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Hi! If you have Edberg news, write to me at mlliu@pacbell.net.)

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Welcome to the Stefan Edberg Column

a forum for sharing news among Edheads (fans of the retired professional tennis player Stefan Edberg.)
Updated 9/23/02

Stefan in the late 80s, in an Adidas outfit bearing his initials.

"There is nothing more beautiful or more breathtaking than Stefan Edberg's tennis game when he is on. Every stroke is poetic, every movement lyrical." -- Alison Muscatine, the Washington Post (September 9, 1991)

Edberg-Becker Exhibition in Denmark this November
Stefan snubbed by the Tennis Hall of Fame. Read here

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Edberg news

9/13/02
Action speaks louder than words
I am watching a tape of Stefan's first major victory over Ivan Lendl, his 5-set win in the 1985 Australian Open semi-final, the year that he won the AO title for the first time.
Stefan had just turned 19, and Ivan Lendl was then a dominating figure on the tour, the perenial favorite in every event.

The match, a great thrill and a breakthrough for young Stefan, has many great moments. But I find one particular moment especially endearing, as it speaks volumes of Stefan's character.

In the 7th game of the fourth set, Stefan was serving at 0-15. He was one break down in the game, with the match at 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 in his favor. Lendl had just called an injury break, and, throughout the match, had interrupted action by challenging line calls repeatedly. He was carrying on a feud with the umpire, a young Australian.

On this point, Lendl was returning on the ad court. Stefan, spotting a jaunty shirt with a touch of red, his longish blond hair flapping in the wind, wielded a serve that landed deftly on the T, right down the middle, a clean ace. From across the net, Lendl stared, caught the ball, glared fiercely at Stefan and did not move for a minute. He finally put the ball down on the baseline before moving on to the deuce court. Stefan readied for the next serve. But Ivan began to mouth something to the umpire, apparently challenging that there was no call on a serve that he thought had faulted. The conversation was barely audible on my tape, but the young umpire could be heard to say "let's play" repeatedly, while Lendl, his hands on his hip, could be heard saying "I didn't ask to play, I ..." The dispute went on in public view for minutes, while Stefan waited patiently on the other side of the court. The crowd in the packed stadium grew impatient; a faint boo could be heard.

Lendl finally settled down. With his next serve, what did Stefan do? As if to express his disapproval of the constant complaints of his garrulous opponent, Stefan spinned off another ace, this time from the opposite side, that landed in the exact same pinpoint spot, to show Ivan that that the last serve was no fluke. The crowd let out a hearty cheer, with whistles to follow. Lendl moved mutely to the other side.

Stefan went on to win that game, but lost the set after a rain delay. He would go on to win the fifth set to clinch his victory, to the delight of the Australian crowd.

I dare say that the one point I described won Stefan the affection of many an Australian in the crowd. As the world would come to know, Edberg is a man of few words. But that one defiant serve spoke loudly and clearly that, young as he was, Stefan could make a statement with his action, and was a force to be reckoned with.

9/12/02
Following is an excellent posting from the Tennis Warehouse Pro Player Talk board:

