Tennis Legends - Stefan Edberg: Swedish legend with unique World No.1 feat renowned for stylish serve and volley

Following in the footsteps of Swedish legend Bjorn Borg, came Stefan Edberg, a player similar in temperament but with a style of game very different to his compatriot. Edberg was renowned for a stylish serve and volley approach which yielded six Grand Slam singles titles. Edberg, in addition to John McEnroe, are the only men to be ranked number one in singles and doubles during the Open Era.

Born on the 19th January of 1966, to parents Bengt and Barbro in the Swedish city of Vastervik. Edberg was a prodigious junior talent, winning both the European under 14 and 16 titles in the early 1980s. The teenage Swede then achieved a unique and remarkable feat of completing a junior Grand Slam. He remains the only player to accomplish this.

Turning professional a year later, Edberg quickly entered the winner’s circle. Edberg’s first title came at an indoor tournament, in March 1984, on the fast carpet of Milan. He defeated compatriot and future great Mats Wilander in the final.

The 1985 season produced a quartet of trophies, highlighted by the capture of his maiden Grand Slam success at the Australian Open, then held in December. A five set win over Ivan Lendl, in a semi-final played over two days due to rain was a victory that fuelled belief heading into a first major final. Once again, Wilander was the beaten opponent, going down in straight sets. Edberg was still only 19 when he triumphed in Melbourne.

No further Grand Slam finals were reached in the campaign of 1986. A semi-final showing at the US Open proving his best effort across the four majors. Three more titles were added to his resume. The pick of which was home success in Stockholm. This was Edberg’s first victory in what are now referred to as 1000 tournaments.

As a consequence of a decision to permanently move the Australian Open from December to January, Edberg had to wait a little longer to defend his title. He duly obliged by staving off home favourite Pat Cash's fightback. Edberg closed it out 6-3 in the fifth set. The Vastervik native went on to claim an additional half dozen titles in 1987, including a first triumph in the Cincinnati Open and retention of his Stockholm title. He would conclude the season at a then career high ranking of two.

Edberg’s 1988 season reached its peak on the hallowed courts of Wimbledon. Playing what would be the first of three successive Wimbledon finals against Boris Becker, Edberg fought back from a set down to win in four and secure a third Grand Slam title. At this point, Edberg and Becker were unquestionably the two standout players on grass. Two other titles were added in another fine season.

Defeats in consecutive major finals in Paris and London left Edberg frustrated in 1989. The Roland Garros showpiece placed the Swedish stylist against the tenacious American baseliner Michael Chang, aged only 17. In a seesaw five set contest, Chang became the youngest male winner of a singles Grand Slam. It proved to be the closest Edberg would get in attempting to win the one major title that ultimately eluded him. He then went on to lose in straight sets to Becker in their Wimbledon final rematch. The season finished on a high, though, when Edberg pocketed a first success at the season-ending Grand Prix Masters (now the ATP Finals) in New York, defeating Becker in four sets.

His 1990 season began with him forced to withdraw injured in the Australian Open final. He trailed Lendl by two sets and 2-5 when retiring. The rest of Edberg’s proved extremely successful, winning seven tournaments. The centrepiece was him retaining the Wimbledon crown, following a five set thriller with old foe Becker. It turned out to be the year where Edberg first reached number one, assuming the mantle, in August, from Ivan Lendl. 

Six tournament victories in 1991 cemented Edberg’s position as world number one. He claimed a fourth title at the Tokyo Outdoor event in April. Edberg added to his tapestry of grass court trophies when emerging as the winner at June's Queens Club Championships. The seasonal highlight occurred in New York, where the laconic Swede bagged a fifth Grand Slam singles title and his first at the US Open. In the final, Edberg lost just six games in a brutal dismantling of Jim Courier.

Edberg would cede the number one ranking in 1992 but he did succeed in defending his US Open title. The final witnessed Edberg come through in four sets over the fast rising Pete Sampras. It was one of three titles he won that term.

Edberg reached the last of his eleven Grand Slam singles finals in 1993, losing to Courier in a four set defeat. His solitary title of the season transpired on the clay in Madrid. His straight sets victory over Sergi Bruguera was arguably the most satisfying of his career on clay courts. 

The last few years of Edberg’s career witnessed diminishing returns. Three titles were accrued in 1994 but after a semi-final loss at the Australian Open, Edberg failed to progress beyond the third round in the season's other Grand Slams. Edberg began the 1995 season with a trophy in Doha. This would ultimately prove to be Edberg’s last singles title. The elegant Swede finished his career in 1996 with a final tally of 41 wins from 77 finals. He spent the entire duration of his career being coached by Tony Pickard. Edberg spent 72 weeks as World Number One in singles.

Edberg was one of the last premier singles players to combine it with a successful doubles career. He accumulated 18 titles including three Grand Slams. Much of his success was in tandem with compatriot Anders Jarryd. They aligned to win both the Australian Open and US Open doubles titles in 1087, having lost their previous pair of major doubles finals. In partnership with Czech Peter Korda, a third Grand Slam doubles tally was added at the 1996 Australian Open.

Playing for his country saw Edberg clinch four Davis Cup titles. He was part of triumphs in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1994. Edberg also played in the singles and doubles competitions at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, reaching the semi-finals of both events and then claiming a bronze medal in the third/fourth place playoff. At the 1984 Games, held in Los Angeles, he won gold when tennis was a demonstration sport.

Edberg built a reputation for showing great nerve in fifth sets. When triumphant at the 1992 US Open, Edberg came from a break down in deciding sets in three consecutive matches.

Edberg briefly went into coaching when Roger Federer, who had idolised the Swede as a young boy, asked him to undertake coaching duties at the end of 2013. He was credited with improving Federer's serve and volley game. The Swiss legend didn't add to his major tally on Edberg’s watch, but still amassed 10 Masters 1000 titles.

Once his tennis career had finished, Edberg embarked on a competitive squash career. He developed into an elite player within Swedish circles. He also undertook what was then a fledgling sport in racketlon, a combination of tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis.

The great Swede played for a time in seniors tennis, winning a title on clay in Paris. In 2012, he lost a one set exhibition with Jo Wilfried Tsonga. He's often seen as a spectator at Grand Slam events, especially Wimbledon.

Until 2016, Edberg's distinctive service action acted as silhouette logo for the Australian Open.

Boris Becker and Edberg are the only male tennis players to win the United International Athlete of the Year Award. Edberg won it in 1990. He also received the ATP Sportsmanship Award on five occasions. Following his retirement in 1996, the ATP permanently named the award after him. The same year he was bestowed with the Philippe Chatrier Award. Edberg’s induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame came in 2004. Other awards he received included back-to-back ATP Player of the Year gongs in 1990 and 1991.

Edberg has been married for 33 years. His wedding to Annette Hjort Olsen took place in April 1992. They've had two children, Emilie and Christopher. The bride had previously been in a relationship with fellow Swedish great Mats Wilander.

Away from tennis, Edberg is a follower of Leeds United in football and the ice hockey outfit Vaxjo Lakers.

Six Grand Slam titles in singles play places him level with among others Boris Becker, who he got the better of in their trilogy of Grand Slam finals. Edberg’s tally of four Slams won on grass is bettered in the Open Era by just four men: Roger Federer (8), Pete Sampras (7), Novak Djokovic (7) and Bjorn Borg (5). He's level with Rod Laver in fifth place. One of the finest serve and volley exponents, he proved to be the last of Sweden's holy tennis trinity. Borg remains the benchmark, but Wilander and Edberg joined him soon after. To win three different majors on multiple occasions places Edberg in very exclusive company.