
Interviews
Stefan Edberg & Tony Pickard Mr Class and his teacher
Sunday, 28 October 2018 07:46
from Tennis Magazine ![]() STEFAN EDBERG-TONY PICKARD... A little like the Rafael and Toni Nadal of the 80s-90s, a mythical duo with slightly (and deliciously) vintage reflections today. More than 20 years after the retirement of the Swedish player, that also marked the one of the British coach, both retain a brilliant form, and a magnificent complicity. Discretion not being the least of their qualities, their word remains very rare. For Tennis Magazine, they made an exception. For almost an hour, we have redone the match with them. And we feasted. Tennis Magazine: Do you remember your first meeting and your debut together? Stefan Edberg: Yes, we met in England, through Wilson, our common sponsor. I must have been 16 or 17 years old. At the time, I was working with Percy Rosberg (the man with whom he had changed his two handed backhand to move to a single-handed one, editor's note), a coach who had collaborated with a lot of young Swedish players, especially Björn Borg, but who did not really have experience on the circuit. Tony Pickard: Specifically, it was in 1983, occasionally at the Bournemouth tournament. I had already seen Stefan play before, he was a very promising young player, but I did not know him personally. We have immediately hooked. I never imagined at the time that I would pass so many years on the road by his side. It will remain an amazing experience to have been able to work with someone like him. He was extremely easy to coach. He was listening, he had this incredible ability to assimilate and execute immediately what we had previously discussed about. In more than fifteen years, I don’t think that we have argued once. It was a beautiful time, too. After McEnroe and Connors, gentlemen had taken over the game. And Stefan was the first of these "new" gentlemen. But, basically, that made this duo work so well? T. P.: The secret is that we trusted and believed in each other. That is surely the reason why we have never had "words" all this time. There have been a lot of discussions. Our relationship was not a dictatorship. It was a construction over the long term. On the other hand, this is the problem that a lot of coaches face today. They are there for three months, then it's over. You can not build anything this way. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 3969
![]() "Federer is exceptional, but tennis needs a new name too"
Monday, 05 March 2018 08:28
from Mumbai Live Mumbai. Former World No.1 and Tennis legend Stefan Edberg was in Mumbai for the Mahindra Scorpio Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) and was the mentor for the third edition in 2018. From being Roger Federer's coach between 2013 and 2015, to being a six-time Grand Slam champion, Stefan Edberg discussed the rise of sport in India and his time with the 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer. The significance of events like TOISA (Times of India Sports Awards) and you being the mentor this year Sports awards, in general, feels good when we get-together and meet personalities from different sports and the sportsmen and women get recognised and felicitated for their achievements. I'm honoured and happy to be here as this is my second visit but it has come after many years. I'm happy to promote tennis here in India. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 3499
![]() "I am a happy person"
Saturday, 27 January 2018 07:19
from RP Online ![]() Six Grand Slam titles, two Olympic medals and numerous individual successes: Stefan Edberg (52) has achieved almost everything in his career. The Swede is one of the legends of tennis sports. We met him. Stefan Edberg is tired of traveling. If it can somehow be avoided, then the 52-year-old spends most of his time with his wife and two children in a farm near Växjö in the south of Sweden. He makes an exception for his outfitter Wilson. We meet him at Tennis Point. Edberg was the number one player in the tennis world ranking for 72 weeks, winning 42 titles, and from the beginning of 2014 to the end of 2015 he was the so-called super coach of Roger Federer. Mr Edberg, your former protégé Roger Federer is again in the final of the Australian Open. Are you wondering how long he has been in the world class? Stefan Edberg: It's not a coincidence. Roger is sure to be blessed with an incredible talent. But he understands like no other that he needs to reinvent his game again and again. A few years ago everybody thought that the changing of the guard would be imminent. And? Nothing happened - last year Rafael Nadal and Roger shared all Grand Slam titles among themselves. And now he has another chance for a big triumph. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 2888
![]() Stefan Edberg previews the Murray vs Djokovic final for BBC
Monday, 21 November 2016 17:48
![]() Before the ATP World Tour Finals Championship match between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, Stefan Edberg was invited by BBC to preview the final showdown (that would also award the year-end number 1 spot for 2016) in the studio with Sue Barker and Tim Henman. The Swede analysed both players' chances and the meaning of being at the top of the ranking at the end of the season, especially in such an important occasion: in fact, it was the first time in the history of men's tennis that the year-end ranking leader was decided in the last match of the season between the two contenders. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 1598
![]() Edberg Talks Past And Present Of Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
Saturday, 12 November 2016 19:46
