Even though Becker was "fiery" and emotional he always showed respect for his opponent and the game... and Stefan was simply what more athletes and people should be like.
Re-watching these matches 30+ years later, my sense is that the Becker Edberg trilogy was the aesthetic peak of grass court tennis. Never again has the game been that beautiful.
Among my very best tennis memories, these finals! Timeless tennis and fantastic characters! It's funny, back then I was definitely in the Becker camp, but watching these guys today I like Edberg just as much, with an extra credit for arguably the best looking backhand volley of all time. I guess I'm just very nostalgic of that tennis era.
I like both of them. Like Borg, Edberg is gentle and quiet whereas Becker is more aggressive. Honestly my character is similar to Edberg.Some how or others, I have more affinity with Becker than most of the players in the early nineties.
I'm German but me and my whole family back home we were always big fans of Stefan Edberg: behaving calm and humble but being a fierce fighter and opponent, superb technique, great character, very Swedish. When I got my first Adidas Edberg Shirt I was so proud and wearing it all the time...
I got behind the scenes and shook Stefan's hand at a quick meet and greet at the Lipton Open tournament in 1990. Told him how much of an inspiration he was for me. He lost to Agassi in the final, 6-1, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.
Thanks for the upload Wimbledon! Stefan my favorite player of all time. Such grace, athleticism, volleying out of this world, and all around humble, good guy.
Becker did so well at Wimbledon: 1984 - R3 1985 - won 1986 - won 1987 - R2 1988 - F 1989 - won 1990 - F 1991 - F 1992 - QF 1993 - SF 1994 - SF 1995 - F 1996 - R3 1997 - QF 1998 - / 1999 - R4 He's reached the final 7 times, winning 3. What a master of grass he was. Beng in the final 4 consecutive times is just a timeless achievement.
@@GholamFareed Yes! And he had a very good chance of winning. He was in great form (thoughout 1995 and 1996), and had just won the Australian Open. Such a pity.
I saw those 3 games live on TV. The 1st 2 in Paris and the 3rd one in Philadelphia. I was 15, 16 and 17... I remember them like it was yesterday. One of the best times of my life 😉😊😀
It’s almost never mentioned that Fed beat the Nadal in their trilogy. Fed was so successful that I think the media wanted a new narrative and the fans go along with it. Nadal’s win in 08 at the time was covered as the seismic of him dethroning Fed forever, in reality it didn’t materialise. It’s Djokovic who’s really outgunned Fed on the surfaces most beloved to him; grass, indoor and hard, while Nadal has maintained his grip on clay.
@@naveed210 That's not the same since Edberg and Becker were both grass court specialists who had equal games on the surface. Everyone knows that Federer is a much better grass court player than Nadal so Nadal managing to even beat him once was huge. It's really in Nadal's favor that he managed to defeat Federer once at Wimbledon while Federer never managed to conquer Nadal at the French.
While my mother made watching their combats a traumatizing experience, I would always support Becker while my brother Edberg. Very graceful tennis back then.
Those were the days, my school days, when it all started. Probably I'm the biggest fan of Boris Becker from my country Bhaarath. I stopped watching tennis after Boris Becker retired. Just a couple of years ago, I heard the names Federer, Nadal, Djokovic etc etc. I don't even know who these players are. That's how completely I left tennis. Boris Becker carried an aura, a distinctive style, with him, which was unmistakable. He underachieved, in my view.
With Boris I think he allowed too much distractions. Drama in his life and being SO famous at such an early age. People dont realize just how big that W win was at 17. It was the biggest event in tennis in the last 25-30 years at the time. Incredible achievement that worked for him and against him. His bullheadedness also could work for him...or against him. With some discipline and better foot work routine he could have won three more grand slams. Still, a legend regardless. And one of the best. But I agree his potential was about 3/4 met.
I too Stopped following tennis after Becker retired… 85- 95 After he defeated Agassi I thought he will win the 95…. But sadly The sight of Becker looking at the 🏆 still hurts me even now
I generally agree with your statement, except nothing about Edberg's forehand is graceful 😅 I remember reading Tennis magazine back in the 90s describing Edberg's forehand as (and I am paraphrasing here) a stroke done with the arm disjointed from the rest of his body 😂
@@izhamsham843 Yep. His backhand was a thing of beauty no matter if he hit over the ball, flat or slice and was something you'd tell anyone learning the game to copy. Henin is the only player since to get near to it. His forehead however unless he was hitting it on the run, was a horror show.
