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Hi! If you have Edberg news, write to me at mlliu@charter.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 7/24/03

photo from Albert's collection part 1, part 2, and part 3.

"... but he has an A+ backhand " -- Pat Sommerall, U.S. TV commentator, 1992.

Stefan played Becker at Queen's June 2003
If you are interested in getting a copy of the video (sorry, not DVD) from the BBC broadcast of the Queen's exhibition, please write to me.

Stefan triumphed in London's Royal Albert Hall 12/5/02
Edberg-Becker Exhibition in Denmark November 2002;
Stefan snubbed by the U.S. Tennis Hall of Fame.
Stefan was in New England July 2002.

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Edberg news

Mark has kindly sent in the image of another autographed drawing of Stefan - this one from many years ago. Many thanks again for sharing, Mark. Moreover, Mark has offered to provide prints of the drawings (see below - top one from the Queen's exhibition, botton from years ago) to anyone who's interested; if so, please write to me and I will put you in touch with Mark.

No news, but I had fun re-visiting the unbelivable collection of photos posted by Albert - hundreds of photos. If you have not visited it, you owe it to yourself. I will be posting these photos as feature pics in days to come, but here are the links: part 1, part 2, and part 3 - click on Edberg.

• More bonus from Mark of U.K, who sent in these two photos taken by a Becker fan that he met at Queen's:
  Obviously a Becker fan with good taste!

• I happened on an article by sports columnist Hubert Mizell of the St. Petersburg Times (March 23 2003), headlined as "Hall of Fame for Rose? Yes. In the dugout? No way." The article has nothing to do with Stefan but curiously ended with the line "Whatever happened to Stefan Edberg? " I have written to Mizell to ask him about that line, and also answered his question (assuming that he is interested.)

This year I visited the Stella Artois Championships at the Queens Club in London. I only decided to go along after hearing that Stefan was to play in an exhibition match against Boris Becker on finals day and was very lucky to get a pair of the last few remaining tickets for sale.

We arrived just after 10am, which was quite early really, but in some respects it¹s great to arrive before the gates open and soak up the mood of the spectators and the general atmosphere. People had travelled from all over the UK and in some cases from all over the world, much the same as they do for Wimbledon. It was great chatting to others about their favourite players, past and present and it was clear that the majority were looking forward to the match between the two former Wimbledon Champions more than any other match that day, it was almost as if the main final (Roddick vs Grosjean) was just a warm up to it to wet the appetite! Standing in the queue we saw Stefan arriving by courtesy car, followed by Boris driving himself in.

Arriving early also means that you are able to get to the practice courts as soon as is possible, always a joy at Queens Club because you can get so close to the players and thereby take some fantastic photographs as well as appreciate just how annoyingly talented they are! I took along 2 illustrations of mine, one of Stefan and one of Boris, with the aim of getting them both autographed - never as simple as it sounds. Although Stefan is in my view far more of a joy to watch and on every previous visit it has of course been him that I have rushed off to the practice courts to admire, I decided just this once to head to the court where Boris would be, to try for his autograph first; I had at least already got Stefans autograph several times, one of them being on another drawing of mine so took the view that I would get a couple more opportunities throughout the day to see Stefan and if not then so be it.

I was first to get to the court where Becker was due on to go through his practice routine, he was late in turning up (the players seem to get quite rigid time slots allocated) but as we stood waiting Goran Ivanisevic strolled past along one of the public footpaths without a care in the world and then Pat Cash turned up on a court opposite to do a TV recording with Andrew Castle, presumably for the BBC. However, once Boris did turn up the viewing alley designated for spectators became very cramped. He appeared very aware of the public presence and seems to lap up the attention that he gets, his real life persona not demonstrating the modest reluctance or almost comical shyness that he tries to convey on television during interviews nowadays. He definitely had a certain arrogance about him that you don¹t get with Stefan, which is of course just one of the reasons why so many of us admire Stefan. After finishing his practice, Boris did come over to sign some autographs and he eventually signed my illustration of him, although he seemed very reluctant to do so and ignored me right up until the last moment, I really was thinking that I had wasted my time but got lucky in the end!

The main final was first on and although there were flashes of good tennis, I am sad to say that it all felt a bit dull and predictable, Andy Roddick winning quite comfortably, mainly due to the power he has. You could sense that what was coming up next was what people were really waiting for and by no means were we disappointed. As the players walked on court the reception spoke for itself, loud and welcoming! As Stefan and Boris knocked up and their playing histories read out, the crowd took photographs at every opportunity and good humour was already apparent on both sides of the net - obviously a little different to previous meetings during their playing career. Stefan still looked incredibly fit and certainly no weightier, Becker perhaps looked a little bigger!

The opening point was a fine example of what was to come. Stefan won it with an exquisite backhand lob, an immediate example of why and how he won 6 Grand Slam titles. This kind of superb touch was repeated in Stefans first service game when he played an amazing half volley, still good enough to put any player on todays ATP Tour to shame. Becker took the first service break in the fourth game, only for Stefan to move up a gear in the eighth game, making some fine returns on the stretch just as he used to at Wimbledon, to get the service break back. The good humour continued throughout, with Boris pretending to be annoyed with a call by the net judge - he hit a trademark winning return only for Stefans serve to then be called a let. Stefan himself joined in the fun several times, mocking both himself and his opponent!

By the 12th game, the score 6-5 Becker, the tennis was being played at a sublime level, both players almost as quick to the ball and reacting as sharply as they ever did, and reminding us just why it is that their contests are missed so much. Unfortunately, Boris took the match 8-6 (they were playing first to 8 games) but were Stefan still playing competitively as much as Becker is, the result would likely have gone the other way. They then received a standing ovation from the whole crowd and an on-court interview was held. Stefan as as polite and understated as ever, he suggested that Boris would "maybe give me another chance to come back and beat him." How fantastic it would be if this could become a regular fixture.

After a short while I decided to head off to the players entrance/exit, in the hope of catching Stefan as he left. After about half an hour Becker walked past with his son and a few of those who had gathered alongside us went after him for autographs. There were a number of us still waiting and I started to wonder if maybe Stefan had already made his way to his hotel. But then his wife Annette appeared with their 2 children, followed by the man himself. I was first to approach him, asking if he would be able to sign my drawing. He replied "yes, sure" and put down his bag and racket holdall. Stefan was even kind enough and thoughtful enough to ask where specifically I wanted him to sign the drawing - such a warm and welcome contrast to the difficulties of obtaining the autograph of his opponent earlier in the day! He then spent time signing numerous autographs, posing for photographs with adoring fans and taking further time to talk to us and answer questions. Stefan suggested that he may be back in the UK during December while the Seniors Tour event at The Royal Albert Hall takes place, but it would only be to perhaps participate in another exhibition match as opposed to the main tournament. How pleased we would be to have another opportunity to see this fine player and fine gentleman on court again.

I have sent a print of the illustration that Stefan signed to him just as a way of thanking him, via his tennis foundation at the Swedish Tennis Association. Hopefully it will reach him and maybe I will get a reply - that really would be the icing on the cake of the best day I have ever had at a tennis tournament.

7/18/03

• From an AP article on the Swedish Open last week:
  Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg - the Swedish stars who combined for 24 Grand Slam singles titles - attended the opening ceremony together for the first time. Wilander is Sweden's Davis Cup captain.
  And I found another photo (right) of the Swedish greats on the Swedish Open site.

