30 years ago today: When Stefan Edberg first became number 1 in the world
On August 13, 1990, Stefan Edberg was finally where he belonged at that time: at the top of the tennis world rankings.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Aug 13, 2020, 01:28 pm
As an exception, he had to start half volleyball because final opponent Brad Gilbert put a ball from the "Winning Ugly" school on him - right in front of his feet. But of course it wasn't a problem for Stefan Edberg. He played the difficult return to the baseline, Gilbert's forehand flew into the net - game, set and match. Synonymous with the Cincinnati title, and: number 1 in the world. Because on the Monday after the final, on August 13, 1990, the then 24-year-old should be at the top of the ATP world rankings for the first time.
It was of course deserved. Edberg had just won Wimbledon (against Boris Becker), then in Los Angeles, now Cincinnati.
Edberg took over from Ivan Lendl, who led the world rankings for the first time in 1985 and then again from 1989, after a brief interlude from Edberg's compatriot Mats Wilander.
"I would have liked to offer you a little more tennis. But Stefan has shown that he plays number 1 tennis", congratulated final opponent Gilbert after the smooth 1: 6, 1: 6 after less than an hour of play.
"It will always be a very special week in my life. Because I won here and played really good tennis," said Edberg. "And of course because I got number 1, which was one of my goals."
The seven biggest rivalries in men's tennis history, part 4: Boris Becker vs Stefan Edberg
Stefan Edberg - best serve and volley player of all time
Edberg should hold his top position for a total of 72 weeks. In 1991 Boris Becker replaced him briefly twice (after the victory in Melbourne and after Edberg's semi-final at Wimbledon). Both 1990 and 1991, however, Edberg finished at the top. And in 1992 he took turns with Jim Courier in matters of number 1.
Edberg's secret of success? His serve and volley game, of course. Nobody was faster up front in the T-field to play the difficult first volley. Nobody played it better, especially on the backhand side. Decisive for this: The Edberg serve, until a few years ago the silhouette of the "serving man" at the Australian Open, hit with a lot of kick and with a throw and jump sequence that Edberg transported towards the net faster than anyone else. The "Silent von Västervik" gladly accepted the occasional foot error (it didn't always have to be 26, like in his 1983 US Open match against Aaron Krickstein).
Stefan Edberg won six Grand Slam tournaments in the course of his career, two each at the Australian Open, in Wimbledon (two final wins against Boris Becker) and at the US Open. And three in doubles. Oh yes: Edberg had already made it to the top of the world rankings on June 9, 1986.