End of the Serve and Volley Era?
Rabbit - 11:19am Sep 10, 2002 PDT (#10 of 23)
I think S&V tennis is going the way of the wood racket.
Prior to Jack Kramer, tennis was mainly a baseline game of fewer errors than your opponent. Jack Kramer revolutionized the game with percentage tennis. Likewise, Nick Bollitieri has created another revolution with academy tennis. NB's strategy is vastly different than the one that preceded it. Where Tilden's treatise on strategy focused on fewer errors than your opponent, Bollitieri emphasizes hitting more winners than your opponent. These two stategems are in direct opposition to each other. We happen to live in the era when they clashed.
IMO, Stefan Edberg was the ultimate S&V player. His style of play and physicality were the pinnacle of serve/volley. Two of Edberg's contemporaries, while not as successful, were the future of tennis; Jimmy Arias and Aaron Krickstein. While we've seen a decline in the S&V player, the number of academy (power baseliner, huge first serve, huge forehand) players has increased tremendously.
The two biggest factors in this change are racket construction and results. First, racket construction has changed so radically that now rackets are much more headlight than their wood counterparts. This enables much greater racket head speed and more extreme grips. Rackets are also lighter overall than they used to be and much more powerful. In the 70s, Borg was the only player capapble of consistently hitting winners from the back court. Today, this is commonplace and seen daily. It is not the size and strength of the players alone that dictates this, but also their rackets. I have not mentioned head size, but this too is a determining factor in the demise of S&V.
The second factor is results. An S&V player takes more time to develop than a baseliner. Today, the players are younger than ever (only limited by rules not allowing them to enter professional competition) and when they develop a winning game, are reluctant to change it, if at all.
Combine extreme grips with two handed backhands, and volleying is becoming a dying art. This is not to say that the pros can't volley, but the majority of today's touring pros have neither the technique or the proficiency of their predecessors.
There are other factors. Patrick Rafter said that court surface limits the life of a S&V player. S&V takes a toll on the body and is accelarated when hard courts come into play. By the time a S&V player develops these days, his body is nearly worn out. One would think the opposite would be true since S&V players play (on average) shorter points, but this is not the case.
Another major factor is the demise of grass. Once, a large part of professional tennis was grass. I was speaking with an older gentleman who told me he saw Laver play at a grass court tournament in Tuscaloosa Alabama in September after the Open in 63. The grass court season started before Wimbledon and went through close to February of the next year. Three of the four majors, Wimbledon, the Open, and the Australian were played on grass in a row. Hard courts were not nearly as commonplace as they are now. Percentage tennis on grass is predicated on solid net play (at least until Borg came along).
There has also been a great call to slow the game down. A consequence of this is that net play will become harder and harder if your opponent has more and more time to set up and play a pass.
IMO, these all these factors have combined along with the right set of circumstances (U.S Open and Australian Open ditching grass) to effectively end S&V as a mainstream strategy in tennis. Players will continue to hit the ball harder from the baseline with changes in equipment and the continuing call to "slow the game down". There will always be the odd S&V player, and probably always one in the top twenty, but the golden age of S&V tennis, much like the day of the wood racket is gone forever

Only time will tell, ultimately. You guys are kind of indirectly proving my point. You can only name a handfull of S&V players now. I didn't say that there would be no S&V players, I did say that as a mainstream strategy, it's gone.
You need only to watch Wimbledon for proof. This year at Wimbledon, the grass inside the service box was not worn and chewed up as it was twenty years ago. The baseline, on the other hand, was a mess. I think all would agree that Wimbledon is the place where S&V players are able to showcase their skills. If we use Wimbledon as the barometer or forecast of playing styles, then clearly S&V tennis is on the decline.
I've said before that the Academy style tennis is a better way to win a tennis match, much the same way as Kramer's S&V was a better way to win with wood rackets on grass courts. I've also said that it may be a better way to win, but it's not attracting fans. Will S&V be back? I truly think it's doubtful because of the speed of the ball. There's simply no way a player can serve 125 MPH and then get to the T of the service box, unless they foot fault.:) If they slow their serve down, which is the only alternative to close the net, they are going to get eaten alive by the returners of the game, the power baseliners. Unless there is a change in the game, one that involves either surface or equipment, then the current trend will only gain momentum.
There will be the occasional S&V player, but there will be fewer and fewer of them in the future.

Just shocks me that people forget Edberg so easily..(ARE YOU LISTENING INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION??)
Perfect volleys. Come on. You HAVE to remember.

9/7/02
A discussion currently on the tennis warehouse board Pro Player Talk section, titled "Best Serve and Volleyer ever", starts as follows:

GIlgamesh - 07:08am Sep 7, 2002 PDT
I was watching the US Open today, and John McEnroe said that Peet Sampras and BOris Becker were the best serve and volleyers ever, without question. Who do you think is the best ever?

During the 9/7 US Tennis Open broadcast, Mr. McEnroe made the comment that Pete Sampras and Boris Becker were the best serve-and-volleyers ever, without question. While I commend him for his modesty in not naming himself, as he should have, I take issue with him for leaving out Stefan Edberg, whom many believe to be the best serve-and-volleyer ever.

9/6/02
A big thanks to Jennifer, who has a real knack for finding little gems of Edberg news/references. Jennifer alerted me to a George Vecsey article that appeared in today's New York Times, which contains this sweet paragraph:

As a paying customer a few decades ago, I derived a great deal of enjoyment from players who did not stuff an American passport into their kit — Adriano Panatta, Jaime Fillol, Wojtek Fibak, Vijay Amritraj and the lefty with the perpetual lopsided smile, Manuel Orantes.
Later on, as a sportswriter, I have enjoyed covering such gallants as Miloslav Mecir, a big graceful cat of a player, the dreadlocked Yannick Noah, and Stefan Edberg, whom I dare say many men would choose to look like, play like and act like.

