2009
No More Swedish Joy

Something was missing in the Royal Tennis Hall this autumn, but what?

Yes, Swedish joy in the Stockholm Open. Jonas Björkman had retired after 16 years in the tournament. Thomas Johansson had also retired after 13 years. Joachim Johansson was knocked out in the quarterfinals. Robin Söderling made it to the semifinals but was dealing with an elbow injury and had to give a walkover.

But the crowd in the Royal Tennis Hall always finds something to cheer for. Belgian Olivier Rochus, who had been a regular participant every year since 2002 (except for one), was almost considered part of the family. He felt almost Swedish and received support from the crowd, which actually helped him reach the final.

But no amount of cheering could help him there. The 24-year-old Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, playing his first tournament in Stockholm, used his somewhat risky but soft tennis to win 6–1, 7–5.

2008
Only Nalbandian Could Challenge Robin

Söderling showed his class throughout the entire tournament, advancing to the final without dropping a single set.

In the final, he faced Argentine baseline player David Nalbandian, someone he had well-founded respect for. Robin had lost to him in a Davis Cup match a few years earlier – and he lost again. 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 to the Argentine.

After his tennis career, Nalbandian didn’t become a coach or anything within the sport – instead, he became... a rally driver.

2007
Johansson Served Out in the Final

Thomas Johansson won Stockholm Open in 2000. Thomas Johansson won Stockholm Open in 2004. Thomas Johansson won... no, he didn’t win Stockholm Open in 2007, but he came very close.

He knocked out a young Juan Martín del Potro, Michaël Llodra, Mario Ančić, and defending champion James Blake to reach the final.

Against Ivo Karlović. The giant Croatian, standing 211 centimeters tall with the most lethal serve in tennis. He was also in the form of his life.

Thomas played well in the final and leveled the score to 1–1 in sets after losing the first. But Karlović was the better player this time, winning the deciding set 6–1.

Apart from Johansson's performance, the Swedish effort was somewhat concerning. No other Swede reached the quarterfinals, though Pim-Pim Johansson retired due to injury and could have potentially made it to at least the semifinals.

Nevertheless, the Swedish effort may have been a small indication that Swedish men's tennis was heading into something of a slump.

2006
A Finn Ahead of All Swedes

In the first match of this year's Stockholm Open, a 20-year-old Spaniard named Rafael Nadal made his debut. He showed promise but didn’t seem entirely comfortable with the fast surface.

Still, he defeated Dutchman Raemon Sluiter but lost in the second round to Joachim Johansson.

Of course, Johansson had no idea that he had just eliminated a player who would go on to become one of the greatest in tennis history.

Pim-Pim, as Joachim Johansson is known, advanced to the semifinals but lost to Finnish player Jarkko Nieminen. With Robin Söderling losing the other semifinal to American James Blake, for the first time in Stockholm Open’s history, a Nordic player was ahead of all Swedes in the results.

However, Nieminen stood no chance against Blake, who won 6–4, 6–2.

The final was much more one-sided than the semifinals, which were both real marathons. Nieminen beat Pim-Pim 7–6, 6–7, 6–3, and Blake defeated Söderling 7–5, 7–6.

2005
Enqvist’s Last Stockholm Open

No one knew it at the time, but when Thomas Enqvist lost to German Rainer Schüttler in the first round, it was his last match in the Stockholm Open.

He had played in every tournament since 1991, except for 2002, when he had to withdraw due to injury in the first match. But he was always there.

Fifteen seasons, 36 matches. Most of them victories.

He took home the top prize three times. Only two players have surpassed that: John McEnroe and Boris Becker.

Yes, Thomas Enqvist is a true Stockholm Open icon, and he would likely have participated in 2006 as well if his body hadn’t definitively said no. He suffered from many injuries in his later years and was forced to retire in April 2006.

In the 2005 tournament, Paradorn Srichaphan hoped to repeat his 2002 victory, but his final opponent, James Blake, bombarded him with serves and forehands. Blake won quite easily, 6–1, 7–6.

2004
Everyone Talked About Agassi

That Agassi. He had entered Stockholm Open twice. In 1990, he was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Nicklas Kulti, and in 1994, he also made it to the quarterfinals but lost to Goran Ivanišević.

No one thought he would return, but after almost ten years, he registered again, now 34 years old.

