Abishai100
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- Sep 22, 2013
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The iconic Becker-Edberg rivalry in men's tennis is one of the most poignant head-to-head matchups in all of sports history. There are multiple 'great rivalries' in sports history.
Frazier vs. Ali (boxing)
McEnroe vs. Borg (tennis)
Duke vs. UNC (college basketball)
Argentina vs. England (soccer)
However, what sets the Becker-Edberg rivalry apart is a touch of class. Boris Becker was a breakout young phenom tennis wizard in the 1980s, and he was only seriously challenged in terms of finesse and style by his 'counter-part' Stefan Edberg. Becker was creative, wild, unpredictable, hot-tempered, and thrilling to watch, while Edberg was gentlemanly, consistent, clean, refined, and basically polished. Both were adequately skilled at baseline ground-shots and net-play/defense, but Becker was more daring at the net and on serve, while Edberg was more conservative and precise from various areas on the tennis court.
Head-to-head, Becker and Edberg have an uninteresting statistic (on paper) --- Becker leads the rivalry 25-10 --- however, Edberg leads 3-1 in Grand Slam tournaments (the most symbolic tennis tournaments!).
Becker and Edberg clashed in three unforgettable Wimbledon finals [1988, 1989, 1990]. Edberg won the 1st match 3-1 after losing the 1st set to Becker in 1988. Becker stormed back in a 3-0 victory in 1990 to avenge his loss. Then Edberg won an incredible 3-2 (5 sets!) victory in 1990. That year, Edberg won the first two sets, but Becker stormed back and won the next two sets! Somehow, Edberg managed to compose himself and pull out the deciding 5th set victory.
All tennis fans know Wimbledon is the most prestigious of the Grand Slam tournaments in tennis...
Sports-writers claim this Becker-Edberg series of Wimbledon finals [1988, 1989, 1990] was arguably the finest repetition of competitors in a championship game, much more engaging, unpredictable, and 'artistic' than, say the continuous NBA Finals rivalry-matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers [2015, 2016, 2017, 2018] which has been more or less a showcase of pure bravado (arguably).
It is therefore interesting to note how the Becker-Edberg rivalry exemplifies the fanfare qualities of competitive sports and hence of the audience-centric features of our age of TV/media. Was the Becker-Edberg series of Wimbledon championships a proverbial "sportsmen's game of death" (in terms of modern media 'etiquette')?
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BECKER: Our Wimbledon games typify sports excellence...
EDBERG: Media offers spotlights for aspiring athletes!
BECKER: Maybe we'll be more celebrated than Frazier-Ali.
EDBERG: That's doubtful; American sports are more popular.
BECKER: Yes, tennis is much more international and hence 'traditional.'
EDBERG: However, we'll certainly be considered 'diplomats.'
BECKER: They'll call me 'wild' and you 'composed.'
EDBERG: Sports-writers invent terms to extrapolate competition.
BECKER: Nevertheless, I was much more experimentational in tennis.
EDBERG: Right, and I was much more 'precise.'
BECKER: Our Wimbledon championships remind fans of media intrigue!
EDBERG: Sure.
After this afternoon tea-chat, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg decided to go shopping together (in Beverly Hills, California). They purchased nice dresses for their girlfriends and some nice shirts and ties and jackets for themselves. Becker and Edberg then went to their shared California hotel suite and watched the tennis film Wimbledon (starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany) on Netflix! Becker and Edberg commented on why modern age movies often present stories about sportsmanship, customs/etiquette, and of course betrayal. Was it all a 'capitalism-symbolic game of death' for drooling journalists or potentially a civilization-trophy for democratic commemorations (signifying treaties and pacts) such as the 4th of July (U.S. Independence Day)? Edberg and Becker wondered if new age terrorism (e.g., ISIS) would mar the sportsmanlike consciousness of the otherwise democracy-promoting Wimbledon tennis tournament...
====
Frazier vs. Ali (boxing)
McEnroe vs. Borg (tennis)
Duke vs. UNC (college basketball)
Argentina vs. England (soccer)
However, what sets the Becker-Edberg rivalry apart is a touch of class. Boris Becker was a breakout young phenom tennis wizard in the 1980s, and he was only seriously challenged in terms of finesse and style by his 'counter-part' Stefan Edberg. Becker was creative, wild, unpredictable, hot-tempered, and thrilling to watch, while Edberg was gentlemanly, consistent, clean, refined, and basically polished. Both were adequately skilled at baseline ground-shots and net-play/defense, but Becker was more daring at the net and on serve, while Edberg was more conservative and precise from various areas on the tennis court.
Head-to-head, Becker and Edberg have an uninteresting statistic (on paper) --- Becker leads the rivalry 25-10 --- however, Edberg leads 3-1 in Grand Slam tournaments (the most symbolic tennis tournaments!).
Becker and Edberg clashed in three unforgettable Wimbledon finals [1988, 1989, 1990]. Edberg won the 1st match 3-1 after losing the 1st set to Becker in 1988. Becker stormed back in a 3-0 victory in 1990 to avenge his loss. Then Edberg won an incredible 3-2 (5 sets!) victory in 1990. That year, Edberg won the first two sets, but Becker stormed back and won the next two sets! Somehow, Edberg managed to compose himself and pull out the deciding 5th set victory.
All tennis fans know Wimbledon is the most prestigious of the Grand Slam tournaments in tennis...
Sports-writers claim this Becker-Edberg series of Wimbledon finals [1988, 1989, 1990] was arguably the finest repetition of competitors in a championship game, much more engaging, unpredictable, and 'artistic' than, say the continuous NBA Finals rivalry-matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers [2015, 2016, 2017, 2018] which has been more or less a showcase of pure bravado (arguably).
It is therefore interesting to note how the Becker-Edberg rivalry exemplifies the fanfare qualities of competitive sports and hence of the audience-centric features of our age of TV/media. Was the Becker-Edberg series of Wimbledon championships a proverbial "sportsmen's game of death" (in terms of modern media 'etiquette')?
====
BECKER: Our Wimbledon games typify sports excellence...
EDBERG: Media offers spotlights for aspiring athletes!
BECKER: Maybe we'll be more celebrated than Frazier-Ali.
EDBERG: That's doubtful; American sports are more popular.
BECKER: Yes, tennis is much more international and hence 'traditional.'
EDBERG: However, we'll certainly be considered 'diplomats.'
BECKER: They'll call me 'wild' and you 'composed.'
EDBERG: Sports-writers invent terms to extrapolate competition.
BECKER: Nevertheless, I was much more experimentational in tennis.
EDBERG: Right, and I was much more 'precise.'
BECKER: Our Wimbledon championships remind fans of media intrigue!
EDBERG: Sure.
After this afternoon tea-chat, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg decided to go shopping together (in Beverly Hills, California). They purchased nice dresses for their girlfriends and some nice shirts and ties and jackets for themselves. Becker and Edberg then went to their shared California hotel suite and watched the tennis film Wimbledon (starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany) on Netflix! Becker and Edberg commented on why modern age movies often present stories about sportsmanship, customs/etiquette, and of course betrayal. Was it all a 'capitalism-symbolic game of death' for drooling journalists or potentially a civilization-trophy for democratic commemorations (signifying treaties and pacts) such as the 4th of July (U.S. Independence Day)? Edberg and Becker wondered if new age terrorism (e.g., ISIS) would mar the sportsmanlike consciousness of the otherwise democracy-promoting Wimbledon tennis tournament...
====