• From Jennifer:
  here's an item of interest ... It's an on-line poll on CNNSI.com --- Who was the best men's player of the 1980s? Stefan is mentioned there as one of the choices. Guess who I voted for? ;-)
  (My comments: online polls are bogus; but it's great to know that whoever set it up has acknowledged Stefan. I am especially heartened by that in these days of my heightened sensitivity about Stefan being slighted/forgotten. So go ahead, put in a vote for our beloved, as I did - it wouldn't hurt. Thanks for the tip, Jennifer.)

• No news, but a pleasant anecdote:
  I was flipping channels last Saturday and happened on the Hall of Fame tournament semi where Bob Bryan was playing an Austrian guy (he lost, unfortunately), and my ear perked up when I heard that his idols were Stefan and Michael Stich. Bob Bryan is half of the Bryan Twins, who hailed from California and are making their marks in men's doubles. Last summer, the Byran twins were at Cape Cod when Stefan was there for the Adidas Smash. In Cape Cod, Stefan teamed with Jan-Michael Gambil to play a set against them, and the twins won. I didn't see them with Stefan together much, although I did see Stefan looking at them intently while they were practicing while Stefan was waiting for the exhibition.
  I mentioned this to Penny, who had told me that she's a fan of the Byran twins, and she wrote to say:
  Thanks for sharing that piece of information with me about Bob Bryan. I didn't know that Stefan was one of his idols. That makes me feel great...that one of my favorite players shares a favorite player of mine too. :-) When I asked his twin brother Mike about Stefan playing last year at the Gullikson charity event, he had a huge smile on his face. He had nothing but nice things to say about Stefan. He said that Stefan could easily still play on the main tour. He said his volleys were still there. He was pracitically in awe of him.

• On a less plesant note: I am watching a tape of the 1985 Davis-cup final between Sweden and West Germany. This was the match between 17-year old Becker versus 19-year old Stefan. I already know the outcome, but it really was wrenching to see how Becker -- the darling of Germany after his first triumph at the Wimbledon -- was played up while Stefan was played down. The video feed was provided by Germany, and boy, those Germans ain't subtle. The spectators were harrying Stefan from the get-go, stomping their feet and cheering their own idol with all their might. Stefan had just won the first Australian Open, but on this occasion he was made to play on a surface that did not provide much spin, on which Stefan's game hinged. Without the high kick, Stefan's serve was easily broken.

  The German video feed focused the camera disproportionately on their boy wonder - Stefan was clearly secondary to them.
  What really saddens me is that the ESPN commentators (they were doing the commenting on the video provided by Germany) -- with the exception of Fred Stolle -- were just as Becker-centric, lavishing praise on someone who clearly needed little more of that, and, in the case of Cliff Drysdale, doing so at the expense of Edberg. (It's still that way :-( )

  I don't know if I can stand to finish watching this one.

• From an article on the CNN site:
  LONDON, England (Reuters) -- British tennis chiefs looked to the land of Bjorn Borg and Stefan Edberg on Wednesday to help produce the next home grown Wimbledon champion.
  The Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) director of performance, David Felgate, announced the appointment of Swedish coach Martin Bohm to work with two of Britain's top prospects, and John McEnroe might also become involved in the LTA revival plan.
  BTW another article on the site mentioned that McEnroe beat Boris Becker in both singles and doubles in their World Team Tennis match last week.

I watched the 1984 Davis-cup doubles match several times and wrote it up here. What a treat. Too bad that there weren't more closeups of a very young Stefan. But what aplomb for an 18 year old "youngster." He certainly wowed the three ESPN commentators.

bookem - 12:30pm Jul 14, 2003 PDT Anyone else perplexed why Edberg isn't in the Hall of Fame yet?
To which I responded thus:
This is a sore point for me.
While I have no qualm about Boris Becker being eventually inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame (HOF) of tennis, his nomination for the induction was controversial. By the rules of the HOF, Becker is not yet eligible (he has not yet retired for 5 years), while Edberg retired in 1996 and IS eligible. I have written extensively about this issue (see http://www.oocities.org/edhead01us/snubbed.html and http://www.oocities.org/edhead01us/HOF.html.)
I even got to talk to the HOF's director, who, to his credit, attempted to placate irated Edberg fans such as myself.
I don't know if it's a coincidence - the Swedes apparently established their own tennis hall of fame and at last week's Swedish Open in Bastadd there was some kind of ceremony to induct all three greats: Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Stefan Edberg (see writeup and photo at http://www.oocities.org/edhead01us/).
No matter how you cut it, Edberg was slighted. I've lost my respect for the U.S.'s Hall Of Fame completely.
The Tennis Guy then responsed:
I don't think you understand the rule completely.
"Recent Player Category Eligibility Criteria Active as competitors in the sport within the last 20 years prior to consideration. Not a significant factor on the ATP Tour or the WTA Tour within five years prior to election. A distinguished record of competitive achievement at the highest international level, with consideration given to integrity, sportsmanship and character.
To be inducted as a Recent Player, a panel of the international tennis media votes on Recent Player nominees; a 75% favorable vote is required for Enshrinement."
Becker was ranked in the 100s when he retired, thus he was not a significant factor on the ATP Tour within five years prior to election. Thus Becker IS ELIGIBLE.
Second, a player doesn't get selected in the first two years when he is eligible, he has to wait certain time to be eligible again. Thus when Edberg was eligible, he probably lost to Mats Wilander (2002), Ivan Lendl (2001), which is fair to me.
I understand you are rooting for your favorite player, I am a big fan of Edberg as well. I don't think Edberg was slighted. It is more technicality and timing than anything.
And my final response:
Tennis Guy wrote: Becker was ranked in the 100s when he retired, thus he was not a significant factor on the ATP Tour within five years prior to election. Thus Becker IS ELIGIBLE. Edberg retired earlier when he was ranked No. 14 in 1996.
My response: Becker's year-end rankings were: 6 in 1996, 63 in 1997 and 69 in 1998 respectivly (see http://www.atpstat.de/en/players/becker.htm ), not in the 100s. This is why the Hall of Fame's ECO, Mark Stenner, gave the after-the-fact justification that a player that has fallen out the top 50s is considered no longer a significant factor, so that, by that reasoning, Becker would be eligible for nomination as of 1997. This argument flies in the face of logic and insults 90% of the pro-players on tour - those who are below the 50th ranking. Becker officially retired in 1999, and if he had to wait for 5 years, the earliest that he would be eligible for nomination (NOT induction) is THIS year.
The Tennis Guy wrote: Second, if a player loses in final ballot in the first two (?) years when he is eligible, he has to wait certain time to be eligible again. Thus when Edberg was eligible, he probably lost to Mats Wilander (2002), Ivan Lendl (2001), which is fair to me.
My response: If this were the case, I don't see why the Hall of Fame could not let it be known, especially when so many of us (including Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim) pressed them on the issue. To my knowledge, such a rule has not been articulated and, from my conversation with the Hall's CEO, I don't think he was aware of it either.
Tennis Guy wrote: I understand you are rooting for your favorite player, I am a big fan of Edberg as well. I don't think Edberg was slighted. It is more technicality and timing than anything.
My response: When pressed by Jon Wertheim, the justifications given by the Hall of Fame were (i) Becker was eligible by the rule of out of top 50 equals insignificant, and (ii) the HOF only wants to name one big-name per year to give said name the maximum publicity. These were the same arguments that I heard when I spoke to the CEO in person.
The HOF bent over backward to justify nominating Becker prematurely. If two big-names cannot be nominated at the same time, then why not Edberg now when he's eligible by rule and Becker next year? Also, rumor has it that Steffi Graf is a shoo-in for next year, and so I suppose Stefan will have to wait at least another year, possibly until Sampras, Agassi, and Michael Chang have had their turns?
QED: Edberg WAS slighted and will be viewed so by the tennis community.