9/3/02
I checked the Tennis Hall of Fame site today and noticed that the 2003 ballot announcement has now been posted, laughable error and all. You really have to think that the people there don't really follow pro-tennis. Here's another email that I sent to the Hall's Press Center contact, Kat Anderson:

Hello, Kat Anderson:
I am the Stefan Edberg fan who sent in a strong protest about the 2003 enshrinee nominations, to which you kindly responded. Per your advice, I did send in a letter to the nomination committee chairman, Tony Trabert and I eagerly await his response. Meanwhile, I see that the announcement is now osted on your site.
I hate to say it, but it is a sign of how sloppy the nomination that this line appeared in the announcement: "Becker held the World No. 1 ranking for 109 weeks, and was ranked in the year-end Top 10 eleven times (1985-1996)."
I recommend that you check the statistics and make some correction to this statement. I believe the figures cited belong to another Swedish great player who preceded Stefan Edberg, Bjorn Borg.
I have aired my protests on several tennis forums on the web. I maintain that this nomination -- which violates the eligibility criteria stipulated by your own organization -- calls into question the validity of the enshrinements.

No word yet about the 1993 Hall of Fame nomination scandal :-(
Meanwhile, this card, rather nice, is for sale on ebay. But look a little closer, and see if you can spot something wrong. I wonder if Stefan noticed it when he signed it:

• The ongoing Hall of Fame nomination controversy not withstanding, it seems that Stefan and Boris are scheduled for an exhibition match this Novemebr. When I spoke to Stefan in Cape Cod this past July, he mentioned that he may play an exhibition this Fall, and I very foolishly neglected to ask where and when. This must be what he meant.
  Anyway, this is what Edberg fan Markus wrote:
  Motivated through the entry on the edhead01us site, I searched through the web and finally found that indeed Edberg is playing Becker in an exhibition match in Århus, Denmark, on November 6th, 19:00. The event is titled "Legends Live III", it is broadcasted live on TV2 Zulu and there will be an one-hour-repeat later in the evening on TV2. Tickets cost 185-485 DKK. You find all information on http://www.f-reklame.dk/docs/LL3/ramme.asp.
  How about that! A big thanks to Markus. I do hope that people in Europe, or visitors to Europe at the right time, will lend their support to the event. It will be too far for me to travel, but I am hoping to obtain a video tape of the broadcast from European fans. If you live where you can get the broadcast, or know someone who can, I would appreciate hearing from you. Please write to me.
  Stay tuned.
• Mats Wilander has been announced as the new Davis Cup captain for Sweden. See here.
  This news is not a shock to me. Earlier there were articles on expressen.se about who's to take up the vacancy and supposedly the Swedish players want Wilander to captain the team. Some Edberg fans had hoped that one day Stefan will become the captain, so that we may get to see him at Davis Cup events, but apparently that is not to be, at least for now. Stefan has said that he's not interested in the job, but it's hard to know if behind the scene this is yet another disappointment to Stefan.

8/31/02
I received a response from Kat Anderson of the Tennis Hall of Fame, who kindly responded to my email as follows:

I understand your feelings toward the ballot announcement this year. Please be assured that the committee is very aware of both individuals' records and accomplishments. As I cannot speak for the nomination committee, I suggest you direct your inquiry to the chairman, Tony Trabert, c/o International Tennis Hall of Fame, 194 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840. (Unfortunately, Mr. Trabert does not have an email address.) I will also make sure a copy of this email is sent to the committee.
Sincerely,
Kat Anderson
International Tennis Hall of Fame

8/30/02
The Hall of Fame people have not responded to our email.
Here's what one Edberg fan wrote to me:

I and another Edhead have also emailed NY sports writer Mike Lupica, who wa a big Edberg supporter way back when. I doubt that he'll do anything, since he's a general sports writer, but it doesn't hurt.
I think that contacting tennis journalists about this slight is the way to go, since they have the ability to draw attention to the problem, and they are the ones who actually vote the enshrinees in. I'm gonna drop a line to Bud Collins, care of the Boston Globe.
And I have to say, I kinda disagree with you ... I think the Hall of Fame would matter to Stefan a great deal. As one who has always had an appreciation for the history of his game, he, more than most, would truly appreciate the honor being bestowed on him. Now, I don't think he's losing any sleep over this, but when he is enshrined, it will mean a lot to him. And he'd NEVER boycott it. That's just not Stefan! ;-)
...I just think it's a joke when you look at the words on the HOF's own web site, saying it had to be five years since you made a "significant" contribution, which puts Becker in, and that they look at on-court success and CHARACTER when deciding who gets in, which makes Stefan a shoo-in. It's really mind-boggling!

