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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 June 21, 2004

"There is usually an autograph session held after the enshrinement ceremony. At this time, we have not officially determined when that will take place. We also have one tentatively scheduled for Saturday (time to be determined)."

June 16, 2004

• A fan posted this to the edberg board on yahoo:
  A while back M.L. Liu suggested a poster to show our support of Stefan which I thought was a great idea, I thought for those attending we could further show our support by donning swedish jerseys, like a soccer one for instance the blue and yellow symbolizing the flag would stand out as well. Just a thought whaddya think?
  I think this is a grand idea! Yes, let's don blue and yellow jersey/T-shirt on the day - I think this is a better idea than my poster/banner idea: Stefan will probably appreciate this gesture far better.
• And a big thanks to Karen, who wrote:
  I wasn't sure if you seen that yet or not, but I wanted to bring it to your attention, it's interesting to read.
  I'm sure you know the website since you bought tickets for the Induction Ceremony, which is coming up really fast, but here is the link to the transcript if you wanted it:
  Here's the interview. I actually didn't know anything about it, as I have been busy. It is an interview by Tony Trabert, and it is interesting to read.

June 11, 2004
Donna sent in this posting:

Posted on Wed, Jun. 09, 2004
CHAT ROOM: Stefan Edberg, Former tennis player
By John Miller
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Stefan Edberg almost never had an emotional outburst on the court or screamed at a linesman.
He kept all his focus on playing tennis, and he played it well.
Edberg won 41 tournaments, including six Grand Slam singles titles and three doubles titles. On July 11, Edberg with be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame.
Edberg won Wimbledon (1988, 1990), the U.S. Open (1991, 1992) and Australian Open (1985, 1987). He came close to winning a career Grand Slam, but lost in the finals of the French Open to Michael Chang, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 1989.
Edberg won the ATP Sportsmanship Award five times during his career. The final time he won it, in 1996, the award was renamed the Edberg Sportsmanship Award.
Could you tell us your most memorable moment? Well, I think there's been a lot of memorable moments. But, you know, it comes to, you know, the big wins that you have during your career. Obviously, winning Wimbledon the first time is a very, very special feeling. Being brought up in Sweden, having watched all Bjorn Borg's five victories on the grass, to be able to do the same back in 1988, that was a very special moment to go on the court. But there's a few other things. You know, when I won the U.S. Open in '91, when I beat [Jim] Courier in the final, was probably the best tennis match that I've played during my career.
Who did you consider your biggest rival during your career? Well, there was a few. But, obviously, I think Boris Becker and myself played three Wimbledon finals in a row. We're about the same age. We played a lot of finals on the tour. So I think that would be the pick, I think, which I had most of my rivalries with. But, you know, I had the opportunity to play against all the players, starting with Connors, McEnroe, [Ivan] Lendl, Pete Sampras, [Andre] Agassi. It was nice.
Did it mean something special to you to win the U.S. Open after many tries, doing something that Borg never did? Yes. You know, winning the U.S. Open, it's a tough cookie to win. I have to admit, I had problems in the beginning with the U.S. Open because it was quite an atmosphere there. It was quite noisy, a lot of people moving around, very loud with all the airplanes going over the U.S. Open. Maybe it wasn't my favorite tournament in the beginning of my career of the Grand Slams, but as you get used to the environment, you progress and you start playing well. You have to forget about all these things around.
You were known for a lot in your career, for your style of play, the serve-and-volley game, your grace. You were also known as a great sportsman. Is that something you took a lot of pride in? As the years go by, yes, it's something that I can be proud of. You know, I always thought it to be quite important as an idol to many people, having somebody to look up to and be a good example. To me sportsmanship is very, very important -- maybe even more important in today's society. Something that I'm proud of and feel that it's very important to have these kind of people around.
John Miller, (817) 548-5473 jhmiller@star-telegram.com

