Edberg/Becker Wimbledon 88

[britbox]

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEF-xpJdAa8[/video]

Edberg's backhand stands the test of time... still a shot of beauty.

 

[Kieran]

Great clip! I must admit, I was rooting for Becker but Edberg showed that slam finals are won on the day, and not on past records or by media predictions. Look how sharp and focussed he is throughout. He just looked like he wanted it more, worked harder and aimed straighter than Becker.

Edberg had seemed lightweight up to a point, comparative to Becker, Lendl, and Wilander, but that final in 1988 was the start of a few great years for him: another Wimbledon win in 1990, a couple of US Open victories, a long spell as #1, a French Open final...

 

[britbox]

I'd spent 2 or 3 years talking Edberg up... I'd followed his rise from winning Junior Wimbledon... and he'd already won the AO twice before winning Wimbledon. It fell on deaf ears. Wimbledon was everything in those days in the UK - it didn't matter what you did anywhere else. I followed the Swedes as the Brits had nothing to offer. Edberg, Pernfors, Nystrom, Jarryd.... all of them bar Wilander (can't recall why I didn't like him but never rooted for him).

Edberg should have won the first set but somehow lost it. It was rained off until the Monday after that. I was working a summer job in a book wholesaler and the guy on security had a TV. Kept popping in for a chat every five minutes and keeping tabs on the match. Delighted Edberg won it. Even though he had already won 2 AO's, it seemed to legitimize him. He went onto win another and 2 USOs and become world #1. Happy days.

 

[Kieran]

Those Oz victories get underrated but by the time Stefan won it, there was a good field playing. Mats won twice there too, once even beating Mac.

On grass.

It's often forgotten in the rush to downgrade the old guys, but the grass courts in Oz and Wimbo played differently. It wasn't the exact same surface in three slams. So Edberg punching the clock at Wimbledon was a big move for him.

But I must pick you up on something, buddy, really gets my goat: what ya mean you had no Brits to cheer? Have you forgotten Buster Mottram! :devil:

 

[britbox]

Buster Mottram... LOL. Mr National Front.

Jeremy Bates was another poor guy who had the nation's hopes pinned on him... and who could forget the ridiculous hype when Andrew Castle won a couple of sets off Wilander... even worse... when Barry Cowan gave Sampras a game.

Agreed though, the AO had turned the corner with a very strong field when Edberg was winning it, but it still wasn't Wimbledon... and I agree it was a different scenario and different grass (Kooyong actually played up a slope as well). It was still a bit of a bastard slam by today's standards. Actually, by the standards of the day, everything was a bastard slam compared to Wimbledon... in the UK.

 

[Kieran]

Well, in Ireland we had no coverage of the other slams. I remember Borg faced Mac in the US Open final in 1980: I found out who won on Tuesday. I stayed shocked for a year.

First Oz final I saw live was 1988, Mats v Cash.

The French Open was just too strange to understand. Actually, when you look at it, the slams developed into modernity in the 70's and 80's and it worked in their favour.

By the way, would you look at Edberg's barnet. Is that Robin Asquith's influence? It was the 80's, man! A couple of snips and he'd have a nice trendy mullet! :laydownlaughing

 

[britbox]

Edberg did the audition for "Confessions of a Tennis Player" but I think Wilander got the job with his mop like hairdo.

Coverage was funny in the 80s... I do remember watching Mac/Lendl at the FO. Never saw an AO match until the 90s and used to get the results out of the paper back then.

The Wimbledon coverage was silly in many respects... they tried to sell guys like Bates & Co. as legitimate contendors to the uneducated public. I ended up rooting against them as it was such a stupid proposition. If one of them got a set of a top seed, he'd be on breakfast TV for the remainder of the week doing interviews.

I didn't mind it so much with Henman as he was half decent, but even his chances were overblown. I won £500 when Sampras beat him in the Wimbledon semi in a straight bet with one of my pals. He had been fooled by the press coverage. Unfortunately I lost it all on a "double or quits" bet 5 minutes later... We were on the golf course, and he challenged me to the longest drive on the 8th hole.

I sliced the bugger into a pond. That little "plop" sound when the ball goes in the water and him rolling around laughing haunts me to this day. I'm crap at golf and he knows jack about tennis. Even Stevens!

 

[Kieran]

He hustled ya! Why would you chuck a huge wad into a golf pond when you know golf isn't even a sport? :nono

I saw the same FO match as you: 1984. First year it was shown live in Ireland, I believe, was 1982, when Wilander won. I must say, it helped me cope with having no Borg. That year I saw the US Open semis and finals too. One tourney I used enjoy watching was the Stockholm Open. I dunno if you remember Sportsnight, I'm sure you do, 'Arry Carpenter used to present it, yuh know wot I meen, 'arry? They'd show some tennis there and I recall seeing Borg beat McEnroe, I think it was 1980.

We used to get a great laugh - through gritted teeth - at the coverage of Brits at Wimbledon. Immense satisfaction when the hapless heroes lost. Usually a defeat meant they'd surely win Wimbledon some uncertain day in the future. How many times I heard that said of Henman: surely a future champ at Wimbledon. I liked Henman but those experts didn't know diddly about tennis, or else they were lying.

Going back to Edberg, I remember we were close to four finals in a row between he and Becker until Stich intervened. And who heard of Michael Stich until then?

 

[britbox]

I guess a saw an easy grand sitting on the table. I'm crap at Golf but was always pretty good off the Tee... and knew I could usually drive further than this guy even if he was generally far better all round.

I usually won my bets with him too... took a Honda Mini Melody moped off him once actually playing tennis and giving him a start.... but yeah, you're probably right... the hustler got well and truly hustled.

I remember thst Stich match like it was yesterday. I was watching in the pub on a Friday afternoon and Edberg never dropped serve all match. Lost in breakers.

 

[britbox]

I lost a little money on Edberg at 89 Wimbledon. He'd beaten Becker in the FO Semi a few weeks earlier and I thought he'd got his card marked for the 89 Wimbey final.... then he got bounced out in straight sets. Really lacklustre performance.

3-1 to Edberg in the majors + 1-0 in YEC finals. 10-25 to Becker in the overall H2H.

 

[Fiero425]

I lost a little money on Edberg at 89 Wimbledon. He'd beaten Becker in the FO Semi a few weeks earlier and I thought he'd got his card marked for the 89 Wimbey final.... then he got bounced out in straight sets. Really lacklustre performance.

3-1 to Edberg in the majors + 1-0 in YEC finals. 10-25 to Becker in the overall H2H.

Edberg, like Lendl in '84 was "done" after that French Open final! The only reason he even made final of Wimbledon was because he and Becker were the best grass court players at the time!

 

[Kirijax]

I remember this match well. Was a grad student living on 2 hours of sleep a night as I did my studies and worked two jobs to get by. Watched this match on my tiny TV in my attic apartment, rooting for Edberg. Never did like Becker all that much. Was a Wilander fan and he was in the midst of his incredible 1988 season but Wimbledon belonged to Edberg. First of three straight finals between the two with Becker winning in '89 and Edberg taking the rubber match in '90.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

this one was delayed a lot I think..overcast and drizzle, it was mostly played on Monday. in contrast to 1989 which was a hot n sunny tourney.