Hi, Diane:

I would like to draw your attention to something related to tennis, and see if you will kindly consider helping to address the problem.
Word came that "(Boris) Becker is the lone nominee in the Recent Player Category" on the 2003 Tennis Hall of Fame ballot. (See http://espn.go.com/tennis/news/2002/0828/1423953.html).
Excuse me, but what about Stefan Edberg, who retired several years before Becker and is considered by many as at least as great of a tennis player as Becker? Assuming that Richard Pagliaro's report is not mistaken, the nomination of Becker (to whom I have great respect) is a major diss on Stefan Edberg.
What gives? How can Becker be eligible so soon? And how can they overlook Stefan Edberg? As far as I am concerned, this is an unforgivable slight on a great player who does not deserve a slap on the face such as that.
According to the literature of the HOF site http://www.tennisfame.org/enshrinees_home.html: "Recent Players - are those who were active as competitors within the last 20 years, but have not been a significant factor in competition tennis during the previous five years."
As of 1997 and 1998, Boris Becker (for whom I have great respect) was still winning matches (see http://www.itftennis.com/fl_index.html), so how does that satisfy the "(has) not been a significant factor in competition tennis during the previous five years" predicate? And if somehow an argument can be made that Becker does meet that criterion, then Edberg should have been considered at least three years ago. And, if, as the Hall of Fame claims, that they take into consideration "on-court success and CHARACTER", then it is simply inexplicable that Becker should be nominated ahead of Edberg.

I am indignant. I hope you will look into the matter and give it some ink in the L.A. Times. Thank you.

name, city, state, phone number

Q: Since potential Hall of Fame inductees have to wait a minimum of five years before being considered, the incomparable Stefan Edberg will be eligible for enshrinement in 2003. What do you think of his chances of getting in on the first try? It seems to me that he has a solid case. He was No. 1 in the world in both singles and doubles, he won 41 singles titles, six Grand Slams, a couple of Davis Cups and an Olympic gold. Plus, he won the junior Grand Slam and was widely regarded as one of the classiest and most well-liked people in tennis. This one's a no-brainer, right? I mean, if Pam Shriver gets in, Edberg gets in, right? Or am I missing something?

A: Edberg is a mortal lock for the reasons you articulate nicely.

• I could be wrong, but I think this article says that Mats Wilander has become Sweden's Davis Cup team captain. Congratulations to Mats. I understand that the players clamored for his leadership.
  Stefan has said he does not want the role. I think it's just as well: Stefan's style of play is clearly not how the Swedish players play, and, if the Swedish articles are to be believed, Stefan's too exacting to be a captain - for example,supposedly he couldn't stand people showing up late. I can just see how unpopular he would be with the pampered stars of today.
• NPR commendator and Sports Illustrated writer Frand Deford commented yesterday on the weak U.S. presence on the men's side in the current U.S. Open. According to Deford, the dominance of European (and I might add South American) players have also brought on a playing style that's influenced by the world's favorite sport, soccer, where passing game is emphasized over the net game. I have to say that Deford has a point. I tried to watch some of the matches and it was like pop-pop-pop baseline-to-baseline. I grew tired of the spectacle after a few games.
  And the Safin-Kiefer match was lauded as a compelling five-setter. I do commend these players, especially Kiefer, for their preseverance. But if you want to see a compelling five-setter played at Flushing Meadow, try the Edberg-Chang match in 1992, which lasted 5-1/2 hours, and the quality of play was much better, in my opinion.
• It sounds like, from this web posting (in French), that Stefan is a partner of the club Tennis of Beauvallon in France. Roughly translated paragraph:
  Partner of Stefan Edberg
  "This 30 year old will bring back a title of champion of France to his club Tennis of Beauvallon, already rich of a title of champion of the world. Located at Grimaud in the VAr, this club is indeed the property of Arnaud Deleval and of... Stefan Edberg, champion of the world in 1991. "two years ago, I acquired the Tennis of Beauvallon, where I began, with Luc Dayan (former president of the LOSC, note) and Stefan Edberg. I have known Stefan for twelve years that it comes on the Riviera. I was his sparring partner. Then one bound of friendship. And when I proposed to him to join this project, it immediately answered favorably."
  A title which should ravir(?) the Swede as well as the teaching person in charge for the club and weekly trainer of Arnaud Deleval, Jean-Luc Cottard."