June 8, 2004

• More from Markus in Germany:
  On DSF, the German sports TV, they said, Edberg had problems with his back Wilander got to know only one day before the Trophy and he came straight from Paris where he was playing seniors double at the French Open.
• I found this posting on the tennis warehouse board:
  Stefan Edberg Wins his First Racketlon Tournament
  Date: 2004-01-13
  _________________
  Sweden's former Tennis World No.1 Stefan Edberg came out the winner as the regional Racketlon Championships were held this weekend in his hometown of Växjö. He beat Torbjörn Fransson in the final by +8 points (squash: 19-21, badminton: 8-21, tennis: 21-1, table tennis: 21-18).
  The Racketlon world has long anticipated Edberg's Racketlon debut with great curiosity given frequent recent appearances on the squash court - and reports saying that his squash is close of reaching top national level (especially on the type of courts used at international squash tournaments with a tin that is somewhat lower than normal - Edberg's precision backhand volley is apparently a lethal weapon even on higher tin courts...). And not unexpectedly, Edberg did not give away many points in tennis. More interesting then to know how well he did in table tennis and badminton; The only available reports say that "his table tennis was OK but that there is big room for improvement in badminton"...
  It is, at the moment, unclear whether this Racketlon appearance was a one off or whether he plans to take part in any of the tournaments of the Racketlon Word Tour. What is clear, however, is that the Racketlon community is starving for someone who could offer Magnus Eliasson some real competition. At the moment Eliasson is dominating the game in an almost devastating way and has not lost a racketlon match since the end of May, at which time he was still recovering from a foot injury that he suffered at British Open in April. Can Edberg, who was World Ranked No.1 for a total of 72 weeks during 1991-1992, resist this implicit challenge?
  And a followup posting mentioned this:
  From what I read on internet squash sites, Edberg is approaching "open" level in squash. Not surprising, considering his superb footwork and volleying skills.
• And Stefan gave a plug for his friend Tim Henman in this BBC article, sent in by Mark.

June 6, 2004

Stefan was to have appeared in an event in Germany last Friday. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Here's what Marcus from Germany wrote:
Edberg is injured and is replaced by Wilander at the Grand Slam Champions Trophy in Halle / Germany. See here
Very sad, I was almost on my way there.
But there's another tournament with Edberg on December 7th - 8th in Malmö / Sweden with Wilander, Pernfors and some today's players. See here.
My response:
To my knowledge, this is the first time that Stefan pulled out of a tennis event since his retirement. I thank Marcus for letting us know what happened and I do hope that the injury is not serious. We in the United States are looking forward to seeing Stefan in July at the Hall of Fame ceremony.