Edberg had a graceful elegant fluid style of playing, Becker's tennis was more power driven. Edberg leads him 3-1 in slams but trails badly 10-25 in matches overall
Stefan will always be my all time favourite player ever! The most classy and elegant that has ever graced a tennis court! And the greatest serve and volleyer ever too! As Mc Enroe once said! 💞💞💞
In those days it is hard to win major titles in 1980's Having 6 to 8 major titles is big thing All can't be like Big 3 players,Pete Pistol, Roy Emerson,Rod laver and Bjorn Borg in open era actually. Pete Pistol have everything except French open title with him 😔😔😔😔 Stephan Edberg should be happy with 6 major titles in singles and 3 major titles in doubles in total in open era
@@notsohandytim5090 They originally slowed the conditions at Wimbledon because they felt power and big serving was dominating too much but it's gone too much the other way now. It can't be right that u never see serve volley at Wimbledon these days.
But wss sometimes boring too...but becker edberg stich...always nice to whatch..but sampras ivanisevic..phillipousis...often boring just ace . One volley..or..that is boring
Becker seemed terrifying in that 89 Final. I was shocked that Edberg was able to win 2 out of 3. The stoic hug the hulking Becker gave Edberg at the net after the matchpoint of this trilogy was really something. No one did that back then.
Edberg had slightly better touch and created harder angles from his volleys. How to compare though? Both won 6 slams, Becker won more head to heads and destroyed him in 1989, but Edberg won 2 of their 3 finals. Maybe the way he came back in 1990 made it more impressive given that Becker was rightly favourite. What a 1989 for Becker. Back to back slams and a Davis Cup...
Maybe. Edberg kicked his serve and his delivery swerved sideways. Edberg also had total control of where he could place the ball in the service box. What Becker did well was the aces. I think Edberg probably had a more effective serve: the spin & placement are probably more effective than just muscle.
it started with serve game players (Sampras, Ivanisevic, ok, they volleyed as well, but with a huge serve), then progressively ending with unidimensional baseliners.
Boring is relative. The points now are tactically more complex and better constructed. There's still a place for volleying, but also for drop shots and more variety in serving. I find that more interesting the ace lottery or a predictable serve and volleying.
@@mikiafu completely correct. By the mid to late 90's the men's games at Wimbledon had gotten so monotonous that the women's matches were getting better TV ratings. Commentators bemoaning the lack of rallies. Well over 90%of points were under 4 shots and often just a serve that skidded off the second-week dirt that was netted. It's rose-tinted arse-ology pretending that this was great. The grass blend was changed once only for durability reasons after the 2001 final.
Didn’t get to enjoy these live but this was a well done presentation. Makes me wish I could’ve seen them live. May seek out this footage, especially the 89 and 90 finals.
Edberg was a prodigious youngster in a way Boris Becker wasn’t. While Becker seemingly came out of nowhere to win Wimbledon at the age of 17 as a wildcard, Stefan Edberg won all four ‘Junior Slams’ by 1983, becoming the first and only player to do so in the Open era.
@@AWM79 lolol. take ur pick. Both Nutz. Crazy. All 4 jr slams....woooooooow. Wimbledon sr. @ 17. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG .....Before Federer and Nadal, this was where the Buck Stopped. Edberg Vs Becker at Wimbledon. :) and then 1 year for a Goran vs Agassi Final in 92. Before Pete took his Pistol and Killed everyone except Krajicek.....Then Federer comes of Age in 2001 and Gives Goran his ULTIMATE FINAL dream chance :) Pete is the worst nightmare of Goran. :) Federer is Goran's Dream machine. :) Then...Federer is still playing like a Dream in 2020 :) whowudhave thought? ....also, I dont want to miss Michael Stich in 91. who beat edberg in semis and spoiled a 4-peat in 1991. :(
Agree although Becker having won that world (think it was under 21s?) tournament at the NEC Birmingham beating Edberg on the way had just appeared on the radar, not many thought he would advance so quickly!
Becker didnt win wimbledon 85 on a wildcard. He had won Queens the week before and was ranked 20th in the world going into teh tournament. He was in the top ten for the first time after winning it
Becker was my favorite player back then, but it was hard not to root for Edberg, who was pure class on the court. They both won 6 majors each, but I always feel like they each could have won more. It's a bit odd to think that Edberg never made it back to the Wimbledon final after 1990, then Becker made it to 2 more Finals but lost both. Those big serving players like Sampras and Ivanisevic really came into power in the 90s and were just too much for either of them to win another one. I feel like Becker should have squeezed one more Wimbledon crown in there after 1989, but he just couldn't quite get over the hump in the 90s, losing to Edberg ('90), Stich ('91), and Sampras ('95). Sampras really kept Becker from winning, beating him 3 times ('93 SF, '95 Final, '97 QF). If Becker could have got by Sampras, he either wins or is the clear favorite in all 3 of those tournaments.
