Stefan Edberg: 'Roger Federer was an extreme challenge for me'
In an interview to NRZ, Stefan Edberg recalled his co-operation with Roger Federer. Under the Swede's guide, the Basel native came back to winning ways and reached three Grand Slam finals between 2014 and 2015. Edberg played down praises on him. 'A mentor is not a miraculous man, but neutral support. Roger felt that in late 2013 he had to change his game. He broke his routines, he played more aggressive on the court. I helped a lot with all these things', he said.
On the Next Generation, Edberg added: 'I would like to see a guy breaking through early. Maybe Zverev, the Austrian Dominic Thiem or the South Korean Hyeon Chung, who competed against Roger Federer in Melbourne in the semifinals.'
On his relationship with Boris Becker, Edberg said: 'At the time it was a big rivalry, I liked it. We pushed each other on the court and we got better. We were different personalities. Tennis benefited from Boris and me too. Boris is a familiar name, even today. We are very relaxed and we understand each other well.'
Becker became the head of men's German tennis. Could Edberg do something similar in Sweden? 'Nope. The work in the Association means politics. That's not for me. Something needs to be done. But I do not see a new Borg, Wilander, Soderling, because the good coaches lack and the right mentality of younger players as well', concluded the Swede
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2XLyUiv
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