May 30, 2004

• Albert wrote:
  Just want to tell you one thing if you did not realise
  There is one Edberg's record that I am proud of that is just tied this week.....Darn
  Wayne Ferreira just tied Stefan's Record of consecutive Grand Slam played I think the number is 54.
  Actually I never thought it will get broken or tied Hopefully Wayne's gonna be too tired to play Wimbledon and skip But W is his favourite surface so I guess 55 is on the way.
  My response:
  Well, records will be broken. Wayne Ferreira might have played 54 consecutive GSs, but his accomplishment hardly matched that of Edberg's. I understand that he had to leave at least one on stretchers. I tip my hat to the guy for his endurance anyway.
• Penny wrote:
  I just found this on the Tennis Week website. Although it's more about what Stefan has to say about Federer, Stefan is quoted a lot. Enjoy!
  Edberg: Federer Can Claim Career Grand Slam
  Photo By Fred Mullane By Richard Pagliaro 05/28/2004
  Roger Federer faces his toughest test of the tournament when he takes on three-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten for a place in the Paris fourth round. The top-seeded Swiss started the season by capturing the Australian Open crown and should he reign at Roland Garros he would be halfway to the single-season Grand Slam while holding three of the four major championships.
  It's been a quarter-century since Rod Laver swept all four Grand Slam championships in a single season and with the depth in today's game, many former champions question whether anyone will repeat Laver's feat in the near future. Stefan Edberg isn't one of them.
  In a conference call with the media yesterday to discuss his impending induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 11th along with Steffi Graf and Dorothy "Dodo" Cheney, the former No. 1 said Federer is completely capable of collecting all four major championships.
  "I think it's very possible," Edberg said. "He's got all the weapons needed to win on all four surfaces. He proved he can play really well on the clay, which obviously is going to be the toughest one for him to win. If he can stay physically healthy and not have too many injuries over the next couple of years, I think he's a player who can really dominate the game a bit the same way as Pete Sampras did for a while. So he really has a lot of potential."
  The Swiss stylist's all-court attack makes him a capable contender on every surface. Though Edberg cautioned the depth of today's game makes the prospect of achieving the first single season Grand Slam since Laver accomplished the feat for the second time in 1969 a tough task, he believes Federer is the only player on the planet capable of a Grand Slam sweep.
  "It wouldn't surprise me if he can at least once win all four of the Grand Slams," Edberg said. "To do it it one year is nearly impossible today, I think. But he would be the only one today, I think, that can do it."
  If Federer does make a run at a Slam sweep, you can expect Edberg will be watching.
  "If I had to choose one to watch today, I think Roger Federer is the most exciting player to watch out there because he plays an all-over-court game," Edberg said. "He plays serve and volley, can play from the back of the court. At least that is what I like to see out there."
  One match Edberg himself would like to rewind and replay was his 1989 meeting with Michael Chang in the Roland Garros final when Edberg let a two sets to one lead slip away before falling in five sets. That loss prevented the six-time Grand Slam champion from achieving a career Grand Slam and remains as one of the few regrets of his career.
  "It comes back to French Open because I had a great chance of winning the French Open back in 1989, playing against Michael Chang in the final," Edberg said. "That is really the match that you would sort of like to replay a few points, which really could have made a big difference. But at the time I didn't really think about it that much because, hey, I had the best French Open, and I thought I would get more chances to win the title. But it never came around again."
  The obituary for serve-and-volley tennis has been written again and again in recent years yet the world's top player -- Federer -- plays all-court tennis and serve-and-volleyer Tim Henman has advanced to the fourth round of Roland Garros. Edberg sees the sport as cyclical and believes the net game will eventually be revived by more players.
  "Obviously, tennis goes through changes and cycles," Edberg said. "You know, having been away from the game now for a couple of years since I stopped here obviously, looking at the game today, one would wish to see a little bit more variation of play out there. But at the same time, you know, tennis makes progress. Might not be as exciting as it was in the past, but it depends who you ask. Younger people may be on a different opinion. I'm not quite sure. But it's hard to make changes, but at least one can look at it. If there is anything that can be done to improve the game, you should always look at those things."
  Federer's feel at the net and his one-handed backhand are slightly reminiscent of his boyhood hero -- Edberg -- but the most striking similarity between the pair is in their movement: both glide gracefully across any surface, both are tremendously adept at transitioning from defense to offense and both asserted an attacking instinct when playing their best tennis.
  At their best, Edberg and Federer are prime examples of Grand Slam champions who worked very hard to make the game appear extremely easy. Edberg said his movement was the key component to his success as a champion.
  "I think it really was the key: my physical fitness and the way I was moving around the court was really my strength," Edberg said. "I didn't really particularly hit the ball that hard. I think really the movement was really the key to my game in playing solid and obviously aggressive tennis. I think the movement is key to most of the players out there is to be able to move around the court in the right way. Because everyone can hit the ball out there, but it's getting to it and getting to the right place at the right time is really what tennis is all about. It's really a running sport."
  A six-time Grand Slam champion, Edberg amassed 41 singles titles and 18 doubles championships in his career. Edberg and John McEnroe are the only men in Open Era history to hold the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously. Edberg is such a gentleman it often obscures the truth about his game: stylistically speaking he was a revolutionary in his home country. He shattered the Swedish stereotype of swift, steady, stoic baseliners who modeled their styles on 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg. Edberg's aggressive attacking game may have looked risky, but like McEnroe before him he was in tune with a fundamental truth of tennis: the wide serve that pushed his opponent in pursuit off the court followed by the crisp volley into the open court he created is the highest-percentage play in tennis.
  He made his mark as a champion, and Edberg's integrity, honesty and sportsmanship made him one of the sport's most admired figures. Revered and respected by players and fans, Edberg always conducted himself with class both on and off the court. His superb sportsmanship is so legendary, Edberg not only earned the ATP's Sportsmanship Award a record five times, the ATP actually renamed the award in his honor -- it is now known as the "Edberg Sportsmanship Award" -- in 1996.
  In today's era of abrasive athletics where WWF-style taunts have infiltrated all sorts of sports, talking a good game is sometimes more common than playing one. During his career, Edberg let his classy conduct on court speak for him, but spoke out about the importance of sportsmanship in the game today.
  "I always thought it to be quite important as an idol to many people, having somebody to look up to and be a good example," Edberg said. "To me sportsmanship is very, very important -- maybe even more important in today's society. (It is) something that I'm proud of and feel that it's very important to have these kind of people around."

