Boris Becker beat Stefan Edberg 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the Indian Wells final, 1987 on hard court
Edberg had recently won the Australian Open on grass, while Becker was the reigning Wimbledon champion from the previous year. Later in the year, Edberg would go on to best Becker in back to back hard court tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati (https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...dberg-vs-becker-cincinnati-final-1987.634060/)
Becker won 106 points, Edberg 86
Becker serve-volleyed off most of his first serves and rarely off second. Edberg serve-volleyed some of the time off first serves and rarely off second
Serve Stats
Becker...
- 1st serve percentage (45/87) 52%
- 1st serve points won (36/45) 80%
- 2nd serve points won (27/42) 64%
- Aces 10
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (23/87) 26%
Edberg....
- 1st serve percentage (64/105) 61%
- 1st serve points won (40/64) 63%
- 2nd serve points won (22/41) 54%
- Aces 1 (1 second serve), Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (28/105) 27%
Serve Patterns
Becker served...
- to FH 30%
- to BH 65%
- to Body 5%
Edberg served....
- to FH 25%
- to BH 74%
- to Body 1%
Return Stats
Becker made...
- 76 (14 FH, 62 BH), including 7 return-approaches
- 4 Winners (1 FH, 3 BH)
- 26 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (4 FH, 3 BH), including 2 return-approach attempts
- 19 Forced (7 FH, 12 BH)
- Return Rate (76/104) 73%
Edberg made...
- 60 (16 FH, 44 BH), including 1 runaround FH and 2 return-approaches
- 3 Winners (3 FH)
- 13 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 2 BH), including 1 return-approach attempt
- 9 Forced (4 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (60/83) 72%
Break Points
Becker 4/13 (6 games)
Edberg 1/3 (2 games)
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Becker 28 (7 FH, 6 BH, 6 FHV, 4 BHV, 5 OH)
Edberg 21 (6 FH, 4 BH, 5 FHV, 5 BHV, 1 BHOH)
Becker had
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Becker 33
- 19 Unforced (7 FH, 9 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)
- 14 Forced (5 FH, 5 BH, 2 FHV, 2 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.7
Edberg 55
- 18 Unforced (4 FH, 9 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 OH)
- 37 Forced (9 FH, 18 BH, 2 FHV, 7 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Becker was...
- 48/64 (75%) at net, including...
- 28/38 (74%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 22/29 (76%) off 1st serve and...
- 6/9 (67%) off second serve
----------------------------------
- 6/7 (86%) return-approaching
- 1/3 forced back
Edberg was...
- 37/64 (58%) at net, including...
- 27/48 (56%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 22/37 (59%) off 1st serve and...
- 5/11 (45%) off second serve
--------------------------------
- 1/2 return-approaching
- 0/1 forced back from net
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Match Report
A disappointing match of quality and from Edberg, performance. It's a slow hard court and he doesn't seem to know what he's trying to do, particularly in the first two sets
Noticeable is the difference in the service actions of the players from what it would come to be. Becker isn't bending his knees as much as in future - and there's an effortful propulsion from that area as he serves (in contrast to the seemingly effortless, smooth motion it would come to be. Edberg's is more changed still. He has a McEnroe-ish thing going on - both arms rod straight in the lead up to delivery and a slight, twisting off the body as he delivers (far less than McEnroe). Not smooth at all
What exactly is Edberg trying to do? Broken in the opening game and losing 2/3 serve-volley points in it, he quickly desists from serve-volleying. Off the second serve, he doesn't come in much from the get go (understandable, given the court pace), but also stays back as often as not off the first serve. So he's looking to play baseline tennis - and pass when called for?