well, I remember that match as if it had been played yesterday: Edberg lost to Sampras 7-6 in the third set in the Round Robin of '94 ATP Finals. The picture of my site was taken in the third set after a never-ending point with Stefan at the net and Sampras trying everything from the baseline to pass him. In the end Sampras played a lob and Stefan's high volley was in the net. As Stefan collapsed to the carpet exhausted, Sampras continued his run to Edberg's side of the court and laid his hands on his breast pushing him down two or three times, to mean that he needed something violent to beat that very inspired Edberg that day. The crowd were enthusiast, of course. You can now find that photo in the section Pro-career, as I have added new pictures yesterday.

8/23/02
With the 2002 US Open imminent, it is nice to see this compliment on Stefan in this MSNBC article by Ted Robinson, U.S. tennis commentator:

The most amazing champion I have seen in my 15 years of broadcasting the U.S. Open was Sweden's Stefan Edberg. When I first started announcing at Flushing Meadows, there seemed to be no top player more distracted by New York than Edberg. He seemed to have no enjoyment playing there. He hated the wind, and the papers that would blow around occasionally. He despised the noise and all of the "atmosphere" that is New York. Yet within several years he ended up winning the Open twice in 1991 and 1992. I never saw a player make a greater leap in all my years in New York than Edberg.

• If you are nostalgic for Edberg's play and, like me, started following his matches late in his career, I have recommendation for a tape that I recently discovered.
  The match went to 3 sets, and, as the commentators called it, featured "beautiful tennis". It is as good as tennis gets when an offensive player is pitted against a defensive player, and both are at the top of the game.
  At 21 and then ranked #2, Stefan was long-haired and looked very young and boyish. Meanwhile, Lendl was then the world champion and had dominated his previous meetings with Stefan. Ivan, very fit and handsome, was cold and severe in demeanor, while Stefan was fluid in both his game and his movements.
  What's really extraordinary is some of the footage shot by a camera mounted in the center of the net, so that you can see a player approaching the net from the improbable angle of someone situated right at the net. This gave rise to some breathtaking shots of Stefan's fantastic netplay. The athleticism of Edberg was never better seen than in one segment which shows Stefan reflex volley repeatedly while Lendl drilled him in the body at full force. In the same game in the third set, there is also one point where Stefan struck a lob behind the ball, a feat I only saw from him one other time, when he prevailed over Miloslav Mercir in the 1988 Wimbledon semifinal.
  This match shows a Stefan that was as exuberant as I have ever seen him. In a 1988 article (see here) Edberg said, "I like going to Japan. I have won quite a few times there and I am always looked after so well. I look forward to the trips there." It shows in this match.
  I highly recommend this tape.
• This Adidas Stefan Edberg tennis shirt (right) (the style that he wore in his 1991 US Open appearances) is currently on auction at ebay.

• Posted on a thread entitled "double bagel" on the pro talk forum of tennis warehouse :
  "Stefan Edberg smoked Swede Stefan Eriksson 6-0,6-0,6-0 at 1987 Wimbledon....man that Edberg guy is ruthless! Beating up on a fellow countryman ;-)"
  To which I responded:
  "Yes, someone once mentioned that triple-bagel score of Edberg's on rec.sport.tennis. My understanding is that Stefan was asked, after the match, if he felt bad about the score, and he said something like he thought about losing a point to the guy, but then decided that there wasn't going to be too many chances that he could get a triple bagel in a grand slam event. As a writer once wrote: Edberg is ruthless when it comes to things that matter (such as winning Annette Ollsen, now Mrs. Edberg, from Mats Wilander.) :-) :-)
  If you look at Edberg's records on the ITF tennis site, you see a lot of 6-0's. What is surprising is that Edberg once beat Yannick Noah 6-1 6-0 in the 1985 Memphis final. And, as the #1 seed, he double-bageled Andreas Maurer of Germany in a 2nd round match in Rotterdam, 1985.
  On the other hand, he had some bad losses too in 1985: R2 at the US Open - lost to John McEnroe 2-6 0-6 1-6, and the same year lost to countryman Mats Wilander 1-6 0-6 in Bastad (it just struck me that maybe that WAS when Mats found out about Annette :-) :-) Pure speculation."
• The On-the-Line tennis magazine very graciously posted another article of mine: Stefan Edberg's Greatest Matches. I mainly wanted to see if I will hear from people who have match tapes that I have been looking for a while.