I really hope that this is a reaction to the slight from the U.S. Tennis Hall of Fame (which is inducting Boris Becker this month, overlooking Stefan, see here):
Here's an article from Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet about Björn Borg and the Swedish Open (from 7.7.) There is something said about Edberg (and a PICTURE!)
Tennisstjärnan valdes dessutom till hedersmedlem i Swedish Tennis Hall of Fame tillsammans med de tidigare världsettorna Mats Wilander och Stefan Edberg. Kollegorna var snabba med att gratulera sin kompis som blivit pappa. - Det märks ju att han är en vältränad idrottsman, eftersom han precis har fått barn, skojade Stefan Edberg.
Moreover, the tennis star was elected honour member in the Swedish Tennis Hall of Fame together with the former world's number ones Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg. The colleagues were fast with congratulations to their friend who had become Dad: "It's noticeable that he is a well trained sportsman because he just got a child", Edberg joked.
PREMIÄRMATCH I mamma Patricia Östfeldts famn såg lille Leo Borg, 1,5 månad, för första gången pappa Björn Borg spela tennis när han invigde Swedish Open i Båstad tillsammans med Mats Wilander och Stefan Edberg.
In mother Patricia Östfeldts arms little Leo Borg, 1.5 months, saw father Björn Borg play tennis for the first time, when he opened Swedish Open in Båstad together with Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg
Many thanks to Markus for the find and translation. Stefan, Mats, and Bjorn had played an exhibition in year 2000. It's good to hear that they played again to open the newly schedued Swedish Open. Any photos and video will be greatly appreciated.

7/12/03

• Bjorn in Sweden has kindly provided a translation of the Swedish article that appeared on sportal.nu yesterday:
  The article was naturally about Nadal and Stefan had some comments about his tennis but there is nothing about Stefan coaching him or anyone else. I haven’t heard anything about that before either.
  Here you have the text in English:
  The new young tennis star Rafael Nadal is believed to have a great future and this Wednesday did the only 17-year-old Spanish played advance to the quarter final in Bastad. -He might be a coming would star says Stefan Edberg. It’s the first time ever fro Nadal to play a quarter final in an ATP-tournament. In his last match he crushed his compatriot Albert Portas in two strait sets. -He has a great physique, want to win and has a fantastic speed in his strokes says an impressed Stefan Edberg to Sportbladet.
  -He has many weapons and that is required to be in the very top, continues the Swedish tennis legend. Nadal played his first ATP-match when he was 15 years old and right now he is ranked as number 61.
  -He has a high tempo and his forehand is pperfect. I think he has all the things that you need to be a great player, says the tennis oracle Bjorn Hellberg.
  In the quarter final he will play Nicolas Lapentti from Ecuador.
  So it's not really about Stefan at all. But at least I now know that Edberg is still involved with the Swedish Open, which apparently has been rescheduled to this time of the year instead of at year end.
• More delights from Mark, who was at the Queen's exhibition: photos taken by him are shown below - quite different from the AP photos taken during the match, wouldn't you say?

• A bit of news showed up on http://sportal.nu/ today - but in Swedish:
  Edberg tror på Nadal
  10. juli 2003 13:52
  Tennisens underbarn Rafael Nadal spås en lysande framtid och på onsdagen blev den blott 17-årige spanjoren klar för kvartsfinal i Båstad. "Det kan vara en ny världsstjärna", säger Stefan Edberg.
  För första gången i karriären är Rafael Nadal framme i kvartsfinal i en ATP-turnering. På onsdagen krossade den unge spanjoren landsmannen Albert Portas i två raka set i Swedish Open i Båstad.
  - Vill du se någon som kan bli bra, vill ddu se något utmärkande - och den här killen har det. Han är stor, fysiskt stark, vill verkligen vinna och har ett jäkla drag i bollen, säger en imponerad Stefan Edberg till Sportbladet.
  - Han har många vapen. Han har det som kräävs för att nå det övre skiktet, fortsätter den svenske tennislegenden.
  Nadal spelade sin första match på ATP-touren som 15-åring. Han är för tillfället rankad 61:a i världen.
  - Konjukturerna är gynnsamma för att han sska bli en världsspelare. Han är oerhört talangfull. Han spelar med ett högt tempo och piskar in sin forehand. Jag tror att han har alla förutsättningar att bli en präktig storspelare, säger tennisoraklet Björn Hellberg.
  I fredagens kvartsfinal möter spanjoren Nicolas Lapentti, Ecuador.
  I will post a translation as soon as it becomes available.
• Found this paragraph in a 6/28 article that appeared in The Hindu, India's National Newspaper:
  Roddick on a roll, in fourth round
  By Nirmal Shekar
  ... While this writer has no score to settle with baseliners, for the purists, Wimbledon may lose some of its sheen should the rear court masters dominate the sport here.
  Someone like Roddick does put a lot of people in their seats in stadiums and keeps the TV producers happy too with his power game and charismatic personality. But watching a so-called champion-in-the-making win 99 per cent of his points from the baseline on grass will not take the connoisseur's breath away, surely.
  Consider these statistics. Serve and volley approaches for Roddick in today's match: first set, 0/26; second set, 0/24; third set, 0/23.Where, then, have the volleyers gone? At this great cathedral of lawn tennis where the legendary Australians of the 1960s and 1970s, and the McEnroes, Edbergs, Beckers and Samprases after them, turned volleying into a delightful art form, serve and volleyers have now become a dying _ if not dead _ breed.
  Roddick, for instance, wouldn't seem to want to venture up to the net even if his life depended on getting there. And Andre Agassi, for all his genius, is no Stefan Edberg at the net.
  Ah, Stefan, sweet Stefan! What a magnificent volleyer the amiable Swede was! Not even the peerless Sampras had Edberg's grace and touch at the net.
• And the excellent drawing mentioned by Mark -- who was at the Queen's exhibition -- is shown below - do note the autograph by Stefan:

• A delightful note from Mark, who was at the Queen's exhibition:
  I was lucky enough to visit the Stella Artois championships in London 2 weeks ago and saw the Edberg-Becker exhibition match. It was such a joy to see him in action again and a relief after the boredom of the actual final which Andy Roddick won. Towards the end of the day I waited for a while at the players exit in the hope that Stefan would sign another of my drawings. Not only did he oblige, but he was considerate enough to put all of his luggage down and ask me where exactly to sign it. He hung around for fans to have photos with him and made time to chat. This was so the opposite of earlier in the day when I just about managed to get Becker to scribble on a drawing of him - his arrogance and general bigheaded attitude only proved even more just what a gentleman Stefan is. It was great to see him so relaxed.
• On a separate thread: I got hold of a tape of the 1984 Davis-Cup doubles match: Edberg-Jarryd (Sweden) vs. McEnroe-Fleming (U.S.). Although the tape was not of high quality, it is nevertheless a treat indeed to get to see an 18-year old Stefan in action against McEnroe in his prime. For those who may not know, this was a year when Sweden did win the Cup. Prior to said match, Sweden had already won both singles against a troubled U.S. Team (headed by Arthur Ashe and with Jimmy Connors on the team in addition to McEnroe.) The Swedish team had Mats Wilander in addition to Stefan and Anders Jarryd and Sunstrom(?). Stefan did not get to play in the singles, but was teamed with 23-year-old Jarryd for the doubles. I believe that it was the first time that Stefan played in the David Cup. He was wearing his blond hair short, unlike his longish hair 4 years later at the Wimbledon. All the elements of his game was already there, including his single-handed backhand and his kick serve. I have not finished watching the match, but a few things of note already:
  1. Stefan's coach at the time, Percy Rothberg, who also coached Bjorn Borg, was in the stands - the first time I managed to see his likeness.
  2. At the top of the match, one of the ESPN commentators mistook Stefan for Anders, as apparently did the camera-person, who kept training the camera on Jarryd instead of the then rising Edberg (who had not yet won his first Australian Open.)
  3. The commentators (Cliff Drysdale, Fred Stolle, and one other less knowledgeable) increasingly noticed Stefan's presence and fine play - I especially enjoyed this remark about Stefan: "He's a big man - for a young person."
  4. The Swedish spectators (the match was played on indoor clay in Goteborg, Sweden) were very enthusiastic, unlike in later days.
  I can't wait to see the victorious end. I have seen clips of Stefan being tossed up by the team when the victory for Sweden was secured. I doubt if that's on this tape, but if it is, then it is even more priceless than I thought! As it is, the tape is already a great find and a great treat.

• I never take online polls seriously, but I happened to stumble on this poll on the BBC site - which goes like this:
  Who was Wimbledon's greatest men's champion in the Open era?
  Andre Agassi
  Bjorn Borg
  Boris Becker
  Pat Cash
  Jimmy Connors
  Rod Laver
  John McEnroe
  Pete Sampras
  
  Do you notice someone's name missing? Surely if Agassi and Cash (one-time winners both, at least so far) are included, Stefan at least merits a mention? I tell you, Stefan is being forgotten by the media, just because he's not actively helping them to sell tennis.
  This is especially unforgivable coming so soon after their broadcast of the exhibition, for which I wrote to thank BBC.
  Please write and complain, if you care: here.
• On a happier note, read an eyewitness account of the 1991 Wimbledon, in which Stefan was mentioned thus:
  The roar of the crowd, welcoming Stefan Edberg and Thierry Champion ... Edberg served and volleyed brilliantly to take the first two sets. In the third set, momentum shifted to Champion. Champion was hanging tough and led 5-4. He'd won the first two points of Edberg's serve, when the machine advanced his throttle and won three games in a row, dashing the Frenchman's hopes. Scores were 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. Edberg played some solid tennis, but he always does. It's Stefan's consistency, coupled with his intense desire that makes him the great player he is. Mr. Cool seldom beats himself.
• And Rachelle alerted me to a 2000-word article that appeared in the (London) Sunday Times on June 8th, the Sunday preceding the Queen's Tournament, titled "Edberg's return". Parts of the article have appeared in various articles, but read the real thing here.
  The writer of the article apparently visited Stefan in Vaxjo, and the article gave a good account of what life is like for Stefan these days.
  There's mentioning of Stefan's farm (first I heard of). And there are a couple of poignant paragraphs:
  "The first night when I'd finished playing, I couldn't sleep because I had so many things I wanted to do, so many plans," he says. "You feel freedom, freedom for the first time in your life."
  And note the last two sentences in this paragraph:
  "I know Boris's tennis well enough, but we kept our distance once the rivalry began. He was in his corner, I was in mine. He had 10 people around him and I had Tony (Pickard). In some ways, I've been able to sneak in the back door because of Boris. He was the big star, I wasn't. But that suits me. Even in Sweden now, the kids don't realise what sort of a player I was in the past. When they ask for an autograph now, it's usually for their mum or dad."
  That's Stefan speaking. Not only is serve-and-volley fading, but it seems that so is the memory of Stefan, even (and especially) in Sweden.

6/28/03

Melva wrote:
If you have a photo of Stefans children and wife. ANY Could you PLEASE put them on your wonderful site or show us some way. PLEASE We here in Australia miss him and family so much.

As one who sorely misses Stefan, believe me I well know the feeling.
There are photos of Stefan, Annette, and young Emilie (the daughter) from the days when Stefan was on tour - below you will find two - they are among my favorite photos of Stefan:



Since those days, there has not been any photo of the family. Kristofer, the boy, has never been in a public photo, to my knowledge.
I had thought that it was because Stefan wanted to protect the privacy of his family, which is understandable. And so I was rather pleasantly surprised to see Annette, Emilie, and Kristofer shown on the BBC broadcast of the Queen's exhibition. Suffice it to say that Annette looks little changed from the days when she sat in the stands watching Stefan in action. Both children are very blond. Kristofer has short hair that's styled like his dad's :-), a snub nose, and I think the eyes and mouth of Stefan - truly adorable.

I respect Stefan's privacy and even if I had found a photo of the family I think I would hesitate to post it on the web. But if I do manage to find one, I will share with those interested privately.

• Found: Stefan's squash ranking
• While surfing the web for more Queen's tidbits, I found this reference to Stefan in an article about a female athlete from the Yale University, which really strikes a chord:
  Despite the constant recognition, Anthony likes to think of herself in terms of lesser known athletes. "My favorite athletes are Billy McCaffrey, Chris Collins, and Stefan Edberg," she said. "Most people haven't heard of the first two. I'm a big fan of the behind-the-scenes types, the people that get the job done and don't necessarily seek recognition for it."
  As much as I enjoyed seeing Stefan at Queen's earlier this month, the appearance brought home the fact that Stefan was treated as a second fiddle to Boris, and is treated so by the media in general. This is understandable, considering that Becker works for BBC these days and is constantly in the news for one reason or another, while Stefan - as McEnroe put it - hides himself in remote Sweden. Case in point: During the broadcast of their exhibition at Queen's, Boris was mentioned first at every turn, and the camera stayed on him at closeup during changeovers (except when gasps and whistles could be heard when Stefan took off his shirt - even the BBC camera person did not fail to sense the significance :-)
  I am desperate to get hold of a closeup photo of Stefan taken when he was in London, not the ones that showed him in action, but one taken when he was relaxed and well posed, such as the one projected onto the lawn during the broadcast and shown side by side with Boris'. No such luck. I searched the web for days to no avail. I did find a couple of Boris', however, and that adds to my frustration. This is especially annoying when by all account Stefan was the better-preserved of the two, and I really wanted to post a photo of Edberg that justifies his appearance as shown in the video: tanned, relaxed, and happy (as evidenced by the smile that came to his face so easily throughout the event.) By contrast, Becker was apparently intent on a victory and appeared far more serious throughout (Boris did make a lighthearted remark after yielding a point to Stefan.)
  So it is good to know that there are others, including one bright young athlete, who understand that the greatness of an athlete is not necessarily measured by public recognition and media attention. Throughout his illustrious career, Stefan always understated himself, and he liked it that way. Obviously, that has not changed. Stefan has always sought anonymity and being in Boris' shadow apparently suits him just fine.
  But it still makes me sad.

