1990 - Ivan Lendl ITF World Champion

[pabloJD]

There is a thread about who was the best player in 1989. Rankings said Lendl, almost everybody else said Becker. In 1990 it was different: the ITF designated Ivan Lendl as World Champion but the rankings and almost everybody else said Edberg was the best. The ITF justified their decision based on Lendl's regularity at Grand Slams, but the real reason might be other
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_world_champions_named_by_the_International_Tennis_Federation).
Is regularity at slams a strong argument for naming a World Champion? Does anybody think Lendl deserved it?

Stefan Edberg in 1990:
7 titles: Indian Wells, Tokyo Outdoor, Wimbledon, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Long Island, Paris Indoor
5 other finals: Australian Open, Key Biscayne, Sydney Indoor, Stockholm, ATP Finals
Australian Open - Runner-up
Roland Garros - 1st R
Wimbledon - Champion
US Open - 1st R
ATP Finals - Runner-Up
Win-loss record: 70-15 (82%)
Year-end ranking: 1

Ivan Lendl in 1990:
5 titles: Australian Open, Milan, Toronto Indoor, Queen's Club, Tokyo Indoor
1 other final: Stuttgart Indoor
Australian Open - Champion
Roland Garros - DNP
Wimbledon - SF
US Open - QF
ATP Finals - SF
Win-loss record: 54-12 (82%)
Year-end ranking: 3

Head to Head: Edberg 3-2 (1-1 at slams)

 

[CyBorg]

Yeah, those two first-round exits aren't pretty for Edberg.

Still, I'd go with Edberg. 12 finals to Lendl's 6. 7 titles to Lendl's 5. 3 Masters series titles to Lendl's 0.

 

[HyperHorse]

Lendl was lucky to win the Aus Open that year.
Edberg really came out that year.
Those were the days.... *daydreams*

 

[msunderland71]

Was Lendl lucky to win their semi in 1991? I guess their head to head matches prior to the Aust Open 1990 count for more when deciding who would have won the final in 1990. Anyone care to look it up?. What was their form like earlier in the tourni? I recall Edberg blitzed Wilander and Lendl similar vs. Noah.

Sorry, going back to a previous post - did the ITF use the same "grand-slam consistency" logic in 1989?

Lendl was lucky to win the Aus Open that year.
Edberg really came out that year.
Those were the days.... *daydreams*

 

[HyperHorse]

Well I guess maybe the "pressure" of being No.1 got to Stefan a bit...
He had a rollercoaster ride type of relationship with the No.1 ranking.
Then he had the battle with Courier over the top spot. They wrestled together like tiger cubs for a bit over a year or so til Courier finally stamped his authority on the top spot...
Then of course the sleeping lion Sampras woke up.... RRAAWWRR!!!!
And as they say, the rest is history...

My comment about "those were the days" was just about missing Edberg and his serve, his style, those perfect volleys and just the relaxed way he went about things..
So much more enjoyable to watch than Lendl, imho.

 

[andreh]

Was Lendl lucky to win their semi in 1991? I guess their head to head matches prior to the Aust Open 1990 count for more when deciding who would have won the final in 1990. Anyone care to look it up?. What was their form like earlier in the tourni? I recall Edberg blitzed Wilander and Lendl similar vs. Noah.

Sorry, going back to a previous post - did the ITF use the same "grand-slam consistency" logic in 1989?

The last meeting prior to the 1990 AO final between Edberg and Lendl must have been the Master Semi of 89. Edberg won in straight sets.

Edberg was in great form in 1990 AO. Same kind of form as in Wimbledon and the US open a year later. You never know, but I don't Edberg would have lost if he wasn't injured. He played really well for two sets despite being injured from the start. Took the first and served for the second despite not playing any S&V.

About the consistency argument. Many thought that Edberg was just being punished for not playing the Grand Slam Cup. The consistancy argument was their excuse for giving it Lendl. Valid excuse or not? I don't know, but I don't think they explicitly used it again after that.

 

[HyperHorse]

I just remembered in the first Grand Slam Cup that Edberg got beaten first round by Michael Chang.

 

[Wuornos]

Hi Pablo

The DOT ratings I calculate, which are a statistical measure of performance independant from human interference or opinion, give the following as the best 5 players at the end of 1990.

1. Ivan Lendl 2722
2. Stefan Edberg 2700
3. Boris Becker 2684
4. Mats Wilander 2649
5. Andre Agassi 2625

However these figures are not based only on results during that season but look further to inbdependantly asses the staus of events etc, and therefore what I am attempting to measure is player standard rather than player results confined to an artifically imposed time scale.

Regards and thanks for another interesting post.

Tim

 

[pabloJD]

Hi Pablo

The DOT ratings I calculate, which are a statistical measure of performance independant from human interference or opinion, give the following as the best 5 players at the end of 1990.

1. Ivan Lendl 2722
2. Stefan Edberg 2700
3. Boris Becker 2684
4. Mats Wilander 2649
5. Andre Agassi 2625

However these figures are not based only on results during that season but look further to inbdependantly asses the staus of events etc, and therefore what I am attempting to measure is player standard rather than player results confined to an artifically imposed time scale.