8/9/02 A big thanks to Bruce, who wrote:
ESPN classic will air the 93 Edberg/Courier Australian Open match on 8-13, 7:30 am eastern
Unfortunately, this one Stefan lost.
BTW, if anyone have a tape of the 91 Edberg-Courier 4R match at the Australian Open, please write me. This is a five-setter won by Edberg, and I can't get enough of his five-setters. There is also a French Edberg fan who's looking for this tape.
Also, keep an eye on the USTA's Topspin TV program this Sunday 8/11 12:30PM EDT - at one time there was a blurb that said that included on the show is a segment on a Tom Gullikson Foundation event, and there is a remote possibility that it is about the Cape Cod event.

8/4/02
The online tennis magazine, "On the Line", has kindly posted a long version of my article "Stefan Edberg comes to New England".
It is now viewable here
It is in HTML, and so downloading should not be a problem.
The article has more description and photos of an exhibition event, held last month on Cape Cod, in which Stefan Edberg appeared. It includes a brief interview of Edberg by the author (me :-).

8/1/02

• The Adidas Smash report page the I put together has been visited over 750 times since its inception on 7/23. I am glad that Stefan still has a following and I thank all who visited, especially Alex, whose mentioning of the link on the tennis warehouse message board brought in half of the traffic!
• For those who have not seen it, here are two photos of Edberg when he was growing up - seeing them always bring a smile to my face:
  probably as a 7 year old
  possibly as a young teen

• I captured the www.expressen.se article, and, thanks to Bjorn of Sweden, there is now an English translation. See here.
• My own eyewitness account of the Ocean Edge Adidas Smash, with photos, is here.
• A note posted on atpworld.com: (Stefan Edberg) was on tv here (Sweden) this week, giving tennis lessons to a reporter in a tvshow about Sweden. he still looks good.
• I sent this note to a jounalist of the Cape Cod Times:
  Hi, Rob Duca,
  I just returned from a trip to Boston. The highlight of my trip was attending the Adidas Smash at the Ocean Edge Resort on Cape Cod. It was my first time on the island. What a blast I had. And I brought back a nice souvenir from the trip: your 7/17 article entitled "TOP DRAW." When I picked up a copy of the Cape Cod Times, I was expecting a nice little hometown sheet. I was greatly impressed by the quality of the writing and the photography, and your article was especially well written -- this coming from a sometime free-lance writer. As a fan of Stefan Edberg, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was given the notice that he deserves. Your article gave the man the respect that he commands but not always gets, because of his 'placid' nature. Judging from the crowd's reaction during the tennis exhibition, I think your focus was well-placed. Needless to say your article is among my collections.
  Thanks for a job well done.
• Another article from expressen.se that mentions Stefan and also features a photo.
  According to Bjorn, who kindly translated for me (with minor edition from me):
  The opening paragraph is "24 stocks with low risk" and the article is about different wealthy Swedish peoples and how they invested. It's not about sports at all, and Stefan is one example of rich people cited. The reason they chose him probably was because he has bought shares in a company that makes asphalt (is that the right word for the surface of the road that cars drive at?). The title therefore was "from grass to asphalt, Stefan Edberg puts money into the company Geveco".

• I just returned from attending the Adidas Smash event held on Cape Cod this past week. I am in a total daze. Fantastic journey it was.
  A quick word: Stefan is in tremendous shape. He looks hardly a day older than when he retired 5-1/2 years ago.
  He was a big draw at the event, on which I will have lots more to say. And photos.
  Meanwhile, here is a number of news articles on the event that gives a preview of what took place.
  I had the time of my life!
• Adding to the excitement is an article on Stefan that showed up just today on www.expressen.se.
  Thanks are due to Jennifer for spotting the article. We are hoping for a translation from our fellow Edheads in Sweden.

I just heard from the Adiads Smash organizer that Stefan and Rod Laver will be there! Yee-haa, now I am really shaking in my boots:-) :-)
A big thanks to all who have sent in questions to ask Stefan (assuming that I get such chance) - the list is 3-page long now :-). It's really touching to read between the lines and see these common threads running through the questions:
• We miss Stefan's style and class
• We would like to see him play again
• We would like to know how he and his family are doing.
Self-effacing gent that Edberg is, I don't think he knows how much he is missed. He may not be as high up on the records as others, but he is special to people who do appreciate the essense of tennis.
Wish me luck. I am bringing with me a tape recorder and a cameraman :-), and of course my ears and eyes will be wide open. It will be a tramatic experience, I know. I will try to make as much of it as possible, and plan to file a report upon my return.

