By Tennis Week
01/16/2004
Class characterizes the class of 2004. International Tennis Hall of Fame president Tony Trabert announced today that Stefan Edberg, Steffi Graf and Dorothy quot;Dodo" Cheney will be officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Sunday July 11th in Newport, Rhode Island.
The induction of the trio of champions coincides with the Hall of Fame's 50th Anniversary Celebration presented by Campbells, which will feature some of the greatest Hall of Famers from around the world reuniting on the hallowed grounds of the historic Hall of Fame on the weekend of July 9-11th. Part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration will include a once-in-a-lifetime "Parade of Hall of Famers" welcoming back tennis champions Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Rod Laver and more than 40 others to participate in a lively ceremony on Saturday, July 10th.
The ceremony preceds the induction of Edberg, Graf and Cheney, who will be among 186 people representing 18 countries inducted into the Hall of Fame since its establishment in 1954.
"Newport is the place to be this July," Trabert said in a statement. "Not only will we honor the great tennis careers of three great champions in Steffi, Stefan and Dodo, but we will also welcome back Hall of Famers from around the world to celebrate the International Tennis Hall of Fames 50th Anniversary."
The 34-year-old Graf and Edberg, who celebrates his 38th birthday on Monday, have been elected to the Hall of Fame in the Recent Player category, while Cheney, 87, has been elected in the Master Player category. A panel of international tennis media elected Graf and Edberg, each requiring at least a 75 percent favorable vote for induction. The International Masters Panel, which consists of Hall of Fame inductees and other individuals who are highly knowledgeable of the sport and its history, elected Dodo Cheney, also requiring an affirmative vote of at least 75 percent.
Edberg's induction will mark the first time he steps foot in the Hall of Fame. In an interview with Tennis Week.com conducted last month at his fantasy camp in Scottsdale, Edberg said he was excited at the prospect of his pending induction.
"It would be a great honor and something to be very proud of," Edberg said."So many players have told me so many great things about it and I've never actually been there so I would really look forward to going there and seeing it very much."
The Swedish serve-and-volley stylist was one of the most graceful players to ever play the game.
A six-time Grand Slam champion, Edberg amassed 41 singles titles and 18 doubles championships in his career. Edberg won two Australian Open Championships (1985, 87 the last man to win on Australian grass), two Wimbledon Championships (1988, 90) and two U.S. Open crowns (1991, 92). Edberg also won the 1996 Australian Open doubles title (with Petr Korda), and captured the 1987 Australian and U.S. Open Doubles championships (both with Anders Jarryd). Edberg, with Jarryd, were named the ATP Doubles Team of the Year in 1987.
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 quiet 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.
His athleticism and grace made him a wonder to watch. Compatriot Mats Wilander once told Tennis Week.com that "In their prime, Borg and Edberg weren't just the best tennis players in Sweden, they were the best athletes in Sweden."
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. The honor prompted the mercurial McEnroe, who Edberg cites as one of his toughest opponents, to jokingly wonder: "Why wasn't I under consideration?"
During his career he spent a total of 72 (non-consecutive) weeks at No. 1, and finished the 1990 and 1991 seasons as the No. 1 player in the world. Edberg was ranked in the year-end top 10 for ten straight years (1985-1994) finishing in the top five from 1985-93. He received ATP Player of the Year honors in 1991, and again in 1992.
Sweden has won the Davis Cup seven times, and Edberg played on four of the seven championship teams (1984, 85, 87, 94). He is tied with countryman Ove Bengtson for most years played on the Swedish Davis Cup team with 13, playing from 1984 through 1996. Edberg also holds Swedens record for most Davis Cup final appearances, playing in seven. He finished his Davis Cup career playing in 35 ties with an overall total win-loss record of 47-23 (35-15 in singles and 12-8 in doubles). Edberg also participated in the 1984 Olympics (when tennis was a demonstration sport), where he was the singles gold medal winner. In 1988, he won bronze in both singles and doubles competition in Seoul.
Graf is generally regarded as one of the greatest women champions in tennis history. The graceful German won an astounding 107 career WTA singles titles and 11 career doubles titles. She was often at her best in the biggest matches capturing an astonishing 22 Grand Slam singles championships: four Australian Open Championships (1988, 89, 90, 94); six Roland Garros crowns (1987, 88, 93, 95, 96, 99); seven Wimbledon Championships (1988, 89, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96); and five U.S. Open titles (1988, 89, 93, 95, 96). Moreover, Graf made nine additional Grand Slam final appearances: 1993 Australian; 1989, 90, 92 Roland Garros ; 1987, 99 Wimbledon; and 1987, 90, 94 U.S. Open. Overall she reached 31 Grand Slam singles finals. At the conclusion of the 1995 US Open, she became the only player male or female to win each of the four major singles titles at least 4 times.
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