Stefan Edberg: US OPEN Iron Man

Former World Number One Stefan Edberg won six Grand Slam titles during his 13 year career, none harder fought than the US Open title he won at Flushing Meadows in 1992.

The Swede went into the 1992 US Open as the defending Champion and heavy favourite, having dismantled Jim Courier in three short sets in the previous year’s final. The following year, Edberg didn’t have things all his own way, and it was to require one of the most Herculean efforts that tennis has ever seen for the Swede to battle through three consecutive five set matches to reach the final, where he overcame Pete Sampras to win his sixth, and final, Grand Slam title.

“The US Open in 1992 was probably the biggest struggle of my life,” he said. “I had such a grueling second week when I played three five set matches and in all three of them I was down a break in the fifth. It was a nice feeling to win after playing 23 or 24 hours of tennis in the two weeks. It was very memorable because I had to fight and I had to give everything that I had in that second week.”

Richard Krajicek was one of the opponents who came within a whisker of upsetting the defending Champion in 1992. The Dutchman came up against Edberg at the fourth round stage and became the first of four consecutive players to take the Swede to five sets.

“That match was one of the two worst losses of my career,” said Krajicek. “ It was a long match, almost four and a half hours and I hated it. I was a break up in the fifth but he finally broke back. Then at 4-4 I had 30-40 on his serve and he hit a second serve. I had to run around my backhand side to whack the return down the line, and I can still see the shot now, I passed him but the linesman called it long. Some people said it was in, some out, I don’t know. But that was to go 5-4 up to serve for the match. I ended up losing that game and got broken the game after and lost it 6-4. It really took me a couple of weeks if not months to get that match out of my system and even now when I think about it I think, ‘thank God I won Wimbledon’, because if I hadn’t have won at least one Grand Slam I would be talking about and thinking about that match probably for the rest of my life.”

After beating Ivan Lendl in the quarter finals in another five-set match, Edberg played Michael Chang, the man who had denied the Swede his biggest chance of winning the French Open in 1989. It is a match which Edberg remembers particularly clearly.

“Probably the most memorable match of that tournament for me was against Chang,” he said. “We played for over five hours and I remember waking up the next morning and I was so stiff and I thought it just wasn’t possible to play the final against Pete Sampras that day. I had to jog a little bit that morning and I didn’t feel too good. Then when I went on the court and had a warm up before the final I still didn’t feel too good but then suddenly, as it was getting closer to the match, I felt like my body was getting back into shape again. I was struggling a little bit in the beginning and there was a very crucial third set which turned the match around I think.”

It is that final which Sampras credits with inspiring him to improve and win the 14 Grand Slam titles he would ultimately accumulate. For Edberg, it was the most gruelling, but satisfying win of his career.

Edberg will be playing at Trophee Jean Luc Lagardere in Paris (September 24-27) and The Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall in London (December 1-6). For tickets, click here.