• If all goes well, I hope to see Stefan at the Adidas Smash in Cape Cod next week. Stay tuned for report and photos.
• Albert wrote:
  ... When it was raining at Wimbledon the other day They (BBC?) showed a program called Stefan Edberg: My Wimbledon
  I don't know if any of you have watched this or not but it was great This was made few years back I believe but it was good for the all the beautiful memories of Stefan at Wimbledon
  No, we here at the U.S. didn't have the fortune to see that program. There's no chance of that - if they showed anything nostalgic here it would have been the triumph of Agassi or the victories of Sampras ... ad nauseum.
• Bjorn in Sweden wrote:
  ... Stefan was in the Swedish sport news some months ago and he is or was practising squash. They let him play versus a guy called Peter Jonsson and he was the best player in Sweden during almost 1990-2000. Stefan did of cause lose but he gave him a tuff match and took some points. Peter said after the match that Stefan's volley was fantastic but that wasn't any news!

• Jennifer wrote: I loved the photo (group pic with Yannick and others) you used for your Stefan page. Gosh, at age 36, he still looks as handsome as ever. (Sigh!)
  To which I responded:
  I too was quite taken with that pic (that's why it's been at the top of this page for a while :-). There hasn't been many good photos since his retirement, but I have noticed that the few that have him in tennis outfits stand out. I think Stefan was born to be a tennis player - his physique and carriage are perfect for those tennis outfits. He also has that model's stance -- which comes from the way he serves, I am convinced -- which sets him apart in a group pic. The picture you mentioned, as well as the ones from another charity event in 2000, really brought back great memory. His clothes are no longer as tight-fitting as in his heyday, but his poise and handsomeness are unmistakable. They really don't make them like that anymore :-) :-)
  It's interesting that in a tennis book written by Eliott Barry (which probably sold 10 copies :-( it was remarked that Edberg was considered one of the most difficult to film, because his pictures never came out looking the way he did on court, and he never looked the same in photos (paraphrasing mine.)
• Sent in by Penny:
  This is from Jon Wertheim's mailbag from Sport's Illustrated. Thought you might want to read this.
  Q: Since potential Hall of Fame inductees have to wait a minimum of five years before being considered, the incomparable Stefan Edberg will be eligible for enshrinement in 2003. What do you think of his chances of getting in on the first try? It seems to me that he has a solid case. He was No. 1 in the world in both singles and doubles, he won 41 singles titles, six Grand Slams, a couple of Davis Cups and an Olympic gold. Plus, he won the junior Grand Slam and was widely regarded as one of the classiest and most well-liked people in tennis. This one's a no-brainer, right? I mean, if Pam Shriver gets in, Edberg gets in, right? Or am I missing something? Thanks! -- ùOmar Uddin, Urbana, Ill.
  A: Edberg is a mortal lock for the reasons you articulate nicely.

• Found on Jon Wertheim's Tennis Mailbag:
  (A tongue-in-cheeck posting) Top 10 songs by female vocalists (or groups with female vocalists) between 1982 and 1985 about players' Grand Slam achievements:
  ...
  9. Sade's Smooth Operator, 1985. This was a tribute to the elegant grass-court style of Stefan Edberg, who won his first Slam at that year's Australian.

  And on a 4/23/01 page of that same column:
  Q: Now that Greg Rusedski has split with his coach, I've heard folks comment on what great timing it is for Pat Cash and a now coachless Tim Henman to hook up. I am hoping Henman holds out for Stefan Edberg, if Edberg is interested. What do you think? --Mary England, St. Paul
  Funny, I've heard the Henman and Edberg rumor, too. Still, I just don't see it. With the possible exception of Ivan Lendl, Edberg has to be the least likely former pro to spend 30 weeks a year traveling the circuit. What's more, what Henman needs more than anything is a martinet to help him find -- WARNING: sports cliché alert -- the killer instinct. For all his virtues and admirable qualities, going for the jugular is not Edberg's strong suit. (By the way, I'm told that Henman's ex-coach, David Felgate, has agreed to coach Xavier Malisse through the U.S. Open.)