Becker's power game allowed him to be competitive much longer into the 90s than Stefan and it also showed in their rivalry with Edberg never beating him again after the 90 Wimbledon final.
So close to being a 4th Wimbledon final in a row for these two legends of the sport. Edberg lost to Michael Stich in the semifinals the next year (1991) without dropping his serve in the match (after breaking Stich’s serve in the first set to go up one set to love). Then Stich beat Becker in the all German final. In another what if moment...both Edberg and Becker lost in the semifinals in the 1993 Wimbledon, in close (winnable) matches, the year that started the Sampras collection of championships. I’d surmise that Edberg’s loss in the 1987 Wimbledon semifinals to Ivan Lendl would still hurt him, when reflecting on Wimbledon loses. I remember watching that match and thinking Edberg should have won.
Becker saying neither was better than the other is very generous. As a massive Edberg fan, I think their records show Becker was the superior champion, which is what makes edbergs 2 to 1 edge here all the more impressive.
In my opinion, Becker was helped mightily by the more powerful racquets, and string technology that made the 90’s esp on the original Wimbledon lightning quick surface. Before 1990, Becker and Edberg had a close h2h. Edberg was a touch player who used combinations of tactics to win matches. Becker served aces, un returnable services and bomb volleys. I thing the best of 3 sets also helped Becker. They only met 4 times in grand slams (best of 5 sets) and Edberg held a 4-1 record . It was tough to beat the fitness and smothering net pressure from Edberg over the course of best of 5 sets. Edberg’s game plan was to have a battle between suffocating net vs. having the opponent hit passing shots over and over with midsized graphite Racquets. These racquets and spin inducing strings created unbelievable power and severely spun & dipping passes. Tennis was best from 60’s-early 90s
@@whyaskwhy000 Becker’s head to head advantage was also because of his outstanding indoor play, his advantage is huge in indoor matches. No wind or sun allowed him to serve huge and blast opponents off the court. Becker lead 15 to 5 over Stefan indoors on any surface. Both great players, Stefan was my favorite but really liked Becker too, the 80s and 90s was the best, most interesting era of tennis IMO.
I loved these two playing together in the final. I was gutted in 1991 when Michael Stich beat Stefan in the semis Although their overall head to head in finals was in Becker's favour in terms of the majors it was in Edberg's favour which Becker humorously said 'was the statistic I would like to change'
@@peterso1322 I still remember Stefan Edberg in the press conference shaking his head, he was shocked. And I think Becker was also shocked! It would have been the fourth consecutive final between Becker and Edberg. Becker - mentally focused on Edberg - could not adapt to the new situation playing Michael Stich in the final.
@@peterso1322 I believe he even won the first set 6-4 and wasn't broken the entire match, which he found hard to understand. Stich was playing out of this world in the final, with second serves on average 170km/h, he was almost unbreakable then.
These were great epics between two of the great serve-volley specialists. And I was a big Edberg fan! But, those Becker v Edberg days were great memories... they contributed hugely to defining the late 1980s
Later in their life, Edberg was a coach of Federer and Becker became a coach of Djokovic. Under the guidance of Becker, Djikovic had won numerous grand slams, including French open. Unfortunately, Edbeg didn't help Federer to win any grand slams. It is interesting to see both of them became coach of their rivals.
Alex, Becker was 25-10 because he won their last eight, and 10 of their last 11 meetings. Till the 1990 Wimbledon final, the head to head was 15-9 in favor of Becker, but all those matches were competitive. After winning the US Open in 1992 Edberg's career was on the decline. The 25-10 final head to head is a reflection of that decline.
Ah! When Wimbledon can be won by a serve and volley game. Great era when there were more variety. Picture a great serve and volleyer being passed by an even more greater pass by an equally great serve and volleyer proponent. Seldom see a great pass these days at Wimbledon for the simple reason that players do not attack the net anymore.
The Edberg-Becker trilogy at Wimbledon was my most distinct childhood memory in sports.
Yep, or in my youth at least. In my childhood years the best I watched in sports was the Soviets in hockey.
@@johnjihnson7162 Krutov, Larionov, Makarov and that gang of reds?
Stefan Edberg, so pleasant to watch, and a real gentleman. My all-time favourite player.
Idem. Avec Sampras.
Even though Becker was "fiery" and emotional he always showed respect for his opponent and the game... and Stefan was simply what more athletes and people should be like.