The baseline tennis is poor from both players. They play who-blinks-first tennis, waiting for unforced errors from the other, particularly BH-BH exchanges. Only neither has to wait very long. Both make routine errors off both wings in 5-10 shot rallies... it looks and is, sloppy
Becker though, hasn't put all his eggs in just that basket. He serve-volleys off most first serves (rarely off second) and looks to take the net during baseline rallies. And is successful. He finds the net and volleys well all match. This is helped by Edberg being rather poor on the pass
Becker volleying (and approaching) well doesn't make Edberg's job of passing any easier. Even so, I'd say he's poor on the pass. Not only does he miss aplenty, but he misses by large margins - hitting the net half-way up, sending the ball 5 feet out of court and so on... in conjunction with the sloppy baseline exchanges, the overall impression emerging is of a low quality match
So for Edberg -
- the serve isn't big enough to do much damage on its own
- he's not serve-volleying or seeking the net
- making baseline UEs in short rallies
- passing indifferently
- even his volleying is below par (for him)…. failing to deal with difficult ones to a greater extent than usual and not swatting away the easier ones as consistently too
What does that leave him with? He returns well - and gets a big chunk of Becker's serves back in play. That's about it on the positives
For Becker -
- First serve does sufficient damage (as much as you can hope for on such a court)
- comes to net off the serve and from rallying situations astutely
- volleys well
- passes reasonably well (far better than Edberg) when required. Keeps Edberg under pressure on the volley
- returns adequately to well
- poor from the baseline, making lots of routine errors
All this goes on for two sets. Its not fun to watch
The third set comes as a breath of fresh air. Edberg pulls up his socks on everything - serves better, comes in more, volleys better, returns and passes better. Becker maintains his level. So the set is competitive, both holding serve comfortably. Becker doesn't face a break point and Edberg has just one hiccup - climbing out of a 0-40 hold with a second serve ace, a net chord dribbling volley and forcing a return error serve-volleying.
Against the run of play however, Edberg is broken to love with a tiebreak just around the corner.
Credit to Becker for the game. He forces 3 volleying errors and hits a return of serve winner. And then serves out the match
Summing up, a bad day for Edberg - volleying, passing, rallying all below his norm. Maybe more importantly, his match strategy just seems off and he seems directionless. Good stuff from Becker in seeking the net, good volleying and timely good passing and returning (a trademark of his). Final score is if anything, deceptively close for straight sets... Becker far and away outdoing Edberg in this one
Edberg had recently won the Australian Open on grass, while Becker was the reigning Wimbledon champion from the previous year. Later in the year, Edberg would go on to best Becker in back to back hard court tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati (https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...dberg-vs-becker-cincinnati-final-1987.634060/)
Becker won 106 points, Edberg 86
Becker serve-volleyed off most of his first serves and rarely off second. Edberg serve-volleyed some of the time off first serves and rarely off second
Serve Stats
Becker...
- 1st serve percentage (45/87) 52%
- 1st serve points won (36/45) 80%
- 2nd serve points won (27/42) 64%
- Aces 10
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (23/87) 26%
Edberg....
- 1st serve percentage (64/105) 61%
- 1st serve points won (40/64) 63%
- 2nd serve points won (22/41) 54%
- Aces 1 (1 second serve), Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (28/105) 27%
Serve Patterns
Becker served...
- to FH 30%
- to BH 65%
- to Body 5%
Edberg served....
- to FH 25%
- to BH 74%
- to Body 1%
Return Stats
Becker made...
- 76 (14 FH, 62 BH), including 7 return-approaches
- 4 Winners (1 FH, 3 BH)
- 26 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (4 FH, 3 BH), including 2 return-approach attempts
- 19 Forced (7 FH, 12 BH)
- Return Rate (76/104) 73%
Edberg made...
- 60 (16 FH, 44 BH), including 1 runaround FH and 2 return-approaches
- 3 Winners (3 FH)
- 13 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 2 BH), including 1 return-approach attempt
- 9 Forced (4 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (60/83) 72%
Break Points
Becker 4/13 (6 games)
Edberg 1/3 (2 games)
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Becker 28 (7 FH, 6 BH, 6 FHV, 4 BHV, 5 OH)
Edberg 21 (6 FH, 4 BH, 5 FHV, 5 BHV, 1 BHOH)
Becker had
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Becker 33
- 19 Unforced (7 FH, 9 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)
- 14 Forced (5 FH, 5 BH, 2 FHV, 2 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.7
Edberg 55
- 18 Unforced (4 FH, 9 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 OH)
- 37 Forced (9 FH, 18 BH, 2 FHV, 7 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Becker was...
