Stefan Edberg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stefan Edberg

Edberg in 2012
Full name	Jan Stefan Edberg
Country (sports)	Sweden
Residence	London, England
Born	(1966-01-19) 19 January 1966 (age 59) Västervik, Sweden
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro	1983
Retired	1996
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Coach	Tony Pickard
Prize money	US$20,630,941  31st all-time leader in earnings
Int. Tennis HoF	2004 (member page)
Singles
Career record	801–270 (74.79%) (74.8%)
Career titles	41
Highest ranking	No. 1 (13 August 1990)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1985, 1987)
French Open	F (1989)
Wimbledon	W (1988, 1990)
US Open	W (1991, 1992)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1989)
Grand Slam Cup	SF (1993)
WCT Finals	F (1988)
Doubles
Career record	283–153 (64.9%)
Career titles	18
Highest ranking	No. 1 (9 June 1986)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1987, 1996)
French Open	F (1986)
Wimbledon	SF (1987)
US Open	W (1987)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1985, 1986)
Olympic Games	SF (1988)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1984, 1985, 1987, 1994)
Coaching career (2014–2015)
Roger Federer (2014–2015)
Coaching achievements
Coachee singles titles total	10
List of notable tournaments (with champion) 3 x ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (Federer) Davis Cup (Federer)
Medal record Men's tennis Representing  Sweden Olympic Games Bronze 1988 Seoul Singles Bronze 1988 Seoul Doubles

Jan Stefan Edberg (born 19 January 1966) is a famous Swedish former professional tennis player. He was once ranked the world's number one player. Stefan was known for his "serve-and-volley" style, where he would hit the ball and then quickly run to the net.

He won six major singles titles, called Grand Slams, and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. He is one of only two men in the modern tennis era to be ranked world number one in both singles and doubles. The other player is John McEnroe. Edberg also won the Masters Grand Prix and helped Sweden win the Davis Cup four times. After he stopped playing, Edberg coached tennis superstar Roger Federer from 2014 to 2015.

Stefan Edberg's Tennis Journey

Stefan Edberg first became known as an amazing junior player. In the early 1980s, he won the European Junior Championships in the Under 14 and Under 16 age groups. In 1983, he made history by winning all four junior Grand Slam titles. This means he won the junior tournaments at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same year! No other player has done this in the modern era. Later that year, he won his first professional doubles title in Basel.

Early Wins and Grand Slam Success

In 1984, Edberg won his first big singles title in Milan. He also won the tennis tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics, where tennis was a special exhibition event. That year, he and his Swedish partner Anders Järryd reached the doubles final at the US Open. In 1986, he even became the world's number one doubles player.

Stefan's first two Grand Slam singles titles were at the Australian Open. In 1985, he beat the world number one player, Ivan Lendl, in a very long match that lasted two days because of rain. He then won his first major title by beating Mats Wilander. In 1987, he won the Australian Open again, beating local favorite Pat Cash. This was the last Australian Open played on grass courts. He also won the Australian Open and US Open men's doubles titles in 1987 with Anders Järryd.

Wimbledon Rivalries and French Open Challenge

From 1988 to 1990, Edberg played in three Wimbledon finals in a row. He often played against German tennis star Boris Becker, creating one of Wimbledon's most exciting rivalries. Edberg won their first match in 1988. Becker won in 1989. Their closest match was in the 1990 final, where Edberg won in five sets after being behind.

In 1989, Edberg reached the final of the French Open, but he lost to 17-year-old Michael Chang. This was the only Grand Slam singles title Edberg never won, meaning he couldn't complete a "Career Grand Slam" (winning all four major titles as a professional), even though he did it as a junior.

Becoming World Number One

In 1990, Edberg had to stop playing in the Australian Open final because of an injury. But he still became the world's number one player on August 13, 1990, by winning a big tournament in Cincinnati. He stayed at number one for a total of 72 weeks over the next few years.