Stefan Edberg, the forgotten great. LOVED his game...bring back the serve and volley!
Not forgotten by Federer though - Edberg is one of Federer's tennis idols, and of course he has him as his coach.
I like the comments of Stefan and Boris. So much respect for each other and sportsmanship.
Man, talk about two amazing players. These are two legends.
Stefan. Such a beautiful player and man.
My favourite one was Stefan Edberg
Thé most beautiful volley on court and very elegant
Re-watching these matches 30+ years later, my sense is that the Becker Edberg trilogy was the aesthetic peak of grass court tennis.
Never again has the game been that beautiful.
Among my very best tennis memories, these finals! Timeless tennis and fantastic characters! It's funny, back then I was definitely in the Becker camp, but watching these guys today I like Edberg just as much, with an extra credit for arguably the best looking backhand volley of all time. I guess I'm just very nostalgic of that tennis era.
Edberg was one of the few players whose backhand was superior to his forehand similar to Novak, his backhand return of serve was very underrated.
I am nostalgic too: that was a magic tennis era.
Same here Becker was mg favourite too but seeing how well edberg handled himself is a credit to how everyone should be in today's time
I miss the days of this type of tennis. Athleticism. Touch. Power. Finesse. Gorgeous one-handed backhands. Tactical execution.
A lot less over the top grunting as well!
Uh. Ok. Yeah, l guess nobody really has any of that nowadays, right? Lol.
All tennis players look the same today they have no character
Golden age... This is tennis, whole Court, sublime skills and sweet touch
Edberg my teenage idol. Edberg vs Becker remains the most beautiful rivalry in tennis.
Edberg inherited Borg's "cool" demeanor.
Becker was more fired up.
Both were total gentleman, in victory and in defeat.
I like both of them. Like Borg, Edberg is gentle and quiet whereas Becker is more aggressive. Honestly my character is similar to Edberg.Some how or others, I have more affinity with Becker than most of the players in the early nineties.
I'm German but me and my whole family back home we were always big fans of Stefan Edberg: behaving calm and humble but being a fierce fighter and opponent, superb technique, great character, very Swedish. When I got my first Adidas Edberg Shirt I was so proud and wearing it all the time...
Super, wir waren alle stolz auf die "SE" adidas 1987/88 Shirts, als glühender Edberg Fan war es sehr schwer im Becker Deutschland
Respect
The great Stefan Edberg !!!! My Idol
I got behind the scenes and shook Stefan's hand at a quick meet and greet at the Lipton Open tournament in 1990. Told him how much of an inspiration he was for me. He lost to Agassi in the final, 6-1, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.
Oh man, seeing those Edberg backhands....
Nostalgic, Becker was always my fav player
Thanks for the upload Wimbledon! Stefan my favorite player of all time. Such grace, athleticism, volleying out of this world, and all around humble, good guy.
Becker did so well at Wimbledon:
1984 - R3
1985 - won
1986 - won
1987 - R2
1988 - F
1989 - won
1990 - F
1991 - F
1992 - QF
1993 - SF
1994 - SF
1995 - F
1996 - R3
1997 - QF
1998 - /
1999 - R4
He's reached the final 7 times, winning 3. What a master of grass he was. Beng in the final 4 consecutive times is just a timeless achievement.
Fun fact: Except for the upset in '87 and his loss vs Ivaniseciv (in '94 I think?) he always lost vs the winner (or did win the tourney himself)
He also lost to the eventual champion three times (1992 quarterfinals, 1993 semifinals and 1997 quarterfinals).
C
He was unfortunate in 1996 as he injured his wrist during the early rounds & Sampras was knocked out by Krajicek.
@@GholamFareed Yes! And he had a very good chance of winning. He was in great form (thoughout 1995 and 1996), and had just won the Australian Open. Such a pity.
I saw those 3 games live on TV. The 1st 2 in Paris and the 3rd one in Philadelphia. I was 15, 16 and 17... I remember them like it was yesterday. One of the best times of my life 😉😊😀
Why best times?
Borris Becker forehand and backhand absolutely beautiful to watch and his serve is preetydamn good.
We miss so much the serve and volley playstyle
All robots nowadays. No variety in the game.
Federer said this rivalry inspired him to come into tennis...enough said about this rivalry/trilogy
It’s almost never mentioned that Fed beat the Nadal in their trilogy. Fed was so successful that I think the media wanted a new narrative and the fans go along with it. Nadal’s win in 08 at the time was covered as the seismic of him dethroning Fed forever, in reality it didn’t materialise.
