman, but dropped out of the World Group last year for the first time ever.
Since 1981, Sweden won the prestigious tournament six times, made five finals and four semifinals. Sweden won back-to-back titles 1997-98.
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Scania has become the first title sponsor of the Stockholm Open since the event was inaugurated in 1969.
The move will also give the tournament - now known as the Scania Stockholm Open (SSO) - greater prestige and drawing power compared with other events on the ATP tour.
“The Scania Stockholm Open will be a genuinely top-class event," believes Stefan Edberg, vice-chairman of the tournament committee.
Scania's involvement in this prestigious tournament is a move to reinforce its brand image in an increasingly tough and competitive global marketplace.
The company's drive to promote awareness of its brand name and products has been intensified since last year, when Scania once again became an independent company and was launched on the Stockholm and New York stock exchanges.
The Scania Stockholm Open represents much of what the company stands for. Like Scania, the tournament has a long tradition and is widely known around the world, while the growing international popularity of tennis is also in line with the company's representation on the world market.
“This is part of our ongoing profiling and marketing programmes. The Scania Stockholm Open will provide us with a channel for publicising our name worldwide," comments Lars Christiansson, Scania's Senior Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs.
The agreement, which will run for three years, will also provide the organisers with the resources needed to meet international competition from other events on the ATP tour. SSO President Johan Flink anticipates a significant growth in returns:
“We are naturally very proud of our deal with Scania. The agreement will enable us to strengthen our international competitiveness relative to other ATP tournaments. And it will give the SSO the financial strength which it will need to maintain its high standards into the next century."
Stefan Edberg also sees mutual benefits in the new arrangement:
“Scania's decision to become title sponsor is an extremely positive move, both for the tournament itself and for Swedish tennis as a whole. And I've no doubt that it's good for Scania too! Tennis is a popular sport which has a wide appeal and attracts global exposure, and the Scania Stockholm Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. The fact that it is also one of the biggest annual sporting events in Sweden makes it especially attractive," he says.
Borg och Edberg i Båstad
För några dagar sedan dök den störste inom svensk tennis - Björn Borg - upp i Båstad för att medverka vid invigningsceremonin. Under inledningen av veckan har turneringen även den äran att gästas av Stefan Edberg som anlänt för att hjälpa till med olika former av jippon. Stefan berättade glatt att de fonder han startade i en stiftelse för svensk tennis för några år sedan växt från två miljoner kronor till sex miljoner. Pengar som gjort mycket stor nytta för Svenska Tennisförbundets verksamhet.
1997 The Associated Press
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (September 4, 1997 6:45 p.m. EDT) -- If some of history's greatest Olympians had their say, Stockholm would get the 2004 Summer Games.
Unfortunately for the Swedish capital, athletes don't vote. Members of the International Olympic Committee do.
Stockholm has a solid bid, but a lack of public support and a series of recent bomb attacks against sports facilities could doom the city's chances of getting the games it held once before in 1912.
The Swedes' lukewarm response to hosting the games is seen as a major impediment, although opposition dropped to 28 percent in the most recent poll, compared with 41 percent in May.
But the bid also has been overshadowed by a spate of attacks and threats that police believe may be connected to opposition to Stockholm's candidacy.
In Stockholm on Aug. 8, a bomb wrecked a small section of the city's old Olympic stadium. Last week, a powerful bomb rocked the New Ullevi Stadium in the western Swedish city of Goteborg, where Olympic soccer games would be staged.
International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch and other members have suggested the IOC could rally around Stockholm to defy the extremists, and the violence doesn't seem to have deterred athletes from endorsing Swedish bid.
"I know that Stockholm will organize a great Olympics," says Carl Lewis, the nine-tme Olympic track champion, who first competed here in 1980 at age 19.
Lewis says he supports Stockholm not only because of its facilities plan but because of the fans' knowledge and warmth.
"My second meet in Europe 17 years ago was in Stockholm and I remember how nice people were," he recalls. "We can have the big cities and the huge stadiums and all this stuff going on all we want to, but if the people are not friendly ... then it doesn't fly."
Former Swedish tennis star Stefan Edberg and former world triple jump record-holder Willie Banks of the United States are co-chairmen of the city's International Athletes Council, to which Lewis also belongs.
Other council members include pole vaulter Sergei Bubka of Ukraine, swimmer Mark Spitz, world sprint champions Maurice Greene of the United States and Ato Boldon of Trinidad, and former soccer great Ferenc Puskas of Hungary.
Virtually every top Swedish athlete supports the bid, among them former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson, tennis great Bjorn Borg and skiers Pernilla Wiberg and Ingemar Stenmark.
Another strength in Stockholm's bid is the strong Swedish commitment to the Olympic movement. Sweden's Victor Balck helped found the IOC in 1894; Sweden has participated in all Olympics but one (St. Louis in 1904) and ranks second in the world in Olympic medals won per capita.
Many Olympic historians believe that the success of the 1912 Stockholm Games enabled the Olympics to survive World War I.
And Sweden's Sigfrid Edstrom, who served as IOC president for six years from 1946, helped guide the Olympic movement through the tumult of World War II and played a leading role in restoring the games in London in 1948.
Marc Hodler, a veteran IOC member and president of the International Ski Federation, says the Olympic movement owes Sweden a lot.
"Sweden is a great sports nation," he said. "It's sad that Sweden never got the Winter Games despite so many attempts. I think Stockholm has an excellent concept. The Olympic area is very compact."
Sweden has tried 10 times to get the Winter Olympics. The most recent bid came from Ostersund for the 2002 games, which were awarded to Salt Lake City.
Almost 90 percent of the proposed 2004 venues exist today, requiring only upgrading, or will be built for non-Olympic events in Stockholm by 1999.