This time, Andre Agassi went all the way to the final after defeating, among others, Jonas Björkman. But the prize check went to Thomas Johansson, who fought his way to the final and also fought his way to the victory. 7–4 in the tiebreak in the deciding set.

But it was Agassi’s comeback that everyone talked about. And also about the tournament’s sensation, the almost unknown 20-year-old Michael Ryderstedt, who with a mix of luck and skill reached the semifinals. However, he only managed to win five games against Thomas Johansson, who, for once, won quite comfortably.

2003
The Swedes Came Back

Paradorn Srichaphan returned to Stockholm as the defending champion and top seed – but was knocked out immediately by the relatively unremarkable Dutchman John van Lottum.

Instead, it was a Swedish comeback. In 2002, only one Swede made it to the quarterfinals, but now there were four: Jonas Björkman, Joachim Johansson, Thomas Enqvist, and 18-year-old Robin Söderling, who received a wildcard and made it all the way to the final against American hardcourt specialist Mardy Fish. It was close to being a big breakthrough for Robin, but instead, it was Fish who won his first ATP title.

The final was a test of endurance for both the players and the audience. Fish won the first set 7–5, Söderling took the second 6–3. In the deciding set, they kept pace with each other until 6–6, but in the tiebreak, the American had the stronger nerves and won it 7–4.

By the way, the trend of increasing national diversity continued. In the 2003 tournament, players from 18 countries were represented at Stockholm Open.

2002
Many New Nations in the Lineup

Players from 11 nations participated in the first Stockholm Open in 1969, and the organizers really made an effort to attract as many nationalities as possible to give the tournament an international flair.

In 2002, 16 nations were represented – without the organizers even trying to maximize diversity. Tennis had really grown in the 33 years that had passed, just like Stockholm Open.

One of the many exotic players was Paradorn Srichaphan, a 23-year-old Thai player who had broken through earlier that year and won the Long Island ATP tournament. He was seeded seventh in Stockholm, so it wasn’t really a surprise that he went far. Especially after higher-seeded players like Lleyton Hewitt, Sjeng Schalken, and Thomas Johansson were knocked out early.

But that he would go all the way to the final against Marcelo Rios and win fairly comfortably was still a bit unexpected.

By the way, Rios was from Chile, which further highlighted the tournament's international reach.

2001
Finnish "Sisu" All the Way to the Final

It’s not often in Stockholm Open's history that players from one of our Nordic neighbors have gone far in the tournament. But in 2001, it happened – 20-year-old Finn Jarkko Nieminen came, saw, and almost conquered.

He was practically unknown to the general public, but tennis insiders knew that he had won the junior U.S. Open title two years earlier and was on his way to becoming Finland’s best player of all time.

Nevertheless, it was considered sensational when he knocked out defending champion Thomas Johansson and reached the semifinals.

There, he faced Thomas Enqvist, but that should have been the end of it, right? A Finnish player couldn’t possibly knock out two seeded Swedish players?

Yes, he could. Nieminen played outstandingly and won in straight sets.

In the final against Dutchman Sjeng Schalken, Nieminen fought hard but eventually lost a dramatic five-setter. It should also be noted that Nieminen had qualified for the tournament, making him the first qualifier to reach the final.

We should also mention a promising Swedish debutant from the 2001 tournament. His name was Robin Söderling, but he was a little overwhelmed when facing Thomas Enqvist on the other side of the net and lost in straight sets.

2000
Only Björkman Could Challenge Johansson

The first year of the new century belonged to Thomas Johansson, at least at Stockholm Open.

The then 25-year-old from Östergötland, who was rising in world tennis, started by crushing defending champion Thomas Enqvist (6–2, 6–2) in the first round and only dropped a set to one player, Jonas Björkman.

Their quarterfinal duel was something special, a moral final in hindsight. Björkman won the first set 7–6 (8–6), Johansson took the second 7–6 (9–7), and they stayed neck and neck in the deciding set. In the end, Johansson won 7–5.

One of the new players in the tournament was a 19-year-old Swiss. He might have been dazzled by playing in the same tournament as stars like Thomas Enqvist, Thomas Johansson, and Jonas Björkman, but he fought hard and showed great talent. He made it to the second round but was thrashed by Swede Andreas Vinciguerra and had to pack his bags and go home to work on his groundstrokes.

He did pretty well.

His name is Roger Federer.