Stefan Edberg: 20 Grand Slams huge but Rafael Nadal can get past Roger Federer

Mumbai: Serve, run to the net and return. If the first serve does not go according to the plan, then hit that kick serve to trouble the opponent. Stefan Edberg brought a lot grace to the game as a tennis player and then turned coach for one of the greatest ever, Roger Federer.

He was also the second last player from Sweden to win a Grand Slam in singles. He was in Mumbai recently for TOISA and on the sidelines of the event, he spoke on a variety of topics from what’s more difficult – playing or watching a player you coach from the box to how Federer has turned it around and whether Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic can surpass the Swiss ace.

Here are the excerpts:

From your generation, there were quite a few great players who turned coaches. You, Boris Becker, Michael Chang, Ivan Lendl. Before that there weren’t too many. How did that come about?

It’s a little bit into fashion, I think. Murray took in Lendl and he did some great things. Boris came along (to coach Novak Djokovic), I came along (to coach Roger Federer), Goran Ivanišević (to coach Marin Cilic), Michael Chang is here (Kei Nishikori). What has happened is that the players may be not have just one coach but two coaches nowadays and bring in more people into the team and I think (it) probably makes sense in a way because we are all former players, we can help them and therefore, you see a lot of the top players coming back. It has created some interest in tennis.

While on the court it was, let’s say, Federer vs Djokovic, off the court it was Edberg vs Boris. How did you take that?

(Laughs). We had a great rivalry in our time and who would have thought, I anyway did not, during the Wimbledon final a few years ago that Roger and Novak are on the court and Boris and myself sitting in one box. It is sort of a funny feeling in a way (and) at the same time, quite amusing.

You coached Roger for two years (from January 2014 to December 2015). So, were you surprised that he suddenly turned it around in the last two years, with some minute changes here and there, to start winning Grand Slams again?

Yeah. When I took on working with Roger, I felt that he was in his later stage of the career. Being around, I owe him with a lot of work, with a potential to win a Grand Slam or two. He did great during these two years. May be, he deserved to win a Grand Slam but he did not. Then, I think he surprised all of us being away from the game for six months and coming back. I don’t think the expectations were very high from himself and from a lot of other people too. Everybody said he probably going to take some time before he gets back. Usually, you take half a year to get back into the shape and everybody was surprised. The two players - who were out for 5-6 months - Federer and Nadal, and they ended up playing the final at the Australian Open (2017). (It was) a huge surprise for everybody. Huge final, big final. May be what did change is, sometimes when you are out for a long period of time, your frame of mind and mindset may be a little bit different. It might have happened. And obviously, with a bit of an improvement in his game, with so definitely with his backhand, that really was very crucial. If there was some sort of a weakness in his game, that was on his backhand side.

What sort of an impact Ivan Ljubičić had on him? Although he did not win a Grand Slam, he was on the circuits for a long time. So, do you think, you have to be a great player before to coach, may be another great in the future?

Ivan has been around (for a long time). He has been a great guy. He has got great knowledge and I think, it was a great choice. Obviously, I had my time and I made him change a few things. And to add on with Ivan. But you have to be remember that Severin Luthi has been there all the time. So, it is a matter of picking the right team for a right moment and Roger has a got great team around him. He has a good set-up at the moment but Ljubičić has put in some inputs as well. It is just that over the last few years, he is just adding things after things and that’s made a difference.

How does Federer approach big matches against Nadal or Novak; not just in terms of tennis skills but mindset? How does the behind the scene work go on?

You know how I did myself. You know it is hard to tell how the other players are doing it. In general, players are pretty prepared nowadays than during our times. I would say going into the matches today the knowledge is better than it was in our generation. They are better prepared in most ways and in that respect; Roger is very well prepared when he goes into the matches.

Was that famous SABR shot a part of the plan?

That was something he invented himself. I think he did it in Cincinnati. I was not there. When I saw the shot on TV, I was surprised as anybody else. It was something new and there was big talk about it.

You have won all the Grand Slams barring French Open. Is it a regret still or have you moved on?

I did get one chance and I should have won. I thought I will get another chance but I did not. In a way, it would have been great to have won the French Open. But you are not going to win them all. Michael Chang is happy. (Laughs).

Do you think Rafa or Novak will get past Roger, in terms of Grand Slams wins?

20 is a huge number. Is there anybody who is going to beat that? Difficult. But if there is one player who could do it in the near future is Rafa Nadal. He has got 16. He is younger than Roger and if he can keep his body intact, he definitely has a chance. It is not going to be easy. Novak is even younger than Rafa but he is at 12. So, it is another 8 more Grand Slams. It is going to be even more difficult for him. But if gets back playing the way he was playing, then he is going to win a few more. There’s no question about it. But it will be interesting to see, time will tell. This year and the next few years because there are going to be some changes. We have said it for many years now but nothing has really happened yet. You still have the same players winning the Grand Slams as of today. But it will eventually change and it will be good when it does change a little bit and the ideal thing for tennis would be somebody else to win a Grand Slam and having somebody young, the new generation, that would create interest and it would be very healthy for tennis. It would be great to have some of the young guns playing with the old ones. That would be a great combination. Hopefully, it would have happen sooner or later.

Any particular incident, may be a little funny, during your stint as Federer coach?

I tried not to get too personal with Roger. There are some special moments during the practice sessions I love and wish to look back at because some of the shots that you see there is out of this world.

Edberg vs Chang and Edberg vs Boris on tennis court or off it while working with players. What was more taxing?

During my professional career as a player, you were used to all those circumstances. You did it day after day. Sometimes, I feel it is a little harder, sitting as a coach. Not a lot you can do. You can just sit there and hope that the things are going to be well on court. So, it is tougher position sitting in the box. It is really hard and you can be really nervous, sitting there as well because you want them to win really badly. But it is not a lot that you can do.

Any youngsters you think we should watch out for? And who are some of the promising players that are coming up from Sweden?

Denis Shapovalov, Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman and there are Ymer brothers – Mikael Ymer and Elias Ymer – from Sweden.