[the cat]

I just read some appalling news from Tennis-OnTheLine.com. Stefan Edberg has been snubbed by the Tennis Hall of Fame, and Boris Becker is the lone nominee in the Recent Player Category on the 2003 Tennis Hall Of Fame ballot! What? There careers paralelled each other's! They won the same amount of grand slam singles titles (6). And Edberg beat Becker in 2 of their 3 Wimbledon finals, and 3 of their 4 grand slam matches. Edberg also beat Becker in their memorable 1989 five set French Open semifinal clash. And if Stefan had beaten Boris in straight sets, he likely would have had enough energy to defeat Michael Chang in the 1989 French Open title.

You can make the case that Stefan Edberg had a better career than Boris Becker.

And Edberg never missed a grand slam tourament, either. He was a tennis ironman. That's for sure. And the more I think about Stefan getting snubbed by the Tennis Hall Of Fame, the more frustrated I get! :fiery: Edberg and Becker were equals. They should go into the Tennis Hall Of Fame together!

The article is located at www.tennis-ontheline.com/02edsnub.htm

 

[Chloe le Bopper]

He'll get in eventually though, at least.

 

[the cat]

That's not the point, Becca. He was every bit the player Becker was. Maybe better. At the very least Edberg should go in with Becker.

I'd like too see who voted for Becker and against Edberg. I wish these voters had to back up their reasoning publicly.

Edberg was a toal class act his entire career! :angel: The ATP named their sportsmanship award after him!

But does it pay to be a nice guy? Maybe, maybe not. Becker had the greater name. But Edberg had the better game!

 

[irma]

edberg doesn't look for attention unless the jerk, there you have the reason!

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

Edberg deserves the award so much more
they should name the Hall of Fame award after him too

 

[the cat]

irma?

Eggy, don't you wish we could read the voters choices? That would be very interesting!

 

[Hurley]

I guess crass truly does go farther than class these days

Stefan will get in next year but Boris before him?

 

[Tennis Fool]

Edberg was known as "Mr. Boring."

Rather Becker than Edberg, although I guess he should get his due. Maybe next year???

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

Edberg was far from boring
he was poetry in motion

the most graceful tennis player in the history of the game

 

[Hurley]

Anyone who would call Stefan "Mr. Boring" obviously pays more attention to the blowhardy antics of a buffoon than the actual game, and obviously it worked on the Hall of Fame committee as well...

This is what I'm talking about when I said that crass trumps class these days

Stefan played the game wonderfully; he and Pat Rafter are artistes like the game will never see again and they are sorely missed

 

[the cat]

Very well said Eggy and Hurley!

 

[Pea]

Stefan and the word boring should not be mentioned in the same sentence! Every point of his matches were pure magic!

I really don't think Stefan REALLY cares if becker got in faster than he did. He knows he belongs there.

 

[Edhead01]

Edberg snubbed

The Cat wrote:

I just read some appalling news from Tennis-OnTheLine.com. Stefan Edberg has been snubbed by the Tennis Hall of Fame, and Boris Becker is the lone nominee in the Recent Player Category on the 2003 Tennis Hall Of Fame ballot! The article is located at www.tennis-ontheline.com/02edsnub.htm


As the writer of that article, I thank you for adding your voice to this matter. Besides all the reasons you cited so well, the most outrageous thing about this whole deal is that the Hall of Fame apparently bent their own eligibility rule to allow Becker to be nominated so soon, while Edberg, who has retired since 1996, meets the eligibility criteria in every aspect.

I don't know if everyone is aware of this, but in other sports ( such as American football or baseball) a player of the stature of Edberg is expected to be nominated and then promptly inducted into the Hall of Fame AS SOON AS he becomes eligible, so the fact that Edberg was not nominated is considered a slight in sport.

As mentioned in my article, I have written to the Chair of the nomination committee, Tony Trabert, to voice my protest and to ask for an explanation for Becker's early nomination, but I have heard nothing from them as of today. I am going to email them to see if they will at least tell me who all were on the committee, which may provide some clue. I will share the information if a reply ever comes my way.

By the way I believe that they only induct one player of each gender each year in the Recent Player category - the inductees this year (2002) were Pam Shriver and Mats Wilander.

It is really too bad that a classy guy like Edberg will not get his fair shake in this sort of thing, because he is so low-profile and self-effacing, and perhaps because he doesn't have influential connections in the U.S. I am one of the biggest Edberg fans around and I will do my most to try to help him get the recognition that he deserves. I hope you join me. I have a web site for Edberg at:
http://www.geocities.com/edhead01us/

 

[tennischick]

nice info Edhead. Edberg is a bit before my time so i will take your collective word for it that he's been wrong. by the way, i love tennis-on-the-line. Mr. Ed rulz!!!!!!!!!

 

[irma]

irma?

Eggy, don't you wish we could read the voters choices? That would be very interesting!

the cat it's obvious that boris b(alias the jerk) is crazy for attention and does everything to be the middlepoint of this world(oops he is the middlepoint of this world, read interview spiegel jan 2001)
since edberg retired, I hardly saw him or heard anything about him!

 

[the cat]

Well said Irma!

Thanks foe the article, Edhead!

TC, Edberg was before your time? I'm surprised to hear that. I thought you've been a tennis fan for a long time. You seem to know alot!

And TC, Edberg's last grand slam singles title, the 1992 U.S. Open was also the turning point for Pete Sampras in his career. He lost the '92 Open final to Edberg, and called it the most bitter loss of his career. And Pete often refers to that tough loss as the turning point in his career.

And Edhead, tennis-ontheline is a fine tennis website. But we need more recent reports on the 2002 U.S. Open!

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

is Edhead the same Ed on tennis-ontheline ????

 

[tennischick]

yes he is Egg.

 

[Hurley]

No, she is not. Edhead =Edberg Head.

From the website after one of M.L. Liu's articles about Stefan:

"M. L. Liu, the author, lives in California, and is a bona-fide Stefan Edberg fanatic."

And also, it says you can write to "her" so I'm sure it's not one of the Eds unless one of them went behind our back for a little procedure

 

[The Crow]

Edberg boring? Oh how I love those boring players

Edberg is actually one of the few players I really miss these days. And Becker's annoying service ritual is one of the things I really don't miss these days