May 9, 2004
Yet one more upcoming event in addition to the Grand Slam event in Germany in June and the HOF induction in July --
Mikkel wrote:

I have found out that my favorit player Stefan Edberg is playing in Copenhagen, Denmark in a tournament called Legends Live Tournament 5. and 6. of October 2004.
Edberg will play against John McEnroe, Mats Wilander and Henri Leconte and the pricemonet is $200.000 not bad!!
The event's) Homepage www.legendslive.dk
Spread the words.

May 2, 2004
A fan wrote:

I got my HOF tickets and I am so excited about seeing Stefan inducted, not to mention Steffi Graf and seeing Andre, too! Here's the thing. I ordered both online and on the phone to assure myself of tickets (I know, I'm anal!) and as it happens, I have 4 extras. Do you want to put it out to your group and see if they want to get in on this wonderful day? I am only asking what I paid for the tickets...$50 each. They are on the south chair end, if anyone wants to know.

April 25, 2004

• Mauro wrote:
  The match between Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in Halle will be broadcasted by German satellite channel DSF. In the section Stefan today of STE...fans, you'll find the complete schedule of the event.
• Toby wrote:
  A German Sports Channel (DSF) will show the match Edberg vs. Becker on 4th of June. Should Edberg win, he would face the winner of Stich vs. Muster in the final.

April 18, 2004

Looking ahead, I wonder if any of you may have access to the broadcast of either or both of these events?
• The Edberg-Becker-Stitch-Muster "Grand Slam Champions Trophy" event in Halle, Germany on June 4th and 5th, assuming that it will be shown on Eurosport?
• The Hall of Fame induction ceremony in July, assuing that it will shown on the U.S.'s tennis channel?
If so, will you kindly consider making a recording to share with other Edberg fans. Your expenses will be reimbursed. Please write to me if you can help. Thanks.

4/10/04

• A big thanks to Tobias, a big Edberg fan in Switzerland, for sending in this item:
  Stefan Edberg, together with Boris Becker, Thomas Muster and Michael Stich, is going to play at en exhibition event in Halle, Germany that is called "Grand Slam Champions Trophy"! It will be held on June 4th and 5th.
  See here for further detail.
• I am scraping the idea of a banner at the HOF ceremony. Instead, I am thinking of holding up a sign like the one below. See what you think:
• It seems like someone is selling old tennis matches on DVD at a very good price at ebay. Currently, these matches (won by Stefan) are available:
  • 1987 Australian Open Edberg Cash Tennis DVD -- $7.95
  • 1990 Wimbledon Final Edberg Becker DVD -- $7.95
  • 1989 ATP Masters Final Edberg Becker DVD $5.95
  • 1988 Wimbledon Final Edberg Becker DVD $5.95
  • 1989 Wimbledon SF Edberg McEnroe DVD $5.95

3/28/04
Congratulations to a longtime Edberg fan, who wrote to say that he has just become a dad and named his first-born ...Stefan!