• Great find by Emmy - photos from the March 2001 Invitational Tennis Classic (ITC) held in Helsinki, mentioned in an item below. I have captured the photos of Stefan http://www.advantagegroup.fi/sveITC-2.htm, and the best of the bunch (a group pic) is shown as the feature pic.

• I have obtained Ticket information for the Adidas Tennis Smash, for which Stefan is expected to participate in the exhbition event. Admission ticket is $25 and up. See here for details.

• Just found another mentioning of an exhibition event that might have taken place in March of 2001:
  On a site http://www.advantagegroup.fi:
  Invitational Tennis Classic (ITC) is a premium special event that will be held March 3, 2001 in the fabulous Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. Meet the superstars and the multiple Grand Slam title winners...Stefan Edberg, Yannick Noah, Henri Leconte, Mansour Bahrami, and Veli Paloheimo among others...Experience the ultimate show and high energy level of the still very vibrant Champions...These are the classic players with shot-making ability, flair, character, and skills! These are the players one remembers!
  Decision makers and tennis celebrities will play tennis, mingle and share a memorable day with networking and tennis in focus. The ITC event will create an annual forum for creating and maintaining networks. Decision makers will gather to conduct business-to-business activities in a very favourable atmosphere. Our activities and entertainment will magnify networking oppurtunities for all participants.
  The extraordinary event will emphasise providing an appropriate ambiance for vital result-oriented business-to-business activities, but simultaneously, the business community and players will contribute towards charity and a good cause (physically challenged tennis players / wheelchair tennis among others).
  Key clients and decision makers will be provided the utmost service and care during the event. The high quality hospitality in Europe´s finest arena is in close conjunction to the centre court and all ITC personnel are selected and trained according to rigid standards.
  ITC will also provide opportunities for additional content. Seminars and workshops can be organised prior to the entertainment phase. We are ready to listen to your special needs and costumise the event accordingly. Thus, we can create an efficient tool for internal and external marketing purposes... a tool that creates added value and concrete results with continuity!
  (Unfortunately, there's no photo or other writeup of the event, which may not even have taken place.)

• Big news!

  We may be seeing Edberg in the U.S. this summer.
  According to this article: Stefan is apparently joining Rod Laver and Jan-Michael Gimbill to play in an exhibition event at the Ocean Edge Resort and Country Club in Massachusetts, this July.
  The text of the article is captured here.
  
• Thanks to a tip from Markus for pointing to a page at http://www.vaxjotennis.com/, which has photos with Edberg, circa May 2002. The above photo was shown with this caption:
  "Calle Hageskog och Stefan Edberg flankerar företrädarna för fyrklövern: Olle Olsson Volvo Personbilar, Anders Wahrolén Södra, Bicki Chakraborty Elite Hotels och Björn Magnusson Nordea."
  Apparently something to do with an event held at the Vaxjo Tennis Center (owned by Stefan and Calle Hageskog).
  
• From the same page: The caption is "Radio Kronobergs Marcus Sjöholm var påpassligt på plats och fick en pratstund med Stefan."
  Apparently Stefan was interviewed by a radio announcer at a ceremony involving a new tennis court.
  The article read:
  "Årets utepremiär i Strandbjörket var bland de allra tidigaste genom åren. Fredagen den 19 april slog Magnus Larsson på bilden och Stefan Edberg de första bollarna på bana 3 och blev därmed också premiärspelare på det läckert tegelröda "Båstadgruset", som numera återfinns också i Strandbjörket.
  Det var förstås lite mjukt i början, men både Stefan och Magnus uttryckte lovord över förändringen, inte bara utseendemässigt. Det förefaller som om banorna blivit långsammare med mer genuin gruskaraktär än den gamla lawniten, som snabbt b lev hård och hardcourtlik."
  
• And some small photos of Stefan with racket in hand:
  Årets utepremiär i Strandbjörket var bland de allra tidigaste genom åren. Fredagen den 19 april slog Magnus Larsson på bilden och Stefan Edberg de första bollarna på bana 3 och blev därmed också premiärspelare på det läckert tegelröda "Båstadgruset", som numera återfinns också i Strandbjörket.
  "Det var förstås lite mjukt i början, men både Stefan och Magnus uttryckte lovord över förändringen, inte bara utseendemässigt. Det förefaller som om banorna blivit långsammare med mer genuin gruskaraktär än den gamla lawniten, som snabbt b lev hård och hardcourtlik."