- 48/64 (75%) at net, including...
- 28/38 (74%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 22/29 (76%) off 1st serve and...
- 6/9 (67%) off second serve
----------------------------------
- 6/7 (86%) return-approaching
- 1/3 forced back
Edberg was...
- 37/64 (58%) at net, including...
- 27/48 (56%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 22/37 (59%) off 1st serve and...
- 5/11 (45%) off second serve
--------------------------------
- 1/2 return-approaching
- 0/1 forced back from net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match Report
A disappointing match of quality and from Edberg, performance. It's a slow hard court and he doesn't seem to know what he's trying to do, particularly in the first two sets
Noticeable is the difference in the service actions of the players from what it would come to be. Becker isn't bending his knees as much as in future - and there's an effortful propulsion from that area as he serves (in contrast to the seemingly effortless, smooth motion it would come to be. Edberg's is more changed still. He has a McEnroe-ish thing going on - both arms rod straight in the lead up to delivery and a slight, twisting off the body as he delivers (far less than McEnroe). Not smooth at all
What exactly is Edberg trying to do? Broken in the opening game and losing 2/3 serve-volley points in it, he quickly desists from serve-volleying. Off the second serve, he doesn't come in much from the get go (understandable, given the court pace), but also stays back as often as not off the first serve. So he's looking to play baseline tennis - and pass when called for?
The baseline tennis is poor from both players. They play who-blinks-first tennis, waiting for unforced errors from the other, particularly BH-BH exchanges. Only neither has to wait very long. Both make routine errors off both wings in 5-10 shot rallies... it looks and is, sloppy
Becker though, hasn't put all his eggs in just that basket. He serve-volleys off most first serves (rarely off second) and looks to take the net during baseline rallies. And is successful. He finds the net and volleys well all match. This is helped by Edberg being rather poor on the pass
Becker volleying (and approaching) well doesn't make Edberg's job of passing any easier. Even so, I'd say he's poor on the pass. Not only does he miss aplenty, but he misses by large margins - hitting the net half-way up, sending the ball 5 feet out of court and so on... in conjunction with the sloppy baseline exchanges, the overall impression emerging is of a low quality match
So for Edberg -
- the serve isn't big enough to do much damage on its own
- he's not serve-volleying or seeking the net
- making baseline UEs in short rallies
- passing indifferently
- even his volleying is below par (for him)…. failing to deal with difficult ones to a greater extent than usual and not swatting away the easier ones as consistently too
What does that leave him with? He returns well - and gets a big chunk of Becker's serves back in play. That's about it on the positives
For Becker -
- First serve does sufficient damage (as much as you can hope for on such a court)
- comes to net off the serve and from rallying situations astutely
- volleys well
- passes reasonably well (far better than Edberg) when required. Keeps Edberg under pressure on the volley
- returns adequately to well
- poor from the baseline, making lots of routine errors
All this goes on for two sets. Its not fun to watch
The third set comes as a breath of fresh air. Edberg pulls up his socks on everything - serves better, comes in more, volleys better, returns and passes better. Becker maintains his level. So the set is competitive, both holding serve comfortably. Becker doesn't face a break point and Edberg has just one hiccup - climbing out of a 0-40 hold with a second serve ace, a net chord dribbling volley and forcing a return error serve-volleying.
Against the run of play however, Edberg is broken to love with a tiebreak just around the corner.
Credit to Becker for the game. He forces 3 volleying errors and hits a return of serve winner. And then serves out the match
Summing up, a bad day for Edberg - volleying, passing, rallying all below his norm. Maybe more importantly, his match strategy just seems off and he seems directionless. Good stuff from Becker in seeking the net, good volleying and timely good passing and returning (a trademark of his). Final score is if anything, deceptively close for straight sets... Becker far and away outdoing Edberg in this one