3/26/04
No sooner than I mentioned that there's been no news did Penny send in this item:

Edberg, Laver, Lendl, Hingis To Participate In Adidas Tennis Smash Photo By adidas By Adrianna Outlaw
03/16/2004
Days after Stefan Edberg is inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame, the six-time Grand Slam champion will celebrate with a smash. The Swedish serve-and-volley stylist will join a collection of current and future Hall Of Famers on Cape Cod to participate in a classic annua event ? the adidas tennis smash at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club, July 12-13th.
The adidas tennis smash has become an annual highlight of the summer season on Cape Cod and this year's event offers a Grand Slam roster of some of the game's greatest players. Edberg, who will make his second appearance at the event, joins the legendary lefty Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Martina Hingis, Stan Smith and Tom Gullikson at Ocean Edge.
Now in its fourth year, the adidas tennis smash is no mere celebrity tennis tourney, but a spectator's dream offering the unique opportunity to not only watch classic tennis at the Ocean Edge Tennis Stadium, but to mix and mingle with top-ranked pros in a casual, comfortable and characteristically Cape Cod atmosphere.

3/25/04
These have been quiet days, but we have the Hall of Fame ceremony in July to look forward to. Meanwhile, here's a tidbit of nostalgia from the web, a posting on rec.sport.tennis:

I just came across a funny snipet regarding Edberg's 1996 encounter with Carlos Moya at Roland Garros:
WIMBLEDON, England _ Stefan Edberg has been one of the biggest names in tennis for more than a decade, but he knows that doesn't count for much in this ``what have you done for me lately?'' world of professional sports. Edberg faced 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Moya in the second round of last month's French Open. Moya, ranked 20th in the world, reportedly claimed that he had never heard of Edberg before they met on the red clay at Roland Garros.
Edberg, whose ranking had dipped as low as 55 in March, was rated No. 45 at the time.
Moya must have learned to play tennis on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean that was bereft of newspapers, radio or television to never have heard of Edberg.
Edberg, 30, taught the teenager a lesson that he would nev...
The rest of the story had to be paid for, so that's all I have. But I thought it was hilarious that Moya hadn't heard of Edberg to that point. Dude, you just got drilled by an all-time great! Eddie won 2 2 and 1.

My comments:

I remember that well. At the time I was furious that ESPN didn't cover that match (not even highlights) but forgave it later when they broadcast Stefan's 4R match against Michael Chang. At the time Stefan had just come out of a nosedive in ranking, played some good tennis in Rome (where he had never played before), and offered some rare moments of heroics at that stage that brought smiles to the faces of his loyal fans. In retrospect, I think Stefan was burnt out on tennis at that point, and badly needed motivation to play hard. Moya had just bursted onto the scene in 1996 and was red hot before he ran into Edberg at FO. I think everyone -- myself included -- expected Stefan to get a thrashing from Moya. But when his pride is on the line, Edberg came through. I still wish I could see that match.
Later that year(the last year of Edberg on the ATP tour), Stefan pulled a similar stunt when he eeked out a victory over Thomas Muster in Vienna, overcoming his own illness and an overtly partial crowd cheering for Thomas the homeboy. See here for an account of that match.