• A followup on Stefan's little boy as he appeared at Queen's: Upon looking at the tape again, I realize that Kristofer was wearing a hairdo much like his dad's - same cow lick; parting on the same side :-) Also, he was wearing a shirt of the kind favored by Stefan when he's off the court. Cute or what? :-) :-)
• A belated find of a good Edberg-Becker interview:
  15 June, 2003 , LONDON
  FEATURE PRESENTATION: BORIS BECKER AND STEFAN EDBERG
  One of the great tennis rivalries for a decade from the late eighties to the late nineties was between Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. They brought out the best in each other and more often than not when they met in a Grand Slam final like Wimbledon, it was never seen as just a match, it was seen as an event.
  Incredibly, the first time they squared off at Wimbledon was in the first round of the juniors back in 1983. Twenty years on they remain great champions and laugh when one asks how many people really would have imagined that they would play finals there years later.
  On the eve of Wimbledon, 2003, Boris and Stefan sat down for a chat.
  Do you think things are a bit slower on the courts?
  SE: It's hard to tell. I've been looking a little bit at the matches here. Obviously there is a lot of tennis played form the back of the court but they do it well and they do what they can and what they do best, but it has changed a little bit over the years, everybody has to agree with that and it's not easy serving and volleying out there

  What do you think about the absence of serve and volleyers? BB: Well in my opinion, Stefan in his good days would serve and volley and so would I, its a question that you don't have many playing it all year round. You saw the match with Roddick and Agassi - it was still a very fast and powerful game, so if you've got the weapons you are still going to use them. But in general, the yes is played more from the back and you've got more rallies, and it doesn't really matter if you play on clay or grass or on hard courts, guys like to rally.
  SE: It could go in cycles, that has been in the past. There were a lot of serve volleyers at one time and now they are playing from the back of the court and hopefully it will change a little bit. I think what is needed is a contrast of different styles, it makes the game a little bit interesting, I think, because usually the best games you watch is an aggressive player playing against a defensive player, where you have a lot of movement up and down, forwards on the court, that could help. I think what has changed also is that the guys return a lot better today than the used to do. If a guy had a big serve 15, 20 years ago you would automatically step back one or two steps to get more time, today they don't, they stand at the same place and they react so much faster. That is the difference.

  What do you think of the way Andre Agassi is still going?
  SE: To me it's astonishing. He is playing some great tennis, he's 33. It's quite amazing. If you look back in history it has been quite difficult to win grand slams once you pass 30 years of age but he's proven you can do it. He's probably one of these exceptions that come once in a while, he can stay focused on what he is doing, he's enjoying what he's doing and he's working out hard and still got the power to do it. I'm very impressed to say the least.
  BB: The big difference between his career and our careers is that we produced every year, we were in the top five or top two, Agassi for a number of years he was gone, he wasn't playing, back to '97, he was ranked 150 in the world, basically not playing, giving up tennis so that gave him a couple of years from his body and game wise. When Stefan retired in '97, and I a year later, we had for the last 12 years played our 60, 70, 80 matches on the top level, and sooner or later that is going to catch up and eventually it did at 30 years of age. That's the difference with Andre, he saved himself a little bit with his career.

  Is there one favourite for you for Wimbledon?
  BB: No. There are a number of favourites, you have to always go with the defending champion first, that's Lleyton Hewitt. He's not up to his level he was last year, he was the number one favourite, then you have Agassi, through his performances this week Andy Roddick and I would usually always say Pete Sampras but he is not around this year, so that's a first. I think nit's pretty open. The last couple of years you had two, three, four guys who were definite favourites, this year I find it far more open than in previous years.
  In the women's I have to go with the Williams sisters. Clay is a different story but on grass with their power, and also the fact that they haven't won in the last couple of weeks or month, a major. It probably makes them more determined to come back and win again, but we'll see.
  SE: I totally agree with Boris on what he says for both the men and the women sides. That's the predication from me too.

  Any outsiders you fancy?
  SE: Not from me. I haven't particularly watched a lot of tennis on television. No one that I can come up with. What about you Boris?
  BB: I like the young Croatian (Mario) Ancic. I think he has shown not only last year beating (Roger) Federer but this year giving Andre a good run for his money at the French, he could be up for a couple more rounds this year, plus Roddick, the guy is only 20 years old and he hasn't produced his major tennis at a Grand Slam but he's about ready now.

  Roger Federer has failed to deliver at a Grand Slam, what about him?
  
  BB: I actually forgot to mention his name because he is the most naturally gifted played around and he can play on any surface. The fact that he has been winning Masters Series events, so not producing in a Grand Slam must make him upset. He's one of the top four favourites I would consider to win Wimbledon.
  SE: I've seen him play and I agree with Boris. He has the potential to win, no question about it. He's got the talent but maybe there is something up there missing as of now but once he cracks it and gets into a groove and starts winning matches it will end (not performing) pretty quickly at the next few Grand Slams.

  How do you see things with Lleyton Hewitt at the moment?
  BB: Every number one goes through a dry spell. It was in Stefan's career and it was in my career. It's just natural. Your opponents read your game better. It's far more pressure producing it the second or third time around than the first time around. You as a young man grow older, have a girlfriend and all the distractions that take a little bit away from it, but eventually you come through and that's the same with Lleyton. He is a very, very talented young player, got the right attitude, loves tennis, loves to win and he will be back winning. It's just a question of time but as of now he's maybe 10% off from last year.

  Do you really think that's the case seeing that he's won Scottsdale and Indian Wells, won at Davis Cup and all three matches at the World Team Cup and while he struggled at Queen's, he still got through a couple of matches.
  BB: The problem being ranked number one or the current Wimbledon champion, you're level is there (showing how high). He didn't win the Australian, he didn't win the French, he's not number one on Monday (week before Wimbledon) and that's what you measure it on. He's still one of the very best of the game but there is only room for one number one, and he's not that anymore because his level has just dropped a few percent and that means he will lose in a semifinal or a final. That doesn't mean he's bad, by no means.

  In your opinion why do you think the over-35s circuit hasn't been a success, is it too expensive to stage, should they be promoted before a regular tour event, what?
  BB: I have played them so maybe I should answer. The problem is that it was run by (Jimmy) Connors and he happens to be 50 now, and (John) McEnroe took over and he's 44. It's basically now in our hands and when we do hold a tournament in an environment that loves tennis, and as you said, in front of a major tournament, it's very successful. I was playing for two days with John and Patrick McEnroe in Hamburg and we had 24,000 people over two days. I played Michael Stich in Halle and we had 12,500, and I think if Stefan and myself played anywhere in the world we would get as many. You need to get the right people and the right format to play one another and then there's a chance. Then again it has a lot to do with who's hosting it and who's responsible and who's speaking with what and whom ... so, you are talking about politics here and this is not our forte.

  The posted article also has audio that you can link to.

