The Open Era
Sweden · born Västervik, 1966 · twice Wimbledon champion · twice Australian champion on grass
All playersBack to the rankings
4
Grass major singles titles, 1985 to 1990
3
Wimbledon finals in a row against Becker
49-12
Wimbledon singles match record
23
Service games held in his 1991 semi-final defeat
5
ATP Sportsmanship Awards, a record
Born in Västervik, Sweden, on 19 January 1966, Edberg won all four junior majors in 1983 and turned professional the same year. He won six major singles titles: the Australian Open in 1985 and 1987, both on grass at Kooyong, Wimbledon in 1988 and 1990, and the US Open in 1991 and 1992. He held the world No. 1 ranking for 72 weeks between 1990 and 1992 and was also No. 1 in doubles in 1986, winning three major doubles titles. He helped Sweden to the Davis Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1994, won 41 singles titles and retired in 1996. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2004 and coached Roger Federer in 2014 and 2015.
| Major singles titles | 4: Wimbledon (1988, 1990); Australian (1985, 1987) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 1: Wimbledon 1989 |
| Other grass singles titles | 1: Queen's (1991) |
| Major doubles titles | 1 doubles (Australian 1) |
| Wimbledon finals | Won 1988 against Boris Becker 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-2, finished on the Monday after rain. Lost 1989 to Becker 0-6, 6-7 (1), 4-6. Won 1990 against Becker 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon record | 49-12 in 14 appearances, 1983 to 1996. Semi-finals in 1987, 1991 and 1993 |
| Australian finals on grass | 1985: beat Mats Wilander 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. 1987: beat Pat Cash 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3. Doubles 1987 with Anders Järryd |
| Queen's Club finals | Won 1991 against David Wheaton 6-2, 6-3. Lost 1988 and 1996 to Becker |
| Davis Cup on grass | 1986 final at Kooyong: lost to Pat Cash as Australia beat Sweden 3-2 |
| Junior Wimbledon | Boys' singles champion 1983, part of his junior Grand Slam |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Men's singles | |
| 1990 | Men's singles | |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1985 | Men's singles Australian Open | |
| 1987 | Men's doubles Australian Open | with Anders Järryd |
| 1987 | Men's singles Australian Open | |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1991 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"The most important thing is to win Wimbledon once if you can. I have done it twice."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1987 · First round
Edberg opened his 1987 Wimbledon against his compatriot Stefan Eriksson and won 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, a triple bagel that the Hall of Fame counts as one of only six in the history of the game. He went on to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final that year.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1988 · Semi-final
Against Miloslav Mecir he lost the first two sets and trailed 3-3, 0-40 in the third. He came back to win 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, and called it "the key to my Wimbledon". Three months earlier he had beaten Mecir from 4-1 down in the fifth set of a Davis Cup tie, which he later said made the difference.
Source: Sports IllustratedWimbledon 1988 · Final
Becker had said Edberg was not a big-match player, and Edberg had long heard doubts about his nerve. Rain stopped the final on the Sunday and it was finished on the Monday. Edberg lost the first set, then won the next three. "I've responded to what people said and proved something to myself, too," he said.
Source: Sports IllustratedLondon 1988
At the time of his first Wimbledon title he had lived for three years in a flat in Kensington, where he kept to himself and said he liked the weather because it was like Sweden's. He called Becker a "big star" and set himself apart from that kind of fame.
Source: Sports IllustratedWimbledon 1991 · Semi-final
The defending champion and top seed held all 23 of his service games against Michael Stich and still lost 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, three tiebreaks deciding the match. "I was playing probably my best grass court tennis that year," he said later. "That never happened to me before."
Source: Tennis.comATP 1996
Edberg received the ATP Sportsmanship Award five times, in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1995, a record. In 1996, his final season on the tour, the ATP renamed it the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, and it has carried his name ever since.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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