It’s Djokovic who’s really outgunned Fed on the surfaces most beloved to him; grass, indoor and hard, while Nadal has maintained his grip on clay.
@ krish Federer? Federer who?
@@naveed210 That's not the same since Edberg and Becker were both grass court specialists who had equal games on the surface. Everyone knows that Federer is a much better grass court player than Nadal so Nadal managing to even beat him once was huge. It's really in Nadal's favor that he managed to defeat Federer once at Wimbledon while Federer never managed to conquer Nadal at the French.
@@naveed210 That could be because the big story was the triple Channel Double.
@@drlee2 Djoker better than both of them.
This was the golden age of tennis. Becker and Edberg were truly special.
mostly due to their hair
Boom Boom Boris The All Wimbledon Boy.
Love the song and the player.
Mr.Sportsmanship = Stefan Edberg.
He was my favorite for years
maybe not the stronger of all-time but for sure the more stylish, chic, elegant play...
@Bijan Mehrpour LMFAO
While my mother made watching their combats a traumatizing experience, I would always support Becker while my brother Edberg. Very graceful tennis back then.
Man, I loved watching Becker, Edberg and Lendl play!
props to whoever made this video, really well done
Classic rivalry! Wonderful to witness it first hand, and re live it here. Have a great day everyone!
Those were the days, my school days, when it all started. Probably I'm the biggest fan of Boris Becker from my country Bhaarath. I stopped watching tennis after Boris Becker retired. Just a couple of years ago, I heard the names Federer, Nadal, Djokovic etc etc. I don't even know who these players are. That's how completely I left tennis. Boris Becker carried an aura, a distinctive style, with him, which was unmistakable. He underachieved, in my view.
But federer also had a nice game nice too whatch always...but the tennisstyle of boris was so cool
With Boris I think he allowed too much distractions. Drama in his life and being SO famous at such an early age. People dont realize just how big that W win was at 17. It was the biggest event in tennis in the last 25-30 years at the time. Incredible achievement that worked for him and against him. His bullheadedness also could work for him...or against him. With some discipline and better foot work routine he could have won three more grand slams. Still, a legend regardless. And one of the best. But I agree his potential was about 3/4 met.
This is totally how i feel too. Becker has Not Been replaced.
I too
Stopped following tennis after Becker retired…
85- 95
After he defeated Agassi I thought he will win the 95…. But sadly
The sight of Becker looking at the 🏆 still hurts me even now
@@bobenthomas8190 😥😰 I know. It hurts me to this day.
I always preferred Edberg's tennis. He had, IMO, the most graceful style around a tennis court.
Becker was the more exciting to watch. Perfect pair of players to watch on any surface.
I generally agree with your statement, except nothing about Edberg's forehand is graceful 😅 I remember reading Tennis magazine back in the 90s describing Edberg's forehand as (and I am paraphrasing here) a stroke done with the arm disjointed from the rest of his body 😂
@@izhamsham843 Yep. His backhand was a thing of beauty no matter if he hit over the ball, flat or slice and was something you'd tell anyone learning the game to copy. Henin is the only player since to get near to it. His forehead however unless he was hitting it on the run, was a horror show.
Edberg had a graceful elegant fluid style of playing, Becker's tennis was more power driven. Edberg leads him 3-1 in slams but trails badly 10-25 in matches overall
What a time
Stefan will always be my all time favourite player ever! The most classy and elegant that has ever graced a tennis court! And the greatest serve and volleyer ever too! As Mc Enroe once said! 💞💞💞
Jimmy and Roger also greatest serve plus vollyer ever too!
Same, along with Pistol Pete. I don't care if they're no GOAT. It's just heart speaking.
Sampras was a better serve & volleyer.
In those days it is hard to win major titles in 1980's
Having 6 to 8 major titles is big thing
All can't be like Big 3 players,Pete Pistol, Roy Emerson,Rod laver and Bjorn Borg in open era actually.
Pete Pistol have everything except French open title with him 😔😔😔😔
Stephan Edberg should be happy with 6 major titles in singles and 3 major titles in doubles in total in open era
@@francishughes2016 in your dreams maybe!😂😂😂
80’90’ when tennis on grass was still fast!
That's true. Serve volley is virtually extinct at Wimbledon these days!
Yeah people were serving 220 then 😂
@@leonforlife8273 Yes. Like Goran and Sampras!
@@ReclusiveHTID: Well at least it plays like clay from the semis on out.
@@notsohandytim5090 They originally slowed the conditions at Wimbledon because they felt power and big serving was dominating too much but it's gone too much the other way now. It can't be right that u never see serve volley at Wimbledon these days.
