Stefan Edberg

 Stefan Edberg (b. January 19 1966, in Sweden) is a former World No. 1 professional
tennis player from Sweden. During his career, he
won six Grand Slam singles
titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles. Edberg
is well known as one of the best serve and volley players of all time, for
his superb Volley, and as a
gentleman and ambassador for the sport.

==Career==
Edberg first came to the tennis world's attention
as a brilliant junior player. He won all four of
the Grand Slam junior titles in 1983.

As a professional, Edberg won his first career
doubles title in Basel in 1983, and his first
top-level singles title at Milan in 1984.

Edberg's first two Grand Slam singles titles came
at the Australian Open. In 1985, he defeated Mats
Wilander in straight sets to claim his first major
title. Two years later, in 1987 he beat Pat Cash
in a memorable five-set final to win the last
Australian Open to be held on grass courts. Edberg
also won the Australian Open and US Open men's doubles titles in 1987

In 1988, Edberg reached the first of three
consecutive finals at Wimbledon. In all three finals he
played against Boris Becker in what is remembered
as one of Wimbledon's great rivalries. Edberg won
their first encounter in a four-set match spread
over three days because of rain delays. A year
later, in 1989, Becker won in straight sets. The
best of their matches came in the 1990 final, when
Edberg won an epic five-set encounter.

Edberg claimed the World No. 1 ranking in August
1990. He held it for the rest of that year, and
for much of 1991 and 1992.

Edberg's final two Grand Slam singles triumphs
came at the US Open, with wins over Jim Courier in
1991 final, and Pete Sampras in the 1992 final.

In 1996, Edberg won his third Grand Slam doubles
title at Australian Open with Petr Korda.


The only Grand Slam singles title Edberg never won
was the French Open. He reached the French Open
final in 1989, but lost in five sets to Michael
Chang in a match best remembered for making the
17-year old Chang the youngest ever male winner of
a Grand Slam singles title. Generally Edberg was
most comfortable playing tennis on fast-playing
surfaces. Of his six Grand Slam singles titles,
four were won on grass courts at the Australian
Open and Wimbledon, and two were won on hardcourts
at the US Open.

Edberg also played on four Swedish Davis Cup
winning teams in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1994. He
appeared in seven Davis Cup finals - a record for
a Swedish player.

Edberg was also a member of the Swedish teams
which won the World Team Cup in 1988, 1991 and
1995.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where
tennis was a demonstration sport, Edberg won the
men's singles Gold Medal. Four years later, at the
1988 Olympics in Seoul, tennis became a full medal
sport and Edberg won Bronze Medals in both the
men's singles and the men's doubles for Sweden.

During his cereer, Edberg won a total 41 top-level
singles titles and 18 doubles titles, and appeared
in a record 54 consecutive Grand Slam
tournaments. He was ranked the World No. 1 for a
total of 72 weeks. Edberg was also a five-time
recipient of the ATP's Sportsmanship Award
(1988-90, 92 and 95). In recognition of this
achievement, the ATP renamed the award the "Edberg
Sportsmanship Award" in 1996. In 2004, Edberg was
inducted into the International Tennis Hall of
Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

==Grand Slam singles finals==

===Wins (6)===

Year Championship Opponent in
Final Score in Final
1985 Australian Open Mats Wilander
6-4, 6-3, 6-3
1987 Australian Open Pat Cash
6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3
1988 Wimbledon Boris Becker
4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2
1990 Wimbledon Boris Becker
6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4
1991 U.S. Open Jim Courier
6-2, 6-4, 6-0
1992 U.S. Open Pete Sampras
3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2

===Runner-ups (5)===

Year Championship Opponent in
Final Score in Final
1989 French Open Michael Chang
6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
1989 Wimbledon Boris Becker
6-0, 7-6, 6-4
1990 Australian Open Ivan Lendl
4-6, 7-6, 5-2 (retired)
1992 Australian Open Jim Courier
6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
1993 Australian Open Jim Courier
6-2, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5