The Olympic Stadium, the oldest Olympic arena still in regular in use, would be the first to host three equestrian competitions in the games' history. The stadium staged the 1956 equestrian events, which were taken away from Melbourne because of Australia's quarantine restrictions for horses.
More than 70 percent of the sports would be held within a 3-mile Olympic Ring. Some 20 percent of the athletes would be able to walk from the nearby Olympic Village at Hammarby Waterfront to their events in the new stadium.
All venues will be served directly by Stockholm's public transportation system, which is among the most efficient and extensive in the world.
Stockholm also gets high marks for being clean. People fish in downtown and city officials drink the water to prove its purity.
By STEPHAN NASSTROM, The Associated Press
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Swedes defeat U.S. in Davis Cup debacle
Web posted Nov. 30 at 08:51 PM, 1997
Associated Press
GOTEBORG, Sweden - A Davis Cup gone wrong in so many ways for the United States ended with one final indignity.
The United States, having lost the final the previous day, dropped both singles matches Sunday, completing a 5-0 sweep by Sweden for its sixth Davis Cup title.
The last time the Americans were shut out in the Davis Cup was 1973. That was against Australia in Cleveland, with Rod Laver and John Newcombe defeating Stan Smith, Tom Gorman and doubles player Erik van Dillen.
On Sunday, Jonas Bjorkman beat Jonathan Stark 6-1, 6-1, then Magnus Larsson downed Michael Chang 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (6-8), 6-4. Chang dropped the opening singles Friday followed by Pete Sampras' default because of a pulled calf muscle.
On Saturday, the doubles team of Stark and Todd Martin was beaten in straight sets by Bjorkman and Nicklas Kulti.
By Sunday, when this one-sided affair was over, U.S. captain Tom Gullikson was reduced to the oldest of promises when addressing the crowd after the awards ceremony.
``We will be back next year,'' he said.
Sunday's singles were reduced to best-of-3 sets. And although the matches had no bearing on the outcome, the 11,000-seat Scandinavium hall was nearly full.
``I am proud of my team,'' Swedish captain Carl-Axel Hageskog said. ``They did a fantastic job. I didn't think we could win them all. We had luck on our side. It was a pity for Pete, for the U.S. team, that he was injured.''
Chang did his best to avert a sweep. He saved one match point at 5-4 in the second set and won the tiebreaker. But he dropped his serve in the first game of the decisive set and was unable to break back.
The last time a Davis Cup final ended in a 5-0 sweep was in 1987 when Sweden beat India, also in Goteborg.
With Stefan Edberg retired, Bjorkman has stepped in to carry Sweden's torch. He ended a remarkable year on a high note by dominating Stark.
``This is my year,'' Bjorkman said. ``Everything I do is going my way.''
Bjorkman has surged from No. 69 to No. 4 in the world in 11 months, winning three titles this year. His singles record is 71-26.
In the Davis Cup semifinal against Italy, Bjorkman won both singles and the doubles, and did it again in the final.
Unlike top American players who often asre unwilling to play the early rounds, the Swedes stick together. Although retired, Edberg was with the Swedes the entire weekend, cheering from the bench.
``When I start my year, I put the Davis Cup weeks in my schedule,'' Bjorkman said.
Sampras has said he won't be available for the early rounds next year, but he is willing to play in the semifinals and the championship if the Americans get that far. The United States has won the title a record 31 times.
``We go on a round-by-round basis,'' Gullikson said. ``I haven't had time to talk to the guys that much about next year.''
Another key factor for Sweden was its doubles team. The Americans often use makeshift combinations, while Bjorkman and Kulti have been playing together a long time.
``If one American team can stand out and dominate in their play throughout the year and then start winning Davis Cup matches, that would certainly be my first choice, rather than trying to change teams all the time,'' Gullikson said.
``I'd love all the American players to play with other Americans. That would be my first choice. They have to play 30 weeks a year. It's up to them. My input would be, `Play with other Americans.' But it's their decision. I can't break their arm.''
Hageskog has no such problems.
``To play the Davis Cup, you have to have a good doubles team. And we have that,'' he said. ``We have a good organization in Swedish tennis. The clubs are doing a great job. We are a small country and tennis is popular. All the kids want to play tennis.''
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) _ A year ago Stefan Edberg played his last tournament tennis match, losing in the first round at the Stockholm Open to fellow Swede Nicklas Kulti.
Now Edberg is back as vice chairman on the competition committee in one of the ATP Tour's oldest indoor tournaments.
``It's nice to be in the background and experience the tournament in a different way,'' said Edberg, who played in the Swedish capital for 15 straight years since his debut at age 16 in 1982.
A six-time Grand Slam winner in singles, Edberg won back-to-back Stockholm Open titles in 1986-87 and reached two other finals. He lost the last final in 1992 to Boris Becker, who is on a farewell tour and playing for the last time in Stockholm this year.
Four of the world's top 10 players have entered, including third-ranked U.S. Open champion Pat Rafter of Australia and Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, who will rise to fourth on Monday.
Edberg is proud of the field in the Royal Tennis Hall.
``We've been lucky,'' he said. ``We decided early to concentrate on young players like Rafter and Moya. And they have developed into world class players this year.''
Thomas Enqvist is the two-time defending champion. Edberg believes a Swede will win again, but not Enqvist.
``Jonas Bjorkman has had quite a year and is playing better and better,'' Edberg said.
Bjorkman started the year at No. 69 and has reached a career-high fourth in the rankings after losing Sunday's Paris Open final to world No. 1 Pete Sampras. Bjorkman will become Sweden's highest ranked player since Edberg in August 1994.