Becker - such a great player
Edberg is my tennis hero
Alexander Jordaan mine as well 👍
Alexander: I tell our club pro that next to Edberg he is my favorite pro of all time.
We can easily see why, Alexander...
How lovely is this!!! Thanks for sharing the best of the best in Wimbledom, ❤️👌🏾⚡️👍🏾👏🏾
Mr. Becker was and still is a tough cookie. Love him.
Amazing level of play between these two
We were treated to some memories to last a lifetime...
The contrast in style always makes the rivalry more interesting
Gone are the golden days of serve and volley.
Tennis, specially Wimbledon doesn't have that thril anymore
Becker and Edberg were class players.
Two great champions!
I liked when Boris mentioned Edberg as his enemy and a friend. 👍
Those were the days when Wimbledon was played on fast grass.I really miss serve and volley.
But wss sometimes boring too...but becker edberg stich...always nice to whatch..but sampras ivanisevic..phillipousis...often boring just ace . One volley..or..that is boring
@@davidthailand4309 Sampras was amazing at the net. Frankly, tennis is not the most thrilling spectator sport.
It´s a relief BORING servebot tennis dissapeared.
@@rt0935 Seems to me the servebots are still around, but not the net players.
@@rt0935 Yeah because its great to see boring baseline grinders being scared to win a point, amazing!
Becker seemed terrifying in that 89 Final. I was shocked that Edberg was able to win 2 out of 3. The stoic hug the hulking Becker gave Edberg at the net after the matchpoint of this trilogy was really something. No one did that back then.
Great vídeo, two of the greatest tennis players in history!!!
Hard to argue against that, Maguslloret.
I was in middle school and a huge Boris Becker fan, 88-90 was amazing rivalry between Becker and edberg. Miss that Wimbledon time!
Stefan Edberg best tennis player !! Very nice and humble person on court and in real life !!
Nadal the best
Two of the finest tennis players ever to have graced the game. The 1990 final was pure theatre
If they had met six times in the final it would probably come out 3 and 3. These two were the classic grinders on grass. I wish we had even one today.
Becker winning Wimbledon at 17 and 18 !!! Unthinkable nowadays
Unthinkable then
Edberg, my favorite! Followed by Rafter, Guga, and Federer.
Rafter is my favorite, followed by McEnroe, Becker, Sampras and Edberg... ;)
Great lineup 👍🏻
Becker had a better serve .Edberg was the eternal volley master.
Yes the quickest service ever!!!
And both had great single-handed backhands! 🎾
Edberg had slightly better touch and created harder angles from his volleys. How to compare though? Both won 6 slams, Becker won more head to heads and destroyed him in 1989, but Edberg won 2 of their 3 finals. Maybe the way he came back in 1990 made it more impressive given that Becker was rightly favourite. What a 1989 for Becker. Back to back slams and a Davis Cup...
Maybe. Edberg kicked his serve and his delivery swerved sideways. Edberg also had total control of where he could place the ball in the service box. What Becker did well was the aces. I think Edberg probably had a more effective serve: the spin & placement are probably more effective than just muscle.
I would love to see these matches in HD..loved seeing these.
One of fond childhood memories...Edberg was my hero... narrowly missed 4th final due to unfortunate loss to Stich of Germany
Thanks for the trip down memory lane! That was some incredible tennis, and holds up as some of the most exciting rivalry there ever was.
These three successive Edberg-Becker finals were the most sublime tennis ever played at Wimbledon.
Wow I really enjoyed watching this. Great highlights Wimbledon!
Edberg the greatest net player ever.
Federer is just as good but unfortunately don't see if often enough.
@@GholamFareed Federer is more all rounder!
McEnroe was better. Federer doesn't come close to either one of them.
@@fundhund62 McEnroe's net play was otherworldy. He made volleys that seemed like even Edberg couldn't pull off.
He is the guy I would want as a doubles partner for sure.
The fantantic games. Edberg and Becker are the legends of modern tennis players.
I was still young but I remember these games like it was yesterday, was inlove with Stefan because of his grace and Boris cos of his ginger 👀😂😂😂
Great comment, Miss B. x
Becker is the best grass court player I've ever seen. He was a grass god.
This rivalry got me into tennis....BIG Edberg fan
Those were the days of the athletic serve-volley game. Now it's just a boring baseline slugfest. Becker and Edberg are two of my favs.
it started with serve game players (Sampras, Ivanisevic, ok, they volleyed as well, but with a huge serve), then progressively ending with unidimensional baseliners.