Regards and thanks for another interesting post.

Tim

Yes, like in the best of 1977 thread.
Thanks for your thoughtful answer, Tim.

It's interesting to note that Edberg had very bad luck with the draws: he had to face Sergi Brugera (!!!) in the 1st round of the French Open and Alexander Volkov in the 1st of the US Open, a very dangerous player on that surface. On the down side, he couldn't even win a set in those matches.

PS: link to ITF World Champions article corrected

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

I just remembered in the first Grand Slam Cup that Edberg got beaten first round by Michael Chang.

he was... but i think he said the grand slam cup was not so important (i don't know if he said that before or after losing !) and that's what the ITF didn't like.

here's a discussion about it on wikipedia:

About the citation needed : "the ITF was punishing Stefan Edberg for not playing the Grand Slam Cup" was written in the French monthly magazine "Tennis Magazine" : I suppose the edition number is needed. I will look at it.
Carlo Colussi 09:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Tennis Magazine (France) wrote in his February 1991 edition N°179 with Edberg on cover and the following title "Le scandale Edberg" (needless to translate) : " "On" a choisi de sanctionner un champion qui n'avait pas craint d'avouer publiquement le peu d'importance qu'il accordait à la Coupe du Grand Chelem, la fameuse invention de la FIT pour "casser" l'ATP Tour " (" "One" has chosen to sanction a champion who hadn't feared to publicly confess the little importance he granted to the Grand Slam Cup, the famous ITF invention to "break" the ATP Tour.").
The French magazine, supported by the Swedish, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese magazines, sent a protest letter to Chatrier, then President of the ITF, asking him "de rétablir la justice sportive et de désigner le vrai champion du monde" (to restore sporting justice and to award the true world champion").
A committee including Nastase, Smith, Santana and Gorman voted Edberg as world champion and the 13 jurymen of the French sports paper "L'Équipe" unanimously voted Edberg as world champion.
When Edberg came to Roland Garros 1991 the French magazine gave to the Swede all the supporting letters of the magazine readers.
Carlo Colussi 08:03, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:T..._named_by_the_International_Tennis_Federation

 

[anointedone]

There are lots of what ifs about that year. If Edberg had not been injured he would have beaten Lendl in the Australian Open final almost for sure, if Lendl had played the French Open that year he almost certainly would have won, why could Lendl not carry the dominating grass court tennis he played at Queens to Wimbledon, a young and inspired Sampras was almost certainly the only one who kept Lendl from winning the U.S Open.

As it turns out each won 1 slam, 4 different players did. I think Lendl was the #1 that year since he was more consistent in the slams he played by far, Edberg lost in the 1st round of two different slams and that is pretty weak for a #1.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

There are lots of what ifs about that year. If Edberg had not been injured he would have beaten Lendl in the Australian Open final almost for sure, if Lendl had played the French Open that year he almost certainly would have won, why could Lendl not carry the dominating grass court tennis he played at Queens to Wimbledon, a young and inspired Sampras was almost certainly the only one who kept Lendl from winning the U.S Open.

As it turns out each won 1 slam, 4 different players did. I think Lendl was the #1 that year since he was more consistent in the slams he played by far, Edberg lost in the 1st round of two different slams and that is pretty weak for a #1.

without considering the ifs, edberg won wimbledon AND was a runner-up at the AO... + a final at the masters !

Stefan Edberg in 1990:
7 titles: Indian Wells, Tokyo Outdoor, Wimbledon, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Long Island, Paris Indoor
5 other finals: Australian Open, Key Biscayne, Sydney Indoor, Stockholm, ATP Finals
Australian Open - Runner-up
Roland Garros - 1st R
Wimbledon - Champion
US Open - 1st R
ATP Finals - Runner-Up
Win-loss record: 70-15 (82%)
Year-end ranking: 1

Ivan Lendl in 1990:
5 titles: Australian Open, Milan, Toronto Indoor, Queen's Club, Tokyo Indoor
1 other final: Stuttgart Indoor
Australian Open - Champion
Roland Garros - DNP
Wimbledon - SF
US Open - QF
ATP Finals - SF
Win-loss record: 54-12 (82%)
Year-end ranking: 3

Head to Head: Edberg 3-2 (1-1 at slams)

and look at the year-end points... it's not even close:

1. Stefan Edberg (SWE) 3889
2. Becker, Boris (GER) 3528
3. Lendl, Ivan (USA) 2581
4. Agassi, Andre (USA) 2398
5. Sampras, Pete (USA) 1888
6. Gomez, Andres (ECU) 1680
7. Muster, Thomas (AUT) 1654
8. Sanchez, Emilio (ESP) 1564
9. Ivanisevic, Goran (CRO) 1514
10. Gilbert, Brad (USA) 1451

edberg's points = lendl's points + 50.68 % !!!

in such a situation, there's definitely no sufficient reason to go against the rankings and declare the #3 as the "ITF world champion".

The ITF justified their decision based on Lendl's regularity at Grand Slams, but the real reason might be other

so yes, i believe in the gran slam cup affair theory... that's probably the other reason.