Jan 16, 2003 03:17 PM
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(Updated Jan 16, 2003 03:18 PM)
Some facts:
The only player to have won a junior grand slam, in 1983.
Only one of the two players to be ranked number one in singles and doubles (besides John McEnroe)
Finished the year in top 5 for 9 consecutive years.
Reached at least quarter finals in Australian open since 1984.(except in 1996)
Won the sportsmanship award for 5 years, and now it'll be named after him. - Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.
You would be excused to visualize this man in the following manner:
a ruthless competitor
a well oiled machine
a no nonsense player
never throws a match away
out spoken and flamboyant.
But Stefan was no Lendl, no Jim Courier, not even Boom Boom Boris. He was different. I love him because his matches were never short of Drama with a capital D.
Even at the peak of his game, Stefan was not one who blew his opponent off the court. This was a man with a willowy figure, which looked deceptively fragile, this was someone who gave you the feeling that he was vulnerable, that his finely tuned game could go out of the window at any moment. But it was purely lyrical when he was on song. Alison Muscatine of the Washington Post said it best: ''There is nothing more beautiful or more breathtaking than Stefan Edberg's tennis game when he is on. Every stroke is poetic, every movement lyrical.'' You need to see it to believe it. The best example of that came in the Wimbledon Finals in 1988 and 1990 against Boris.
The 1998 Wimbledon final was really a classic. Stefan faced the red-hot Boris Becker ready to blow Stefan off the court. Stefan for a change was consistent through out the match and Becker at times appeared helpless. The Booming serves were returned with grace and it was a true feast to the eyes as the longhaired Stefan continued to frustrate and disappoint Boris. He was sheer class personified that day and was invincible.
The 1990 final witnessed a real classic between the two once again. The match was a close one with Stefan winning the first two sets, only to lose steam in the next two. The fifth set saw a fight back rarely seen before from the iceman and the emotional reaction after winning was something not to be forgotten by Stefan Edberg’s fans. What followed was even more spectacular - Boris climbed over the net, went to Stefan and gave him a hug. Stefan's shy smile as he embraced Becker was a moment, which I will cherish for a long long time.
Stefan was at its best during the early nineties but sadly good things come to an end too soon. In 1995, he announced that the following season would be his last one.
He did end his career but showed moments of his genius before actually retiring. He is truly a legend, a role model who stood out from the others with his sportsmanship. He was famous for his attitude and won the ATP sportsmanship award five times. It is poetic justice that the award has been renamed as Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.
He was a special player and a man of difference and the respect that he commanded can be summarised from the following story. To mark his farewell The Swedish Tennis Association presented him with a telescope. He was told and I quote ''You've been a star all your life so now you can look at the stars.''