@@diegovvv4422 I'd say Sampras was the last of the great serve and volley players.
Boring is relative. The points now are tactically more complex and better constructed. There's still a place for volleying, but also for drop shots and more variety in serving. I find that more interesting the ace lottery or a predictable serve and volleying.
@@mikiafu All I can say is thank god for Carlos Alcaraz.
@@mikiafu completely correct. By the mid to late 90's the men's games at Wimbledon had gotten so monotonous that the women's matches were getting better TV ratings. Commentators bemoaning the lack of rallies. Well over 90%of points were under 4 shots and often just a serve that skidded off the second-week dirt that was netted. It's rose-tinted arse-ology pretending that this was great. The grass blend was changed once only for durability reasons after the 2001 final.
Didn’t get to enjoy these live but this was a well done presentation. Makes me wish I could’ve seen them live. May seek out this footage, especially the 89 and 90 finals.
Great memories
Epic. Remember these battles well.
Edberg was a prodigious youngster in a way Boris Becker wasn’t. While Becker seemingly came out of nowhere to win Wimbledon at the age of 17 as a wildcard, Stefan Edberg won all four ‘Junior Slams’ by 1983, becoming the first and only player to do so in the Open era.
Edberg won all 4 Junior Slams when he was 17. Becker won Wimbledon at 17.
@@AWM79 lolol. take ur pick. Both Nutz. Crazy. All 4 jr slams....woooooooow. Wimbledon sr. @ 17. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG .....Before Federer and Nadal, this was where the Buck Stopped. Edberg Vs Becker at Wimbledon. :) and then 1 year for a Goran vs Agassi Final in 92. Before Pete took his Pistol and Killed everyone except Krajicek.....Then Federer comes of Age in 2001 and Gives Goran his ULTIMATE FINAL dream chance :) Pete is the worst nightmare of Goran. :) Federer is Goran's Dream machine. :) Then...Federer is still playing like a Dream in 2020 :) whowudhave thought? ....also, I dont want to miss Michael Stich in 91. who beat edberg in semis and spoiled a 4-peat in 1991. :(
Agree although Becker having won that world (think it was under 21s?) tournament at the NEC Birmingham beating Edberg on the way had just appeared on the radar, not many thought he would advance so quickly!
Becker didnt win wimbledon 85 on a wildcard. He had won Queens the week before and was ranked 20th in the world going into teh tournament. He was in the top ten for the first time after winning it
Becker the strenght, edberg the class , wonderfuls matchs 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
5:33 Against my old enemy and friend, Stefan Edberg!!!! Respect!!!!!!!
Becker was my favorite player back then, but it was hard not to root for Edberg, who was pure class on the court. They both won 6 majors each, but I always feel like they each could have won more. It's a bit odd to think that Edberg never made it back to the Wimbledon final after 1990, then Becker made it to 2 more Finals but lost both. Those big serving players like Sampras and Ivanisevic really came into power in the 90s and were just too much for either of them to win another one. I feel like Becker should have squeezed one more Wimbledon crown in there after 1989, but he just couldn't quite get over the hump in the 90s, losing to Edberg ('90), Stich ('91), and Sampras ('95). Sampras really kept Becker from winning, beating him 3 times ('93 SF, '95 Final, '97 QF). If Becker could have got by Sampras, he either wins or is the clear favorite in all 3 of those tournaments.
Becker's power game allowed him to be competitive much longer into the 90s than Stefan and it also showed in their rivalry with Edberg never beating him again after the 90 Wimbledon final.
Edberg and Borg yes both very cool !!
Graf and Martina had their own amazing trilogy too
Beautiful! Two of my tennis heroes.
My favorite was always Boris but Stefan forced the respect he was the man who said "Tennis is a job" , love them Both ♥️!!!
Both of them are equally good. I like both of them.
Very underrated rivalry... back when players didn't dominate after 27 or so...
Underrated? Uhm, what? It is considered one of the greatest rivalries in tennis.
Underrated? That was a "golden era" and Boris and Stefan are still legends.
Just beautiful. Tnx!
So close to being a 4th Wimbledon final in a row for these two legends of the sport. Edberg lost to Michael Stich in the semifinals the next year (1991) without dropping his serve in the match (after breaking Stich’s serve in the first set to go up one set to love). Then Stich beat Becker in the all German final. In another what if moment...both Edberg and Becker lost in the semifinals in the 1993 Wimbledon, in close (winnable) matches, the year that started the Sampras collection of championships. I’d surmise that Edberg’s loss in the 1987 Wimbledon semifinals to Ivan Lendl would still hurt him, when reflecting on Wimbledon loses. I remember watching that match and thinking Edberg should have won.
