I did not take my own stats for this match, but I copied some stats provided by ESPN and Ch. 7 Australia, and took down my own observations.
Lendl d. Edberg, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 5-2, ret.
This was the first retirement from a Grand Slam final since the 1911 Wimbledon. It was the only Grand Slam final that Edberg and Lendl played.
The New York Times reported that Edberg had pulled an abdominal muscle in the last game of his semifinal against Wilander.
Todd Snyder told Pam Shriver that Edberg had first injured the muscle in a Lipton semifinal against Wilander in 1986, and re-injured it two years later. He said that it troubled Edberg on the overhead and serve, and prevented his getting any pace on the forehand.
At the 1989 Australian Open, Edberg injured his back muscles while closing out a match against Pat Cash and had to default his quarterfinal.
After this final, Drysdale called for a change in the surface. In the third round, Sabatini and Woodforde had each fallen and injured their ankles.
Edberg elected to receive and was broken in his first service game, when Drysdale and Stolle speculated that perhaps his back was hurting.
However, he began to serve well, and then broke at 4-all with well constructed approaches and a Lendl double at love-30.
Shriver noticed Edberg rubbing his stomach during the changeover at love-3 in the second set. In the previous game I thought he looked slow at the baseline. He held to 1-3, but double-faulted twice in a row. Yet he broke in the next game due to 3 Lendl unforced errors.
At the changeover Todd Snyder applied ice to Edberg’s stomach. Edberg then held with some slow-pace tactics: he looped his forehand, alternated his backhand between slice and top, and tried to come in when he could. He got out of three set points against him at 4-5 and then broke Lendl again by moving him around from the baseline.
But serving for a two-set lead, Edberg was forced into some volley errors by Lendl’s power. He doubled at 2-love and 2-4 in the tiebreak (his fifth and sixth doubles of the match, all in the second set).
He was broken at the start of the third with two more doubles.
Stats from Ch. 7 Australia:
At 30-all in the tenth game, each man was winning 63% of his first-serve points. At 4-all in the second set, Lendl was winning 69%, Edberg 60%. At 3-2 in the third, Lendl was winning 69%, Edberg 56%.
Lendl had then won 7 points at net, Edberg 21.
Stats from ESPN:
FIRST SET
Lendl served at 37%, with 1 ace, 3 doubles, 16 winners and 10 unforced errors.
Edberg served at 79%, with no aces or doubles, 6 winners and 8 unforced errors.
Edberg had been to net 34 times, Lendl 5.
SECOND SET
Lendl served at 60%, with 3 aces, 2 doubles, 14 winners, and 14 unforced errors.
Edberg served at 63%, with 0 aces, 6 doubles, 16 winners, and 17 unforced errors.
Service was broken 4 times between them.
FOR THE MATCH
Lendl served at 54%, with 5 aces, 4 doubles, 40 winners and 31 unforced errors.
Edberg served at 69%, with 0 aces, 9 doubles, 27 winners and 37 unforced errors.
Edberg was broken 5 times, Lendl 4.
The match lasted 2 hours 25 minutes, and it went 30 games.
After the match Drysdale said that he thought Edberg would have won if he’d been healthy.
Edberg and Lendl played the next two years at the AO.
In 1991, Lendl won their semifinal in five sets: 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
In 1992, Edberg won their quarterfinal in five sets: 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1.
I think that Edberg would have won in 1990 if he had stayed healthy -- probably in a close match. At the beginning, at least, Edberg was playing well and Lendl was struggling with his serve.
But all of this is speculation and should not be used to put an asterisk on Lendl's victory. Staying healthy is a requirement of the game. In no sense did Lendl not deserve to win this title; he stayed healthy while his opponent did not.
Lendl d. Edberg, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 5-2, ret.
This was the first retirement from a Grand Slam final since the 1911 Wimbledon. It was the only Grand Slam final that Edberg and Lendl played.
The New York Times reported that Edberg had pulled an abdominal muscle in the last game of his semifinal against Wilander.
Todd Snyder told Pam Shriver that Edberg had first injured the muscle in a Lipton semifinal against Wilander in 1986, and re-injured it two years later. He said that it troubled Edberg on the overhead and serve, and prevented his getting any pace on the forehand.
At the 1989 Australian Open, Edberg injured his back muscles while closing out a match against Pat Cash and had to default his quarterfinal.
After this final, Drysdale called for a change in the surface. In the third round, Sabatini and Woodforde had each fallen and injured their ankles.
Edberg elected to receive and was broken in his first service game, when Drysdale and Stolle speculated that perhaps his back was hurting.
However, he began to serve well, and then broke at 4-all with well constructed approaches and a Lendl double at love-30.
Shriver noticed Edberg rubbing his stomach during the changeover at love-3 in the second set. In the previous game I thought he looked slow at the baseline. He held to 1-3, but double-faulted twice in a row. Yet he broke in the next game due to 3 Lendl unforced errors.
At the changeover Todd Snyder applied ice to Edberg’s stomach. Edberg then held with some slow-pace tactics: he looped his forehand, alternated his backhand between slice and top, and tried to come in when he could. He got out of three set points against him at 4-5 and then broke Lendl again by moving him around from the baseline.
But serving for a two-set lead, Edberg was forced into some volley errors by Lendl’s power. He doubled at 2-love and 2-4 in the tiebreak (his fifth and sixth doubles of the match, all in the second set).
He was broken at the start of the third with two more doubles.
Stats from Ch. 7 Australia:
At 30-all in the tenth game, each man was winning 63% of his first-serve points. At 4-all in the second set, Lendl was winning 69%, Edberg 60%. At 3-2 in the third, Lendl was winning 69%, Edberg 56%.
Lendl had then won 7 points at net, Edberg 21.
Stats from ESPN:
FIRST SET
Lendl served at 37%, with 1 ace, 3 doubles, 16 winners and 10 unforced errors.
Edberg served at 79%, with no aces or doubles, 6 winners and 8 unforced errors.
Edberg had been to net 34 times, Lendl 5.
SECOND SET
Lendl served at 60%, with 3 aces, 2 doubles, 14 winners, and 14 unforced errors.
Edberg served at 63%, with 0 aces, 6 doubles, 16 winners, and 17 unforced errors.
Service was broken 4 times between them.
FOR THE MATCH
Lendl served at 54%, with 5 aces, 4 doubles, 40 winners and 31 unforced errors.
Edberg served at 69%, with 0 aces, 9 doubles, 27 winners and 37 unforced errors.
Edberg was broken 5 times, Lendl 4.
The match lasted 2 hours 25 minutes, and it went 30 games.
After the match Drysdale said that he thought Edberg would have won if he’d been healthy.
Edberg and Lendl played the next two years at the AO.
In 1991, Lendl won their semifinal in five sets: 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
In 1992, Edberg won their quarterfinal in five sets: 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1.
I think that Edberg would have won in 1990 if he had stayed healthy -- probably in a close match. At the beginning, at least, Edberg was playing well and Lendl was struggling with his serve.
But all of this is speculation and should not be used to put an asterisk on Lendl's victory. Staying healthy is a requirement of the game. In no sense did Lendl not deserve to win this title; he stayed healthy while his opponent did not.
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