1989
Sound and Joy in the New Globe Arena
The public demand during the 1980s, when Sweden dominated world tennis, had made it clear that Stockholm Open needed a larger venue. The Royal Tennis Hall is a cozy and intimate facility, but it wasn’t pleasant to have to turn away thousands of eager ticket buyers every year.
So, the tournament moved to the newly built Globe Arena – which indeed looks like a giant tennis ball – where everyone could fit around the center court. And there was a real need for the increased capacity because it was yet another Swedish success story.
Wilander and Edberg weren’t in top form but still made it to the semifinals, along with the surprise of the tournament, Magnus Gustafsson. So, three Swedes were in the semifinals.
Wilander lost his match to Gustafsson, and Edberg lost to Ivan Lendl.
Would another Swedish player make a serious breakthrough? The fact that the 22-year-old Gustafsson was in the final was a sensation and a small signal that a new Swedish generation was on its way.
But against Lendl, he wasn’t quite strong enough. The Czech won 7–5, 6–0, 6–3.
For the organizers, it was a grand success. 118,000 people paid to attend during the tournament week, making Stockholm Open a triumph both economically and as a promotional event.
On Thursday evening, when Jan Gunnarsson defeated Boris Becker in straight sets in the third round, the cheers could almost be heard all the way back to the Royal Tennis Hall.
1988
More Patience Could Have Won Lundgren the Prize
Mats Wilander had won three Grand Slam tournaments during the year, and Stefan Edberg had won the fourth, Wimbledon, so the Stockholm crowd naturally expected them to meet in the final.
However, for various reasons, both were poorly prepared and were knocked out before the quarterfinals. Mats admitted he was losing motivation, and indeed, he never returned to his peak after this season.
Life as an elite player was glamorous but also exhausting. The chase for increasingly larger prize purses sapped the joy from the game, which former top players like Rod Laver and Ilie Năstase lamented during Boris Becker’s award ceremony.
Yes, Becker. He reached the final against surprise finalist Peter Lundgren – who saved the tournament from a Swedish perspective – and won despite playing with a foot injury. He had considered giving a walkover but took a chance, and it paid off.
Becker couldn’t understand why Lundgren was in such a hurry out there.
– "If he had stayed on the baseline and rallied, he would have won. I would never have lasted more than three sets."
Instead, it was exactly three sets. Becker won 6–4, 6–1, 6–1.
1987
Total Swedish Dominance
Sweden’s dominance in the tournament was now complete. Of the top eight seeds, seven were Swedes, and after four rounds, it was clear that all four semifinalists were Swedish. And that was after Mats Wilander had been knocked out in the second round!
True, stars like Boris Becker, McEnroe, Connors, and Ivan Lendl were absent, and had any of them participated, they would likely have reached the semifinals. But Sweden was an undisputed powerhouse – nine of the world’s top 30 players were Swedish.
The public interest was, of course, enormous, and many disappointed fans had to return home without a ticket. Tens of thousands, in fact.
In one semifinal, Stefan Edberg faced Anders Järryd. It was something of a moral final, one could say.
Edberg won easily – and in the other semifinal, Jonas Svensson did the same against Magnus Gustafsson.
In the final, Svensson managed to take the third set but never seriously threatened Edberg. Edberg won 7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4, becoming champion for the second year in a row.
1986
Everything Came Together for Edberg in the Final
Even John McEnroe had now grown tired of traveling the world and mainly played doubles when he felt like it.
He likely also missed the intense matches against Björn Borg – he has later said that those matches were the only ones that really meant anything during his career.
Jimmy Connors hadn’t quit playing but was declining in capacity and avoided long trips, such as to Stockholm.
For these reasons, Stockholm Open took on a European character this year. Of the 16 seeded players, only four were American – and seven were young Swedes.
It was also an all-Swedish final. Stefan Edberg slugged his way through two very tight matches (against Richard Matuszewski and Henri Leconte), winning both 7–6 in the deciding set. Mats Wilander also had to work hard to reach the final but didn’t drop a set, making him the favorite in the all-Swedish final.
The final was best-of-five sets – though only three were needed. Stefan was completely dominant, winning 6–2, 6–1, 6–1.
1985
McEnroe Skilled and Gentle
John McEnroe had been dealing with a shoulder injury during part of the fall and was eager to play again when he came to Stockholm to once more try to put the young Swedes in their place.
Well, he wasn’t that old himself – he hadn’t even turned 27 – but he was much more experienced than most.
The first Swede he encountered was Peter Lundgren, who had impressed in the first two rounds but was outplayed by McEnroe, 6–1, 6–3.
That was in the quarterfinals, and after that, only four players remained. John McEnroe – and three young, hungry Swedes. And that was after Mats Wilander had already been eliminated in the first round.
Anders Järryd knocked out Joakim Nyström in one semifinal, and McEnroe cunningly played against Stefan Edberg, always having good answers for his powerful serves. Two straight sets to McEnroe.
In the final, McEnroe really showed his class. Järryd tried everything but lost 6–1, 6–2.
Yes, McEnroe impressed. Not only with his tennis, but he also barely had a single angry outburst during the entire tournament.
1984
Sweden vs. USA All Autumn
The young Swedes had made it to the final of the Davis Cup, to be played in Gothenburg in December, and Stockholm Open was perfectly timed in early November.
