Stefan Edberg - "Roger Federer no longer needs my advice"
Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer maintain a friendly relationship even after their cooperation has ended. The Swede basically rules out a return as a super coach on the ATP tour.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 09, 2019, 06:05 pm
When Roger Federer entered the club house of the All England Lawn Tennis Club after his eighth Wimbledon victory in July 2017. a hug was particularly warm: the one with Stefan Edberg. The Swede had accompanied Federer on selected occasions on the ATp tour as a second coach alongside Severin Lüthi for two years, a joint Grand Slam success was denied to the two legends.
The ties between Edberg and Federer have not broken since then, the Wimbledon champion from 1988 and 1990 is still a welcome guest in the Swiss box from time to time. However, there is no frequent telephone contact. "Roger has so many people around him on the tour, he doesn't need my opinion," Edberg said in an interview with RTP .
Federer understands his sport best
On the other hand, there were and were enough players who would have loved to listen to Stefan Edberg's advice. In any case, there was no shortage of inquiries. "I can believe that my phone rang quite a few times and I listened to some very interesting initiatives," Edberg continued. “In the end, however, I wasn't ready to sacrifice myself again for tennis. I have traveled my whole life, now a new chapter in my life has started. ”
Which does not mean that Edberg does not look back with joy on the years with Roger Federer. "Roger is of course blessed with incredible talent," said the Swede. “But he also understands his sport better than anyone else, including how to reinvent himself time and again. A few years ago, everyone thought that there would be a big change of guard. And? That didn't happen. "
Exciting and intensive collaboration
In fact, Federer looked fresher than ever at the Hopman Cup a few days ago, had no problems with opponents like Frances Tiafoe, Cameron Norrie, but a few problems with Stefanos Tsitsipas. The final victory against Alexander Zverev was convincing, but Federer has already lost three times on the ATP tour against the German.
Stefan Edberg, however, was also able to introduce major changes during his time with Roger Federer. “When you play on a level like Roger, it's not about the basics. There are a lot of little things. It's about motivation and fitness. If he wanted to try something really new, he needed a voice that had prepared him for the challenges. ”Working with Federer was certainly exciting and intensive. But now Stefan Edberg is returning to his family with the same intensity.