• An another belated find, this one came out before the exhibition, but written from the point of view of Stefan instead of Boris:
  Edberg, Becker all set to renew rivalry
  By: PTI
  June 13, 2003
  
  London: The Kings of Queen's are set to return. Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker who ruled the tennis lawns in the late eighties and early nineties will come face to face once again on Sunday to play an exhibition match commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Queen's Club grass court event here. And years after his retirement, Edberg is still as keen to renew his rivalry with the German legend.
  "Even if it's fun, just an exhibition, I want to beat Boris," he was quoted as saying.
  "That's just the way it is. It will be the same for him. It will bring back some memories for us, hopefully for the people too," he said.
  The rivalry between the two players, who between them hold five Wimbledon singles titles, has been legendary.
  Becker made history when he won his first crown in 1985 at the age of 17 and won his second title in 1986.
  Australian Pat Cash brought a brief halt to Becker's dominance at Wimbledon in 1987 but then followed a saga in which the German and the Swede met in three consecutive finals - Edberg emerging the winner twice, in 1988 and 1990, and Becker once, in 1989.
  Edberg and Becker had keenly contested against each other at the junior level, and carried on their battles at the other Grand Slams too.
  Edberg won the Australian Open in 1985 and '87, and the US Open in 1991 and 92. Becker claimed the US Open title in 1989 and the Australian Open in 1991 and 96.
  Only on the slow red clay of Roland Garros, the booming serves of Becker and the wicked kick serves of Edberg failed to come through.
  Over all, Becker and Edberg played each other 35 times and the former holds the upper hand 25-10. But the Swede held the number one position for 72 weeks, 60 more than what Becker managed.
  What the rematch of the two players will strive, although in vain, is to revive the glorious era of the serve and volley specialists who have long lost out to the powerful baseliners.
  Edberg acnowledged Becker brought the best out of him.
  "Boris has been very good for my tennis and I hope I have been good for his.
  "We have challenged each other. He won the Queen's and then Wimbledon, and it made me realise I could do that too because we had already played together in the juniors.
  "In 1983 we played the first round of junior Wimbledon... I don't think either of us thought it would be the start of something.
  "All I remember was that he had a big serve," Edberg said.
  Edberg was aware of the place in history the two players enjoyed.
  "I would not want to change places with Boris, not for a second. There had not been a German tennis player for years and then this big star comes from nowhere, from a country hungry for success.
  "His life changed in a second. I was lucky. Even today Boris is the big star, Mats (Wilander) and I are on a different level. So when I won my first Grand Slam it was almost expected."
  The passage of time has blunted the edges that shone through the clashes between the two, and the mention of Becker brings out a mild laughter from the polite Swede.
  "Boris is Boris. I don't know what he is up to - he has not been too much in the press recently - but we can look each other in the eye and know we have given our best.
  "I know Boris' tennis well enough, but we kept our distance once the rivalry began. He was in his corner, I was in mine.
  "In some ways, I have been able to sneak in the back door because of Boris. He was the big star, I wasn't. But that suits me."
  After their playing days, the lives of the two players had followed different tangents. The German, once the blue-eyed boy of his nation, is constantly on the news, not always for the right reasons.
  On the other hand, Edberg, who quit the professional circuit while still at his peak, leads a quiet life in Vaxjo, his native place in Sweden, where he runs a tennis project and a charitable foundation.
  Edberg is disturbed by the homogenisation of the modern tennis.
  "I went down to a coaching clinic recently with 50 to 60 of the best juniors in the country. All play western forehand grip, all have double-handed back hands. It looked as if they have come out of the same factory."
  What concerns the Swede more is the death of the serve and volley game.
  "Serve and volley is a dying art. That's sad because you need a variation to make the game attractive. If I were starting my career now, I couldn't play like I did.
  "I served and volleyed first and second serves. It was hard work, but with the new rackets so much more powerful and the return of serve so much better now, I would have to mix it up more."
  That dying art will be given a temporary life-support on Sunday when the two of the best practitioners of that kind of tennis in recent years take to the courts at the Queen's.

Jennifer wrote to ask:
How did Annette and Emilie look? We all know the boys in the family are adorable but what about the girls?
Because Emilie was sulking (she was looking down and there was clearly some family drama ongoing, although Mom was smiling) it was hard to see her. Both kids are very Scandinavian, as to be expected. Emilie seems on the skinny side and her hair's a little stringy. She's not fully bloomed yet, but she will be a beauty one day. I could be wrong but I think she has Stefan's mouth, not as full-lipped as Annette. Annette looks pretty much the same as all those years when she sat patiently in the stands while Stefan played. She had the shades on and the camera angle did not show her in full face, so it's hard to say. But I saw her in Cape Cod (albeit at a distance) last year and her figure has been well preserved, as far as I could tell.
The little boy has a short haircut and must have been how Stefan looked when he was little, although existing photos showed otherwise. I think he has Stefan's mouth and chin, and maybe the eyes too. He is the one that the camera caught in full face, because of where he was sitting.
I must say that if I had run into either of the kids without the parents, I may not recognize them at all. But they are cute as buttons, and Stafan and Annette seem really happy with their life, so the kids must be doing well.
BBC also showed glimpses of Boris' little boy, Noah. He too is a really cute kid. Supposedly Noah was carrying a racket around, so Boris may have a better chance of having his tennis carried on to the next generation than Stefan. Big sigh. Sue Barker did ask both Stefan and Boris about their kids and tennis.

I realize that the rest of the tennis world is buzzing about the #1 seed getting knocked out in the W today. Ah well, he too got the giant treatment - remember the year that Stefan losing to Dick Norman? But for a defending champion to lose in the 1st round to a qualifer who had never played in any grand slam - that is embarrassing, but I suppose anything could happen these days in men's tennis, I understand. Must say that Stefan probably had a chuckle over this, perhaps under his breath. I don't think Stefan has gotten over his ire towards Hewitt for ditching the Stockholm Open when Hewitt first burst on the scene.
Meanwhile, I live in the past and enjoyed the Queen's video. I must say that Boris' victory was deserved: he was the better player even though Stefan was apparently the fitter of the two men. A big reason is that Boris still plays professionally, while Stefan only hits with juniors in Sweden. It is to Stefan's credit that he held his own and did not get demolished, thanks to his good work ethic (two days of practice, per Chris' report.) It's too bad that the exhibition ended on a down beat - I think the crowd would have been on the edge of their seats had the set gone on to 8-8 and a tiebreak.
As Stefan said in the post-match interview: He can still hit his backhand and can probably do so if he's woken in the middle of the night. He was playing better early on: the serves were going in better and he made a good lob and some beautiful touch shots. As the match wore on his serve got worse and Boris was able to make some deadly returns and to pass Stefan at the net repeatedly.
I think we can forget about Stefan's kids emerging as the next generation server-and-volleyers: both of them looked disintereted, especially as the match went on. Stefan's little boy did look alert and happy at the beginning, but apparently the sun was in his eyes, among other things. But I couldn't get enough of seeing that little boy.
Another highlight is the cut of Stefan taking off his shirt just before the last game. The camera was on Boris when off screen some commotion could be heard. One lady seated immediately behind Boris picked up her camera to train it to the left of Boris, as did BBC's camera. And there was Stefan in the midst of peeling off his sweat-soaked shirt. Having seen such a spectacle numerous times on tape, I can tell you that yes, it is true that Stefan has a lean physique that should be the envy of any 35+ person. People were trying to be polite, but whistles could be heard.
Well, it wasn't the Wimbledon 88 final, but I never thought I would get a chance to see Stefan play on grass again. I count my blessings and this is definitely one of them. Thanks again for the tape, Chris.

