During the 1980s and 1990s, tennis saw some of its most iconic legends, including John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, Mats Wilander, and Stefan Edberg — the Swedish star who reached World No. 1, captured six Grand Slam titles, and earned three Olympic medals. Years later, Edberg made no hesitation in naming his pick for the greatest tennis player of all time among Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
In 2017, shortly after Federer’s Wimbledon triumph, Edberg was clear and firm in his opinion: “Federer is truly extraordinary. He’s special in so many ways. Roger is the best from my point of view, and I think he’s proven it with his 19 Grand Slam titles and eight here. It’s always worth watching him because you know he’s going to hit incredible shots”. Following those comments, Federer went on to win the 2018 Australian Open, bringing his final Grand Slam total to 20.
Throughout his career, Federer worked with several coaches, and from early 2014 to late 2015, he was joined by none other than Stefan Edberg — one of his childhood idols. Although the Swiss didn’t win a Grand Slam during that stretch, Edberg helped refine his serve-and-volley game, a skill that proved crucial in the final stages of his career.
It’s worth noting that after winning Wimbledon in 2012, Federer endured nearly a five-year drought before lifting another Major. His resurgence came at the 2017 Australian Open when he defeated Nadal in the final, followed by another Wimbledon title that same year and one more triumph in Melbourne in 2018 — his last Grand Slam title.
Roger Federer talks with his coach Stefan Edberg during a practice session. (Getty Images)
Edberg’s extraordinary career
Sweden produced some of the greatest tennis players in history throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s — names like Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Stefan Edberg, who enjoyed an outstanding career on the ATP Tour.
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A former World No. 1, Edberg captured six Grand Slam singles titles and earned three Olympic medals — gold in singles at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and two bronze medals (singles and doubles) at Seoul 1988. In addition, he helped Sweden win four Davis Cup championships, further cementing his place as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Edberg, Federer’s childhood idol
A few weeks ago, Roger Federer spoke with musician Burna Boy and revealed his five favorite players of all time. “I needed my GOAT,” Federer said. “I had posters of my favorite players on the walls of my room and wanted to be like them. For me, the idol of that time was the Swedish player Stefan Edberg. He was always attacking, constantly coming to the net, and had such elegance. He was wonderful to watch, and I loved seeing his matches”.
Federer went on to add: “Then I’d include Boris Becker. He and Edberg were always facing each other, so I watched them all the time. Next is Pete Sampras, and of course, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic”.
Between 1984 and 1996, Edberg and Becker faced each other 35 times, with the German leading their head-to-head rivalry 25–10 — one of the defining rivalries of that golden tennis era.