1/16/04

• A new video source mentioned on the Tennis-Warehouse board lists many Edberg matches: see here. Wrote the poster: "I've gotten several DVDs from this source, he also sells on ebay, alatinak@wtlzone.com They're extremely cheap and very good quality."
• Quiet days, but Rachelle (many thanks!) managed to find a few little news tidbits, referencing Edberg of late.
  • The first is a quote from Mats Wilander handicapping the Australian Open...He writes: One final opponent I spoke to more than the others was my fellow Swede, Stefan Edberg. We even warmed up before a final together, at the Australian Open at Kooyong in 1985.
    We weren't scheduled to practise together, but it had been raining and only one outside court had been covered. We said, "No problems, we'll warm up together".
    Can you imagine such camaraderie among the stars of today?
    The full article can be found at this link
  • There is also a quote from Jonas Bjorkman in response to Pat Cash's lambasting of Mark Phillipoussis recently:
    Bjorkman said grand slam winners Bjorn Borg, current Davis Cup captain Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg did not "have to be in the spotlight" the way he thought Wimbledon champion Cash wanted to be.
    The full article can be found at this link
  • An Australian newspaper paid a nice compliment to Stefan, in drawing a comparison to his work habits with Mark Phillipoussis. To quote:
    Mark could well take a leaf out of Stefan Edberg's book. He was the master of understatement at majors. He was hardly noticed until he popped up in the semis or final.
    Edberg went about his training and matches in such a business-like manner. He kept a low profile and was very disciplined and professional.
    But after it was all over, Edberg would resume a normal social and family life. He also won six Grand Slams and reached the final of five others.
    The full article is here.

• Quiet days on the Edberg front, which makes me yearn for those days when Stefan was resplendent in the Australian Open. As Rachelle put it: "It(the Australian Open)'s not been the same since Stefan retired ."
• Added Rachelle:
  Good to see the photos (of the Fantasy Camp) posted on your site. I still say after seeing Stefan in person, photos do not do him enough justice, even though he is incredibly photogenic....He looks absolutely stunning in person and he looked to be in fantastic shape at the fantasy camp. And his genuine smiles that he displayed throughout the camp only made him more handsome.
• Mark of Britain sent in photos of some of the Edberg items in his collection, including these priceless items:

• ATP's announcement of Stefan's Hall of Fame induction

1/15/04

• As often, Jennifer was the first to write to alert me to the good news:
  Here's an article announcing Stefan's Hall of Fame induction.
  Stefan turns 38 next Monday so this HOF induction is a nice birthday gift! Sweet!
  Indeed! Congratuations to our favorite champion for this overdue recognition.
  And the Tennis Week article, likely written by Richard Pagliaro, pays a nice tribute to Stefan.

  Twenty years ago a very young Stefan Edberg gained worldwide notice when he played brilliantly with Anders Jarryd in a Davis Cup final tie against the U.S. team of McEnroe and Fleming, then the number one doubles team. Next Monday he will be 38. How I miss his tennis.

• And some photos of the Scottsdale camp have been posted on the ITUSA site . Some are shown below -- many thanks to Rachelle again!

12/30/03

Richard Pagliaro of Tennis Week has honored his words and published a follow-up article on the Edberg Tennis Camp, a sweet holiday treat that has many good things to say about Stefan:
• "Clearly, Edberg is the man most have come to see",
• This paragraph really struck a chord: "And as you talk to people, you realize it is those qualities as much as the grace of his game that has endeared Edberg to his loyal fans. Several campers confide they completely stopped watching tennis after his retirement."
• And this description of Stefan's appearance echoes Rachelle's observation: "Clad in black Lee jeans, a white Ralph Lauren Polo collared shirt and black leather jacket ..."
• Check out these hilarious Christmas postcards concocted by Mauro of the STE...fans site, featuring Stefan the Santa Claus :-) Following is a sample:
  

