IMO, Edberg's game was ideally suited to the Kooyong grass. It was still a grass court, and so it worked well with his net rushing, serve & volley game. But Edberg also had a great return of serve, and the higher bounce on the grass down under gave him an advantage against bigger servers and allowed him to get more balls in play. In 1985, 19 year-old Edberg slipped by Lendl in the SF and then straight setted two time defending champion Wilander in the final. There was no AO in 1986 as the event shifted to January, with Edberg defending his title in 1987 by beating Cash in a five set final months before Pat would win Wimbledon in dominant fashion. By way of contrast, at least early in his career, Becker's game was much better suited to the lower bounces of carpet and Wimbledon grass, with the German performing poorly down under, losing in the QF/2R/4R in 1984/1985/1987.
Then, in 1988, the switch was made to Melbourne and Rebound Ace, with Edberg performing admirably but always coming up just short due to a combination of injuries and opponents whose games were better suited to the new surface: 1988: 5 set loss to Wilander in the SF; 1989: w/drew w/ injury before QF against Muster; 1990: w/drew w/injury in the final against Lendl when it looked like he'd win; 1991: lost a 5 set SF against Lendl after having match points in set #4; 1992: 4 set loss to Courier in the final; 1993: 4 set loss to Courier in the final.
So, what happens if the Australian Open stays on Kooyong grass for six more years? In 1988, does Edberg take down Wilander in the SF and beat Cash in the final? In 1991, does he beat Lendl in the SF and win another grass Major final against Becker? In 1992 and 1993, does he turn the tables on Courier and beat him because the surface is grass, rather than Rebound Ace?
And then, there are the injury years. Edberg never had to withdraw from Wimbledon, playing every year from 1983-1986. Do Edberg's ab and back injuries still occur if he's playing on grass rather than Rebound Ace, a surface notorious for the damage it did to player's bodies? In this event, it's tough to speculate whether he would have won in 1989, but everyone knows how well Edberg was playing in 1990. On grass, would he have finished the job against Lendl in 1990?
If Edberg wins in 1988, he rises to 7 Majors while Wilander drops to 6 Majors. In this event, he's probably clear of the three player grouping he finds himself in with Becker and Wilander. Similarly, if Edberg wins in 1991, he clearly above his biggest rival Becker in the record books.
Does Edberg nab an additional two titles during this six year stretch? If so, he's at 8 Majors and in the grouping with Courier, Agassi, and Lendl. If one of these new wins is over Lendl in 1990 (or 1989), Lendl drops down to seven Majors and Edberg has a solid case for being ahead of him in the record books, especially if Edberg picks up the 1992 AO title, which would likely give him three straight years at #1 from 1990-1992.
Or does Edberg actually win 3+ titles during this 6 year stretch, taking him to 9+ Majors for his career? In this case, would he have been seen as only behind his countryman Borg at the time among players who began their careers in the Open Era?
Anyway, this is all total speculation, and we'll never know the answer. But sometimes speculation can be fun. So, what do you think? How many of this extra AOs does Edberg win? And what does it mean for his career?
Then, in 1988, the switch was made to Melbourne and Rebound Ace, with Edberg performing admirably but always coming up just short due to a combination of injuries and opponents whose games were better suited to the new surface: 1988: 5 set loss to Wilander in the SF; 1989: w/drew w/ injury before QF against Muster; 1990: w/drew w/injury in the final against Lendl when it looked like he'd win; 1991: lost a 5 set SF against Lendl after having match points in set #4; 1992: 4 set loss to Courier in the final; 1993: 4 set loss to Courier in the final.
So, what happens if the Australian Open stays on Kooyong grass for six more years? In 1988, does Edberg take down Wilander in the SF and beat Cash in the final? In 1991, does he beat Lendl in the SF and win another grass Major final against Becker? In 1992 and 1993, does he turn the tables on Courier and beat him because the surface is grass, rather than Rebound Ace?
And then, there are the injury years. Edberg never had to withdraw from Wimbledon, playing every year from 1983-1986. Do Edberg's ab and back injuries still occur if he's playing on grass rather than Rebound Ace, a surface notorious for the damage it did to player's bodies? In this event, it's tough to speculate whether he would have won in 1989, but everyone knows how well Edberg was playing in 1990. On grass, would he have finished the job against Lendl in 1990?
If Edberg wins in 1988, he rises to 7 Majors while Wilander drops to 6 Majors. In this event, he's probably clear of the three player grouping he finds himself in with Becker and Wilander. Similarly, if Edberg wins in 1991, he clearly above his biggest rival Becker in the record books.
Does Edberg nab an additional two titles during this six year stretch? If so, he's at 8 Majors and in the grouping with Courier, Agassi, and Lendl. If one of these new wins is over Lendl in 1990 (or 1989), Lendl drops down to seven Majors and Edberg has a solid case for being ahead of him in the record books, especially if Edberg picks up the 1992 AO title, which would likely give him three straight years at #1 from 1990-1992.
Or does Edberg actually win 3+ titles during this 6 year stretch, taking him to 9+ Majors for his career? In this case, would he have been seen as only behind his countryman Borg at the time among players who began their careers in the Open Era?
Anyway, this is all total speculation, and we'll never know the answer. But sometimes speculation can be fun. So, what do you think? How many of this extra AOs does Edberg win? And what does it mean for his career?