• Thanks to the kindness of Chris, I finally got to view a tape of the BBC broadcast of the Edberg-Becker exhibition.
  The video was recorded in SP mode, and contains about 30 minutes of a pre-match interview of Stefan and Boris, and then about 30 minutes of the two in action. As a bonus: During the showing of the match, there are shots of Stefan's family.

  I have not viewed the whole thing yet, but suffice it to say that the photos posted on the web did not do justice to Stefan. On the video (including closeups), Stefan did not look pale and aged as shown in the photos. Quite the contrary, he was tanned, relaxed, fit as a fiddle, and his usual poised and handsome self. If only he would let his hair lose that stiff look:-)

  The prematch interview was conducted by BBC's Sue Barker, and you could see that both Stefan and Boris have mellowed with age. I must say that Stefan speaks excellent English, better than Boris', in my opion. He's ever the gentleman and speaks of everything and everyone positively. For example, while Boris cast doubt on Roddick, Stefan praised him highly. I didn't know that people were invited to send email to ask questions, or I would have sent in a few myself. As it was, Becker was asked if he still dives for the ball, and they both were asked what they are doing these days. Unfortunately, Sue Barker (I am sure that she was only doing her job) seemed to be more interested in asking the two to promote the tournament, asking them to comment on Henman (of course), Roddick, and Grosjean and their chances. Stefan and Boris do come across as two who share a fondness and has respect for each other - it's really wonderful to get to see them together again; I always do think of them (Stefan especially) as the princes of tennis.

  I have not yet finished watching the set that the two played. But it's really a shame that Stefan didn't defeat Becker, because Boris was, at least at the beginning of the set, visibly sluggish. As many have observed and a number of articles have hinted: Becker apparently has put on some weight. But he has not lost his touch and he could still boom those serves.

  I have seen a shot of Annette and the kids in the stands though, and, folks, the boy is a mix of Annette and Stefan, really very cute (and I don't use the word lightly.) In this shot, Emilee for some reason appeared to be sulking, not even looking at the action, but as we all know she takes up after the mother and she will be a beauty.
  I thank Chris again for providing the tape - it made my day and then some. I will have more to say after viewing the whole tape.

• This wonderful note from an Edberg fan brighted my day:
  I want to thank you for the lovely article on Stefan Edberg. I too am a huge fan and miss the graceful strokes and gentle temperment of truly one of the greatest players of all time. it was nice to see that he continues to play the game.I first met Stefan at key Biscayne 8 years ago. I was a young junior player at the time and couldnt wait to see the top pros in action.I arrrived at the tournament at 8 in the morning and thought there would be a bustle of players and activity..there wasnt a soul in sight, disapointed ,I started to leave the tournament sight, when lo and behold leaving the players lounge and making his way to the practice courts was none other than Stefan and a practice partner.. I rushed over to them and conitnued walking in stride with this great player hoping th hear the banter of the great champion..not a sound was uttered other than "we will hit for 50 minutes"to the other player. We! must have walked in step for 10 minutes without another word. Finally , I couldnt resist any longer , I asked for a picture and autograph, he kindly and softly obliged, stopped briefly, and continued on. I watched him practice the entire morning, rhythmic in his repitition, signature backhand, perfect volley.Ill never forget that morning, and reading your webpage brought back a great memory, thankyou again

• Article Posted on Sun, Jun. 22, 2003
  Today's tennis: serve and folly
  Baseline boomers make a mockery of game's bygone artistry
  BY LINDA ROBERTSON
  lrobertson@herald.com (Miami Herald)
  The serve-and-volley game has gone the way of the curtsy.
  At Wimbledon, the cradle of tennis, both are being discarded as old-fashioned and unnecessary. Beautiful when properly executed, but antique.
  For the first time in Wimbledon's 117-year history, starting Monday, players will no longer be required to bow or dip to the Royal Box when entering and exiting Centre Court, unless Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Charles is present.
  And, at this temple of the fast-paced grass-court game, fewer players will be charging the net than ever before.
  ''It's sad,'' said Martina Navratilova, one of the sport's premier serve-and-volleyers who has watched tennis change radically during her career. ``Too many of today's players stay back in their comfort zone on the baseline instead of being brave. It's become a homogenized game.''
  In 1975, when Navratilova turned pro, six of the top 10 women served and volleyed more often than not: Navratilova, Virginia Wade, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong, Margaret Court and Olga Morozova.
  In 1974, when the U.S. Open was still contested on grass, six of the top 10 men also went to the net urgently and frequently: Arthur Ashe, Ilie Nastase, Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Tom Okker and Stan Smith.
  But by the mid-1990s, players such as Jana Novotna and Patrick Rafter were considered throwbacks, speakers of an ancient and dying language.
  On Monday, when matches commence at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, no men or women in the top 10 are serve-and-volley practitioners.
  Without the inactive Pete Sampras and the newly retired Richard Krajicek, there is concern that the men's final could be similar to the blah baseline duel of 2002, when Lleyton Hewitt defeated David Nalbandian in three sets. Hope springs eternal that elegant attacker and four-time semifinalist Tim Henman could revive the fortunes of England (which has not produced a men's singles champion since Fred Perry in 1936) and the serve and volley. Among the women considered contenders, only Lisa Raymond is a true serve-and-volley player, and she's a long shot.

  CUTTING THE GRASS
  The ideal serve-and-volley surface is on the way out
  ''People used to design their games to win on grass,'' said former pro Mary Carillo. ``I wish grass would make a comeback. It would teach players a forward game, a more artful game.''
  Despite nostalgic sighs about the evolution of tennis into a game for grinding groundstrokers, it is true that the serve-and-volley style does not reap the rewards it used to. There are fewer grass tournaments. Surfaces are slower. Rackets are bigger. Balls are heavier. Grips have moved from Eastern to Western and one-handed to two-handed as booming topspin has replaced the deft slice. Singles players don't play doubles as often, thus dulling their volleying skills. Kids are taught to hit hard and be patient rather than risk being passed at the net.
  Where have you gone, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker? Oh, for the edge-of-the-seat contrasting styles of John McEnroe-Jimmy Connors matches. The lunges, the reflexes, the overheads -- rare indeed.
  Even the hallowed grass at Wimbledon has changed. Since the club switched to 100 percent of the more durable, springier rye grass two years ago, players have said it feels more like a hard court. They say that instead of skidding low, the ball bounces higher, giving them more reaction time.
  ''They made the grass longer so the serve doesn't come through as fast,'' Navratilova said by phone from England. ``It was no accident that two baseliners played in the men's final last year. If they want Henman to win, they better cut the grass.''
  Eddie Seaward, Wimbledon's head groundsman, said the club never intended to slow down the game, only to utilize advances by the Turf Research Institute in Yorkshire, which cultivated a longer-wearing grass.
  ''I don't know why players have said we tried to slow things down,'' he said Thursday by phone. ``No one has mentioned it this year during practice, so maybe last year was a [off one]. If the weather leading in is warm and dry, the ball does bounce higher. Right now, the bounce is quite nice and firm.''
  Seaward said his Toro lawn mowers are set to keep the grass precisely 8 millimeters high (slightly higher than a quarter of an inch) and there is no manipulation to suit certain styles of play.
  He would like to see more players embrace grass rather than regard it as an intimidating anachronism. Now that hardier, low-maintenance grasses can be installed, he'd also like to see growth in the number of grass courts worldwide. He doesn't want Wimbledon to become a dinosaur.
  ''It's a case of producing a court players are comfortable on, where they can play their shots and keep their footing,'' he said. ``We want to encourage the clay-court players to compete here. The revival of grass will only come if we can make the players happy.''
  Players used to learn on grass, and the French Open used to be the only Grand Slam not contested on grass. But today the grass-court season is just five weeks long, concluding with the Hall of Fame tournament in Newport, R.I., where the 13 grass courts are the only ones open continuously to the public in the United States. It just doesn't pay for a pro to be a serve-and-volley specialist.
  ''As tennis moved away from its country-club image, grass courts became less practical,'' said Pam Shriver, who recalled that when she turned pro in 1978, Chris Evert was an anomaly as a baseliner. ``If someone sees a grass court now, it's like seeing a celebrity. They want to touch it and walk barefoot on it. It has such a magical, mystical quality to it.''