• I was in London just before Christmas and had a chance to visit the Wimbledon Musuem at the All England Tennis Club. There was not as much about Stefan as I would have liked, but he was mentioned as one of the European champions that dominated the 80's, and film footage of championships from that era included clips from his two triumphs in 88 and 90 respectively.
  Up close, the coveted Wimbledon trophy seems smaller than it looked on video, but Stefan's name does appear twice.
  From behind a window in the back of the museum I surveyed the lush green centre court,and imagined the triumphant moments of Stefan's victory.
  Postcards of Stefan are still available from the souvenir shop; the one of him hoisting his trophy in 1988 is apparently no longer available, but I did purchase one of him striking a forehand volley.
  Memorable too is a young Swede I saw in the underground car that took me to Wimbledon: he has the narrow face and angular features reminiscent of Stefan, and I thought this might be a Swede riding the tube to practice at the club, just as Stefan reportedly did when he resided in London for so many years.
  I was keeping an eye on this Stefan-wanna-be when, a few stops later, the fellow stood up abruptly, waved at someone outside the windows, pointed a thumb upward, and stepped off. I turned to look in the direction where the young man had waved, and saw a tall blond girl standing on the platform for trains going in the other direction. Apparently my Stefan-wanna-be spotted his girl friend and gestured to her that he was going up to the next level of the station in order to join her on the other side of the tracks.
  So much for my fantasy of a young Stefan in London.

We are indebted to Rachelle (read her account of her time at the camp) for sharing this photo taken at the Arizona fantasy camp:

12/10/03

• I don't know about you, but I can't get over the thought of Edberg in black leather jacket and blue jeans (as referred to in Rachelle's delightful account of her time at the Arizona tennis camp.) Sigh; I should have been there.

• Richard Pagliaro of Tennis Week tennis week wrote to say:
  Thank you so much for the kind words and for taking the time to read the Edberg interview. We really appreciate your support. Some readers emailed me complaining it was too long and that I "hyped him" too much, but he was one of my all-time favorites and he was and is such a gentleman. He truly treated everyone at that camp with complete respect. I have a lot of admiration for him. I am going to write another story just about the camp itself and how Stefan helped the people with their skills so you can look for that later in the week. They took a lot of great photos at the camp, but cannot send them to me until later in the month so unfortunately I won't have the current photos to post with another story until later on. Thanks again for your email - I appreciate it.
  And when I wrote back to express my astonishment at people who would begrudge Edberg fans of a rare, in-depth interview of our beloved champion, Richard wrote again:
  Thanks for saying that. I had a great time there taking the camp and Stefan was incredibly helpful and kind. I will write another story about the camp itself and how he helped people and will use those camp photos once I get them. The good news is he is considering doing it again. Thanks again for your kind email - Edberg fans are like Edberg: considerate :)
  We will hold Richard to that promised story and PHOTOS! We are all indebted to him and Tennis Week for the excellent coverage of Stefan's latest visit to the U.S.

• A wonderful holiday present: an interview of Stefan, who is now on our continent for his "fantasy tennis camp" that just took place in Scottsdale, Arizona. The interivew is currently posted on Tennis Week. Many good questions were asked of Stefan. And the article started on a humorous note:
  The Scottsdale sunshine casts a golden glow across the Grand Slam champion poised to serve. He is one of tennis' most highly respected sportsman, but from the shadows across the court, Stefan Edberg is about to feel the heat of high stakes tennis in his return to the competitive court.
  "Edberg, you're too old! Show me what you've got!" screams his opponent, an exuberant Las Vegas weatherman who is trying to apply the heat to the customarily cool Swede. Edberg the target of taunts?
  Even though the joking comment is issued completely in good fun, the sight is as surprising as seeing someone spray painting graffiti in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. An unfazed Edberg takes the trash-talking in stride before responding with a bold challenge of his own.
  "I'll give you $100 if you touch this serve," Edberg evenly replies.
  
