Players > Stefan Edberg

Stefan Edberg - Sweden  

Birth Date: 1/19/1966 Age: 46
Birth Place: Vastervik, Sweden Residence: London, England
Height: 6'2" (188 cm) Weight: 170 lbs (77 kg)
Year Turned Pro: 1983 (29 years on tour) Plays: Right-handed
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Bio
A former No. 1-ranked player, Sweden's Stefan Edberg won six majors among his 42 career titles, playing 14 years on the pro circuit, earning more than $20 million in prize money and becoming a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

Edberg first reached the rank of No. 1 in August of 1990, and held the slot until mid-January of 1991, after two weeks at No. 2, he regained the top spot, holding it until late January of 1992. He would spend five more weeks ranked No. 1 later in 1992, and ultimately was ranked in the Top 10 every week from Sept. 9, 1985 until Feb. 20, 1995, a span of 493 weeks.

Edberg made a name for himself early, becoming the first junior player to win all four Grand Slam junior titles when he did so in 1983. He was also a prominent doubles player, reaching the finals of the 1984 US Open with fellow Swede Anders Jarryd, and the finals of the French Open in 1986. In all, he won 18 career titles in doubles and was ranked No. 1 in doubles at two different times in his career for a total of 13 weeks.

Edberg was ranked 523rd when he debuted in men's singles in 1983, but was all the way up to No. 53 a year later. He started the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, losing to Mats Wilander in four sets. He cracked the Top 20 for a few weeks in the autumn of 1984 and finished the year ranked 20th. His first title came in the exhibition draw at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles where he defeated Mexico's Francisco Maciel. His second title came in Milan as he defeated Wilander for the title.

Early in 1985 he won the title at Memphis, defeating second-ranked Jimmy Connors in the semifinals. The victory moved him to a career-best 13th, and he appeared in the Top 10 each of the next three weeks. At the first major of the year, Edberg reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros before losing to Connors. He made the fourth round at Wimbledon, the finals at Bastaad and Los Angeles, and won at San Francisco, defeating three Top 20 players in succession. He won again at Basel, defeating No. 5 Yannick Noah in the final. Edberg's return to Australia in 1985 was a momentous occasion. He upset top-ranked Ivan Lendl in a lengthy 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 4-6, 9-7 final, then defeated third-ranked Wilander in straight sets to take the championship.

His major performances weren't as impressive early in 1986. Edberg lost in the second round at the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon. He bounced back with a win at Gstaad, and reached the semifinals of the US Open before losing to Ivan Lendl. He qualified for the Masters in New York City, ranked fourth in the world, and lost in the semifinals to Boris Becker.

He won his second Australian Open to begin 1987, defeating Pat Cash in a five-set final. He won at Memphis as well, now ranked No. 2 in the world, reaching at least the quarterfinals of the first seven events of the season. In the summer, he had his best showing at Wimbledon to date, reaching the semifinals before falling to No. 1 Lendl in four sets. He reached the semifinals at the US Open again before falling to Wilander. Edberg finished the season ranked No. 2.

He began 1988 by falling in the semifinals of the Australian Open to Wilander. He fell in the fourth round at Roland Garros, but had his big breakthrough at Wimbledon, defeating Becker in four sets to win the title.

In 1989, he reached his first French Open final, beating Becker in the semifinals but losing to teenager Michael Chang in a five-set final. He reached the final again at Wimbledon, but Becker got revenge in a three-set spanking.

Injury reached up to bite Edberg to start 1990, as he was forced to retire while battling Lendl for the Australian Open title. Edberg was upset in the first round of the French Open, but recovered his form by Wimbledon, defeating Lendl in the semifinals and Becker in the final to take over No. 2 and close the gap on Lendl for No. 1. It was the first of four straight titles for Edberg, who took over as world No. 1 after winning in Cincinnati in August. He held the world's top spot throughout the rest of the year.

In 1991, Edberg fell in the semifinals of the Australian Open, the quarterfinals at the French and the semis at Wimbledon. After slipping to No. 2 in the rankings, he won the US Open by defeating Lendl in the semifinals and Jim Courier in the final to regain the No. 1 spot. He finished the year ranked No. 1 again.

In 1992, Edberg made the finals at the Australian Open before losing to Courier, slipping to the No. 2 spot in the world two weeks later. He won his first title of the year at Hamburg, but had his worst showings at the French Open and Wimbledon in years, falling in the third round at Roland Garros and in the quarterfinals at the All England Club. The US Open once again provided him solace, as he defeated Lendl in the quarterfinals, Chang in the semifinals and No. 3 Pete Sampras for the title. It would be Edberg's last major title in singles play.

In 1993, he fell in the final at the Australian Open, losing to Courier, who also beat him in the Wimbledon semifinals. Edberg's biggest disappointment came at the US Open, when he fell in the second round after two straight titles there.

In 1994, he won two of his first three tournaments and reached the semifinals at the Australian Open. He faded at the French (first round) and Wimbledon (second round), as well as the US Open (third round).

The downward slide continued in 1995 as he failed to reach the quarterfinals of any of the four majors for the first time in more than a decade. Edberg reached only one final in 1996 before deciding to retire.

Major Tournaments Won (9)

Singles (6): Australian Open (1985, 1987); Wimbledon (1988, 1990); US Open (1991, 1992) Doubles (3): Australian Open (1987, 1996); US Open (1987).

Year-End Singles Rankings: 1983 - 523rd; 1984 - 20th; 1985 - 5th; 1986 - 5th; 1987 - 2nd; 1988 - 5th; 1989 - 3rd; 1990 - 1st; 1991 - 1st; 1992 - 2nd; 1993 - 5th; 1994 - 7th; 1995 - 23rd; 1996 - 14th; 1997 - 1,347th.

Personal
A native of Vastervik, Sweden, Edberg is married to Annette Hjort Olsen. The two have a pair of children - Emilie and Christopher. Edberg is a supporter of the English football team Leeds United.