  CHANGING THE PACE
  `They slowed the courts down,and we saw baseliners emerge'
  Not only did grass die out, but clay became more popular, fast indoor courts less popular, and hard courts were slowed down when additional sand was mixed in during resurfacing.
  ''There was a period when the game was so fast and there were so many aces that people complained they never saw any rallies; they got sick and tired of wham-bam tennis,'' said Francisco Montana, a former pro and now a U.S. Tennis Association high-performance coach in Key Biscayne. ``They slowed the courts down, and we saw the aggressive baseliners emerge. With the 10-inch racket heads and topspin grips, they can really swing full out.''
  Todd Martin, who joins Taylor Dent as the United States' most prominent serve-and-volleyers, says the leaders of tennis tinkered too much.
  ''They overcompensated by slowing down the courts and the ball,'' he said. ``At Wimbledon, the ball went from a lemon to a grapefruit in a year. It would be a more entertaining sport to watch and play if we could go back and find a compromise between where we were and where we are.''
  Young players coached to smack roundhouse groundstrokes need to diversify, said Navratilova, who also favors shrinking rackets by an inch.
  ''Kids are hitting it harder than they should at an earlier age,'' she said. ``They don't have the wrist strength and reaction time to volley properly when they are little. They could perfect it later, but by then they are glued to the baseline. However, now the savvy coaches see that everybody hits the groundstrokes well, so what is the dividing factor? Rushing the net can set a player apart.''
  Carillo and McEnroe learned under Australian Harry Hopman.
  ''I was taught that by applying positional pressure on your opponent to make a great return you eventually will win more matches at the net than at the baseline,'' Carillo said. ``I remember how Chrissie [Evert] would come in, get passed, shake her head and retreat to the baseline, but we were taught to keep on coming. Chipping to the opponent's backhand was my bread-and-butter play. Now players have bazooka backhands, and I'd get killed.''
  By the end of her career, Shriver had trouble volleying her opponents' service returns. Their forehands and backhands were too good.

  LESSONS FOR TODAY
  Players could enhance power games with serve and volley
  Given the vast improvement in groundstrokes, the best strategy is to use the serve and volley as a weapon, Montana says.
  He advocates devoting at least 15 percent of practice time to it so players can pull it out of their pocket and rattle an opponent during a match. Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Venus and Serena Williams are often mentioned as pros who could develop dangerous serve-and-volley dimensions. The women, with the exception of Serena, need to develop stronger serves.
  ''The players do strike the ball better now, but the game can still be won at the net,'' said Zina Garrison, Wimbledon finalist in 1990. ``Last year at Wimbledon, when Serena really needed some points, she came to the net. You have to be ready to think offensively.''
  Carillo and Martin point out that serving and volleying is more efficient -- and lengthens careers.
  ''Players play more tennis per point than they need to these days,'' Carillo said. ``The constant hard hitting and the concussive effect of the hard courts is also tearing up bodies.''
  Martin leads a growing chorus of players who want a longer grass-court season and more than a fortnight between the clay French Open and Wimbledon. Bjorn Borg was the last male to win French and Wimbledon titles in the same year, in 1980. It's not too late for the serve and volley to be revived.
  ''Tennis goes in cycles,'' Shriver said. ``The serve and volley is trying to figure out how to make its way back into the modern game.''
  Players who think they are allergic to grass might also find out how fun it is if they would give the serve and volley a whirl, Henman said.
  ''I spoke to Lleyton in the locker room before his first match [in the Stella Artois grass tournament at London] and said to him he should serve and volley the first point just to say that he has done it once,'' Henman told London's Sunday Telegraph. ``It's amazing to think he's won this tournament three times, and how many times has he served and volleyed in those three years? He didn't serve and volley one point last year.''

• Sally wrote:
  ... I have my tape sent by a devoted cousin from England and immediately sat and devoured every minute of it. What a treat - it was a superb match and our boy showed us he has lost none of his beautiful footwork, lightness and speed and incredible volleying. Even Pat Cash rated him as the best athlete of all time and was full of genuine praise for him. He looked wonderful too, not an ounce of fat on that lovely body - relaxed and happy. More please!
• Speaking of tape:
  Chris has kindly furnished a copy of the tape to me. I am having it transcribed to North American format, after which I will have more comments. I am absolutely dying to see it. In addition to the match and Stefan's "lovely body" :-), I understand that there are cuts of Annette and the kids in the stands.
  If you are interested in getting a copy of the video (sorry, not DVD), please write to me.
• I wrote Sally asking about the appearance of Stefan and his kids, and she very kindly replied promptly:
  No, I don't think Stefan has aged at all, maybe matured in keeping with his age but certainly not looking older.I thought he looked wonderful -and unlike Boris isn't trying too look like an eighteen year old nightclub groupie! (Slightly biased comment!) He looked happy and relaxed and not palid and certainly not aged.
  Re the children, they looked to me very much as if they took after Annette very blonde but I'd have to go back and look again. I have to say they looked a little bored, and not quite as impressed by the enormity of the occasion as we were - maybe a little young to take it all in. They looked lovely kids though and I'll bet they are well mannered and respectful like their Dad.
• From the International Herald Tribune:
  The toughest call in tennis is when to quit
  Christopher Clarey
  ... Well before the end of his extended farewell, Edberg had had more than his fill of the programmed, week-by-week sentimentality. One suspects that if the understated Swede had to do it again, he would have kept his plans to himself.
• From an article posted on www.sports-central.org:
  Tennis - The Evolution of Tennis
  By Dr. Jay Bewley, Ph.D., USPTA, USPTR Saturday, June 14th, 2003
  It is amazing how much the game of tennis has evolved over the last 25 years compared to the previous 125...
  What has all this power done for the game? First of all, it has seemed to make the serve-and-volley game front page on the endangered species list. I loved watching the finesse of John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Patrick Rafter, and now probably Pete Sampras. Who would have dreamed years ago that someone could win Wimbledon who did not serve-and-volley?
  ...
• There is a page for Stefan on the RateItAll.com page.