  My thanks to Penny for alerting me to the article.
  If you have time, please drop a line to Tennis Week to thank them for the interview. I sent in a note:
  Hi, Tennis Week:
  I want to let you know that the Stefan Edberg interview currently posted on your site has made a lot of Edberg fans very happy. It is very kind of you to devote a column to this self-effacing gentleman who can be so easily forgotten, except by those who appreciate the beauty of his tennis. As someone who runs a web site on news of this Swedish champion, I speak for many Edberg fans and we express our collective appreciation to Tennis Week. You have given us a wonderful holiday present - happy holidays to you in return!

• And this just in, a wonderful first-person account of an Edberg fan who was there. A huge thank-you to Rachelle!

• Coincidentally, Stefan was mentioned in an article about the Champion Tour final that appeared in the London Independent, by John Roberts at the Royal Albert Hall 08 December 2003. In the article with these headlines:"McEnroe plays the grumpy assassin to gun down Forget Ageing 'Superbrat' shows that his ability to insult and entertain has not declined even if his playing career is living on borrowed time", Guy Forget was quoted as saying:
  "Stefan Edberg, who plays two hours a day, doesn't want to join the tour. If Stefan decides to play, he'll kill everybody."
  How nice of Forget (very much a player in Stefan's mode, although Guy is older) to pay Stefan a compliment like that. And the fact that those who play on the tour keep mentioning Stefan from time to time (Borg, Wilander, and McEnroe had all done so in the past) warms my heart.
  My thanks to Mauro of the STE...fans site for alerting me to the article.

11/25/03
I guess Stefan's comeback is not to be.
My thanks to Markus, who wrote:
Edberg decided on Monday not to play in the Swedish tennis league: See this article (Edberg is only mentioned in the first three sentences.)

11/21/03
Many thanks for the translations that have been sent in on Stefan's comeback. Here's one from Bjorn:

Edberg is considering a come back
The former world number one Stefan Edberg is thinking about to start playing again. The serve and volley specialist might help his club Vaxjo Tennissallskap in the Swedish top league for teams.
According to the coach in the club, Stefan Simonsson, the 38-year-old Edberg has received a request about this. He is also nominated in the team (although) he still hasn’t decided to play or not. Simonsson says to Smalandsposten (a local paper) that it would be fun both for the club and the series if Edberg chooses to play.
Stefan Edberg has not played a competition match since Stockholm Open in 1996. According to the paper Edberg will announce his decision (at) the end of this week.

I think this is great. I don't want him to try to play on a tour again, but I like it that Stefan has not lost his love for tennis. Perhaps now that the kids are old enough, he is finding time again. If he does play regularly, I envy the Swedish people, and I may have to plan a trip to Sweden soon.
BTW the Edberg fantasy camp should take place in Arizona in about two weeks!

11/20/03
Jennifer came upon this Swedish article on www.sportal.nu:

Edberg overvager comeback
20 november 2003
Förre världsettan Stefan Edberg funderar på en comeback. Serve- och volleyspecialisten kan komma att förstärka Växjö Tennissällskap i elitserien.
Enligt klubbens tränare Stefan Simonsson har 38-årige Edberg fått en förfrågan. Han är dessutom nominerad i truppen, trots att han ännu inte beslutat om det blir spel.
Simonsson säger till Smålandsposten att det vore kul för både klubben och serien om Edberg väljer att spela.
Stefan Edberg har inte spelat en tävlingsmatch sedan Stockholm Open 1996. Enligt tidningen ger Edberg besked huruvida det blir en sensationell comeback eller inte i slutet av veckan.

The headline of the article translates to "Edberg considers comeback". I don't know what to make of it. While the thought of seeing Stefan in action is always delightful, I honestly don't want him to do a "comeback". Edberg's retirement was characteristically graceful: a real comeback would be unbecoming. I suppose if he does "come back" he will be playing the "champion tour", which thrives in Europe these days. In that case, perhaps that's not so bad, although that would be rather painful to those of us not in Europe.
Translation please, anyone!

Wanted and willing to share: Edberg matches