from ATP World Tour.com ![]() Stefan Edberg in action during his 1989 New York Masters final against Boris Becker Stefan Edberg will make a welcome return to The O2 in London next week as part of the ATP’s Finals Club, which this year celebrates Barclays ATP World Tour Finals competitors in the 1980s. Having qualified for nine straight year-end championships in New York City and Frankfurt, between 1985 and 1994, the Swede continues to marvel at the growth of the prestigious event. “This has become one of the best events to visit as a spectator,” Edberg told ATPWorldTour.com. “You don’t have to deal with rain, you’re guaranteed two great matches each day and everything runs well. “It was mostly about the Grand Slams in my generation, but I think this championship and the [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 events have so much importance to them now, which is great. That’s how it should be.” Read more... Add new comment Hits: 2333
![]() Edberg: "Djokovic won't step aside"
Thursday, 10 November 2016 12:09
![]() Stefan Edberg was interviewed by Espndeportes.com and gave his view on the change at the top of the men's ranking, with Novak Djokovic being passed by Andy Murray at world number 1. "It was a little surprising that Andy reached No. 1 by the end of the year, but he had a great season and was playing great tennis lately," he said on the Scot. "However, Djokovic will not step aside. His reign as world number one was great and he had a great year as well. But it's normal to see new people challenging him for the first place," added Stefan. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 1972
![]() Edberg: "Swedish tennis is still behind"
Monday, 31 October 2016 15:11
from Expressen.se ![]() Stefan Edberg, 50, still believes and hopes for Roger Federer to win yet another Grand Slam title. For Sport Expressen the tennis legend talks about his support to his former protégé, his faith in the future of Swedish tennis and his view of tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios. “It’s with mixed feelings that I see him,” said Edberg. For twenty years six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg has given back to Swedish tennis through his foundation. Each year, he has praised the four more promising Swedish juniors - a guy and a girl of the 14-year-old class (SEK 25,000 each) and 16-year-old class (SEK 50,000 each), with a check from the Edberg Foundation. The winners are determined by a point system based on results in the Swedish Junior Championships, SALK Open and Bastad Open. “The idea is to give juniors the same opportunity I had in my time. It is very costly to go out and play. Sure you can write a check and say 'Here you are', but this feels more right and more long term. We can reach much greater targets,” said Edberg. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 3199
![]() Stefan Edberg about his Olympic Games in ITF publication
Friday, 12 August 2016 15:06
![]() Stefan Edberg with Seoul silver medallist Tim Mayotte and tied bronze medallist Brad Gilbert during the medal ceremony Stefan Edberg shared his memories about his Olympic experience in a special publication issued by the ITF for Rio 2016, collecting words from all the tennis players who were awarded a medal since tennis officially became part of the Games in Seoul in 1988. It does feel good to be an Olympic medallist. At the time, I was quite disappointed in 1988 with the bronze medals. I was really looking for the gold medal. I gave it a shot in 1992, clay court wasn’t my best surface at the time and I got knocked out there. It wasn’t the end of the world. Looking back, it was very nice. I remember five or ten years ago, my kids were in school and they could bring some medals to the school because it was an Olympic year. I took the medals to the school to show them and they could have a look at them and see what the real thing is. I told them about when I was playing in the Olympics. You could come out and show the young people some real Olympic medals which probably a lot of school kids hadn’t seen. It was a nice thing to tell a story about being part of the Olympics. You are part of history in the Olympics. It was the local school where I live now in Vaxjo. Read more... Comments (2) Hits: 2662
![]() Stefan Edberg, doublet in Seoul '88
Thursday, 16 June 2016 22:53
from ITF Tennis.com ![]() Stefan Edberg with Anders Jarryd and the doubles medalists of the 1988 Olympic Games Former world number one and great ambassador of a classic serve and volley tennis in the '80s, the Swede Stefan Edberg is one of the rare athletes who can complain to have won an Olympic gold medal in one of the few editions where tennis was not yet formally accepted as an Olympic sport, but only as an exhibition event. This happened in Los Angeles 1984, the year in which the sport was again present as a demonstration, like in 1968. On American soil, the Swede took the gold in singles, but he did not have the same luck when, four years later at the official Olympic event, he "just" could take two bronze medals in Seoul '88. Read more... Comments (8) Hits: 3241
![]() Stefan Edberg visits Kristianstad
Friday, 13 May 2016 16:24
from Kristianstadbladet.se ![]() Stefan Edberg talks during the breakfast meeting at the Kristianstad Arena Peter "Foppa" Forsberg recently won this year's Mästarnas Mästare. Stefan Edberg has a standing invitation to the TV show - but has so far declined. - Sometimes I look at the program, but it is not a natural environment for me and then I will decline, says the tennis legend who visited Kristianstad Arena during a breakfast meeting. Stefan Edberg was invited by Marknadsföreningen NordostSkåne and Sparbanken Skåne as the meeting host and the interest was huge to say the least. The restaurant in Kristianstad Arena was packed when Håcan Nilsson began talking with Stefan Edberg. So, during a very entertaining hour Stefan Edberg told anecdotes from his active career, but we also got a glimpse of what life the former world number one is living today. Read more... Add new comment Hits: 2673
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