Edberg's last two Grand Slam singles wins were at the US Open. He won in 1991 against Jim Courier and in 1992 against Pete Sampras. At the 1992 US Open, he won some incredibly tough matches. He beat Ivan Lendl in a five-set match that lasted two days. Then, he beat Michael Chang in the longest US Open match ever, which lasted over five and a half hours!

He reached the Australian Open finals again in 1992 and 1993, but lost both times to Jim Courier. The 1993 Australian Open final was his last Grand Slam singles final.

Stefan Edberg was best at playing on fast tennis courts. Four of his six Grand Slam singles titles were on grass courts (Australian Open and Wimbledon), and two were on hard courts (US Open).

How Stefan Edberg Played Tennis

Edberg was famous for his "serve-and-volley" style. This means he would hit his serve and then quickly run to the net to hit the next shot, called a volley. He didn't have the fastest serve, but he used different types of serves, like a "kick" or "slice" serve. These serves gave him more time to get to the net.

Once at the net, Edberg was amazing at volleys. He could hit the ball anywhere on the court. His groundstrokes (shots hit from the back of the court) were also good, and his one-handed backhand was one of his best shots. Many people thought his backhand was one of the best of his time.

Tennis Gear

Throughout his career, Stefan Edberg used Wilson tennis rackets. He wore Adidas clothes and shoes.

Life After Professional Tennis

After he stopped playing professional tennis, Edberg started playing competitive squash and became a top player in Sweden. He also became good at racketlon, a sport that combines tennis, squash, badminton, and table tennis.

In 2008, Stefan Edberg joined the "Black Rock Tour of Champions," which is a tour for retired tennis players. He won his first tournament in Paris. In 2012, he played a fun exhibition match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Qatar.

Coaching Roger Federer

At the end of 2013, Stefan Edberg started coaching tennis legend Roger Federer. Their partnership officially began at the 2014 Australian Open. Federer said Edberg was "more of a mentor than a coach." However, many people believe Edberg's advice helped Federer improve his game, especially by using more serve-and-volley tactics. Their coaching partnership ended in December 2015.

Awards and Achievements

Stefan Edberg has many amazing achievements:

• He played on four Swedish Davis Cup winning teams (1984, 1985, 1987, and 1994). He played in seven Davis Cup finals, which is a record for a Swedish player.
• Until 2016, the Australian Open logo was a picture of Stefan Edberg's unique serving action!
• Edberg and John McEnroe are the only men to be ranked world number one in both singles and doubles tennis.
• Edberg is the only player to achieve the "Junior Grand Slam" (winning all four major junior titles in one year).
• He won the ATP Player of the Year award in 1990 and 1991.
• At the 1984 Olympics, where tennis was a demonstration sport, Edberg won the gold medal in men's singles. In 1988, when tennis became a full medal sport, he won bronze medals in both singles and doubles.
• During his career, Edberg won 41 singles titles and 18 doubles titles.
• He was the world's number one singles player for a total of 72 weeks.
• Edberg won the ATP Sportsmanship Award five times. Because of this, the award was renamed the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award in 1996.
• In 2004, Edberg was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the United States.
• In 2008, Tennis Magazine ranked Edberg as the 14th greatest tennis player of the modern era (including men and women), and the 8th greatest male player.
• Edberg is one of the few players who reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments. He won three of them.

Personal Life

Stefan Edberg was born in Västervik, Sweden. He is married to Annette Hjort Olsen, and they have two children, Emilie and Christopher.

Edberg is a fan of the English football team Leeds United and the Swedish ice hockey team Växjö Lakers.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Tournament Results

Here's a look at how Stefan Edberg did in the major Grand Slam tournaments each year:

See also

• Becker–Edberg rivalry
• Edberg–Lendl rivalry
• Tennis male players statistics
• World number 1 male tennis player rankings
• List of Swedish sportspeople