All the top Americans participated, including Connors, despite being fined $10,000 for not showing up the previous year, and all the Swedes of course. There were also a few other strong names, including South African Johan Kriek, who participated because he had changed his nationality to American.
Three Swedes and three Americans reached the quarterfinals, and two Swedes and two Americans made it to the semifinals.
McEnroe knocked out Järryd, and Wilander knocked out Connors, both after tough three-set matches – meaning there was one Swede and one American left in the final.
McEnroe had worn down Anders Järryd in the semifinal with his temper tantrums, which were the worst behavior seen at such a high level and so late in a tournament.
In the final, McEnroe claimed his third Stockholm Open title after a tough three-setter.
1983
The Swedish Tennis Miracle
The South Africa issue was temporarily resolved by the South African players themselves. They understood Stockholm Open's dilemma and chose not to enter.
Björn Borg wasn’t signed up either. He had ended his career at the age of 26.
Nevertheless, things looked good. Wilander was coming, Connors was coming, McEnroe was coming. Gene Mayer too, and Gerulaitis, and of course last year’s winner Henri Leconte.
But at the last moment, problems arose. McEnroe was suspended after swearing one too many times at an umpire, Noah got injured, as did Sandy Mayer. And suddenly Connors decided he wasn’t in the mood to fly to Stockholm.
Frustrating, of course. But the organizers had an ace up their sleeve: the Swedish tennis miracle. Plenty of promising players were filling the void left by Borg in a delightful way.
Most notably, Mats Wilander was the trump card. He had won seven Grand Prix tournaments that year and came to Stockholm as the heavy favorite.
He was in trouble against the Swiss player Heinz Günthardt but overcame the crisis and went through the tournament without dropping a set to anyone else but Günthardt.
1982
The Tournament’s Worst Crisis
South Africa was at the center of attention as Stockholm Open faced its worst crisis in 1982, pressured by the Swedish government.
After the Social Democrats won the election in September, Prime Minister Olof Palme’s government immediately decided that athletes from apartheid South Africa were not welcome to compete in Sweden. The ban was enacted with immediate effect.
The problem was that two South African players had already registered for the tournament and applied for visas.
After a swift intervention in Paris by the tournament director Hans-Åke Sturén, the problem was solved with a temporary exemption. However, Stockholm Open was fined $25,000 by the Professional Council. The council also decided that Stockholm would be removed from the Grand Prix schedule if South Africans were not allowed to compete in the future.
In the end, the tournament could still take place. The public interest focused on Mats Wilander, who reached the final against Frenchman Henri Leconte, against whom he had a clear winning record.
But Mats was a bit worn out, and Leconte was in form. The Frenchman won 7–6, 6–3.
1981
New Floor, New Generation
It’s not easy to be a tournament organizer. John McEnroe was upset that he didn’t get to play on what he considered the perfect surface from 1979, so he boycotted the 1981 tournament, even though the slow court wouldn’t be used.
Instead, the Holmsund tiles were replaced by a Plexipave floor, which many regarded as fair since it suited both baseline players and net players equally well.
Borg, who had enjoyed the rubber mat, also didn’t participate, but that had more to do with him taking a break from tennis.
Suddenly, the field looked quite modest. But then came a call from Jimmy Connors' agent. Jimmy wanted a wildcard, possibly because he saw an opportunity to win another major tournament, and of course, he got it.
However, he still didn’t win. He was outplayed in the semifinal by the big-serving Sandy Mayer, who faced his younger brother and training partner Gene in the final, losing decisively.
The crowd missed Borg, of course, but they were delighted by the emergence of a whole new generation of young Swedes. Especially 17-year-old Mats Wilander. There was potential in that kid.
1980
A Floor that Suited Borg
Björn Borg liked what he heard when he found out that Stockholm Open would be played on a slower surface.
The old reliable Holmsund tiles were starting to wear out, and it was time to replace them. But there wasn’t enough time before the tournament, so instead of tearing out the old surface and installing the new one as they typically do around New Year’s, a temporary solution was used.
A portable rubber mat with very slow characteristics was rolled out on top of the Holmsund tiles. The new surface was unfamiliar to the elite players, and some thought the balls behaved strangely, including, of course, John McEnroe.
But Björn Borg decided to participate. He was seeking revenge on McEnroe, not only for the Stockholm Open semifinal two years earlier but also for losing the U.S. Open final a couple of months before.
McEnroe eventually got comfortable with the surface and reached the final without losing a set. Borg, on the other hand, struggled with Yannick Noah but still made it through. And in the final, he finally got his revenge, winning 6–3, 6–4.
It was Björn Borg’s first victory at Stockholm Open. He had played in the final in 1973 but lost to Tom Okker, and in 1974, he lost in the semifinal to the same Okker. But this time, the victory was complete, and the audience was ecstatic.
It was a happy ending to a tournament that had problems – with the Immigration Office. Apartheid laws were in effect in South Africa, and the world had started to take action against them. It wasn’t until the last moment that the South African players were allowed entry into the country.
Hana Mandlíková from Czechoslovakia won the women’s event, but this was the last time women competed at Stockholm Open. It was difficult to make the finances work when there were no Swedish women at the top of the world rankings.