I agree: that was a match to win and for Pat Cash it should have been a very uncertain final....
Edberg would have beaten cash..
Edberg played the best tennis ever until he couldn't cope with the serve of Mr Stich. It still hurts.
Edberg won 2 outta 3, but still I think the players of that era feared no one more than Boris!
Maybe at Wimbledon Boris was feared, but Lendl was the Grim Reaper on hard court.
The Gigi narration is great!
Becker saying neither was better than the other is very generous. As a massive Edberg fan, I think their records show Becker was the superior champion, which is what makes edbergs 2 to 1 edge here all the more impressive.
In my opinion, Becker was helped mightily by the more powerful racquets, and string technology that made the 90’s esp on the original Wimbledon lightning quick surface. Before 1990, Becker and Edberg had a close h2h. Edberg was a touch player who used combinations of tactics to win matches. Becker served aces, un returnable services and bomb volleys. I thing the best of 3 sets also helped Becker. They only met 4 times in grand slams (best of 5 sets) and Edberg held a 4-1 record . It was tough to beat the fitness and smothering net pressure from Edberg over the course of best of 5 sets. Edberg’s game plan was to have a battle between suffocating net vs. having the opponent hit passing shots over and over with midsized graphite Racquets. These racquets and spin inducing strings created unbelievable power and severely spun & dipping passes. Tennis was best from 60’s-early 90s
@@whyaskwhy000 Becker’s head to head advantage was also because of his outstanding indoor play, his advantage is huge in indoor matches. No wind or sun allowed him to serve huge and blast opponents off the court. Becker lead 15 to 5 over Stefan indoors on any surface. Both great players, Stefan was my favorite but really liked Becker too, the 80s and 90s was the best, most interesting era of tennis IMO.
I loved these two playing together in the final. I was gutted in 1991 when Michael Stich beat Stefan in the semis
Although their overall head to head in finals was in Becker's favour in terms of the majors it was in Edberg's favour which Becker humorously said 'was the statistic I would like to change'
I watched the whole match on tv and hurt so much because Edberg didn’t get break but lost all 3 sets in tie break. What a heart break at the moment ！
@@peterso1322 I still remember Stefan Edberg in the press conference shaking his head, he was shocked. And I think Becker was also shocked! It would have been the fourth consecutive final between Becker and Edberg. Becker - mentally focused on Edberg - could not adapt to the new situation playing Michael Stich in the final.
@@peterso1322 I believe he even won the first set 6-4 and wasn't broken the entire match, which he found hard to understand. Stich was playing out of this world in the final, with second serves on average 170km/h, he was almost unbreakable then.
Nice documentary
Great rivalry,my favourite is Edberg
Best of serve and volley tennis
These were great epics between two of the great serve-volley specialists. And I was a big Edberg fan! But, those Becker v Edberg days were great memories... they contributed hugely to defining the late 1980s
Memories. Wow!
Later in their life, Edberg was a coach of Federer and Becker became a coach of Djokovic. Under the guidance of Becker, Djikovic had won numerous grand slams, including French open. Unfortunately, Edbeg didn't help Federer to win any grand slams. It is interesting to see both of them became coach of their rivals.
Edberg had the harder job and he was coaching a guy who was already 33 years old compare to Boris coaching someone who is 28.
@@jliang70 Federer was also coming back from a back injury
Beauty of tennis sport , wonderful!!
I liked both players but I always slightly preferred Becker.
Becker was 25-10 against Edberg overall but Edberg lead Becker by 3-1 in Grand Slam matches.
Alex, Becker was 25-10 because he won their last eight, and 10 of their last 11 meetings.
Till the 1990 Wimbledon final, the head to head was 15-9 in favor of Becker, but all those matches were competitive.
After winning the US Open in 1992 Edberg's career was on the decline.
The 25-10 final head to head is a reflection of that decline.
I loved them both and I still do.
Becker, the love of my tennis childhood... sad to see how he messed up his life
Ah! When Wimbledon can be won by a serve and volley game. Great era when there were more variety. Picture a great serve and volleyer being passed by an even more greater pass by an equally great serve and volleyer proponent. Seldom see a great pass these days at Wimbledon for the simple reason that players do not attack the net anymore.
Maybe the organisers can depressurise the balls to bring back the serve and volley game to Wimbledon.
Graceful player , my fav edberg. He should have won more.He was my prince charming.
To me it was the best Wimbledon rivalry ever for the variety of shots and overall quality.