Roger Federer’s ex-coach, Stefan Edberg, is yet again in the headlines, but this time it’s for a different reason! In the 80s, there was a time when Edberg literally graced tennis competitions all over the world with his magical tennis. During his tenure as a player, he became the world number one in 1990 and won 6 Grand Slam titles. Then, a few years after his retirement, he signed a contract to become Federer’s coach. Their collaboration officially started at the 2014 AO and it ended in December 2015. Throughout these years, they created a lot of memories that we continue to cherish even today. However, this time Edberg came to the headlines for an awkward scene in Turin!

What happened in Turin? Well, recently, he attended a match at the ATP Finals with his wife, Annette Hjort Olsen. During the match, there was a moment when we saw this couple getting spotted by the kiss cam, but did they kiss, though? Well, hilariously the tennis legend looked a bit trapped in an awkward situation. Both of them looked at each other and smiled. Although Olsen once tried to approach her husband for a kiss, Edberg was spotted refusing to do so on the camera. Hilarious but very awkward situation, isn’t it?

Roger Federer’s former coach, Stefan Edberg, met Annette Hjort Olsen in 1985. After dating each other for a few years, they got married in April 1992 at the cathedral of Vaxjo, Sweden. They have two children, the first child, Emily was born on 14 July 1993 and then the second child, Christopher was born on 28 February 1997. The family shares a common love for tennis, so they are often seen in the stands during tournaments. Even their daughter, Emily was spotted attending some of his father’s matches before his official retirement in 1996!

Stefan Edberg’s contribution to tennis and also Roger Federer’s career is enormous! He was in fact Federer’s childhood idol and then, to be coached by him was a surreal experience for the Swiss Maestro. Together they won 10 titles, but more than the titles, Edberg played a crucial role in helping Federer’s mid-career slump by bringing in a few changes in his playing style. Talking about getting the opportunity to coach one of the finest of the game, Stefan Edberg once said, “Obviously, it was an honor to be asked to coach Roger.”

In 2013, Roger Federer dropped to the number 7 in the ATP singles ranking. He even failed to reach the final of a major event for the first time since 2002! So, clearly, he was struggling a bit that season and to take up the job of helping someone get up from that unusual downfall tells us about his character. How difficult was Edberg’s job to coach someone as big as Roger Federer?

“Teaching Roger Federer is not a difficult thing” – Stefan Edberg

There was a time when Roger Federer was in a dilemma about whom to pick between the epic rivalry of Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker! While recalling those moments, he once said, “Becker was first my idol until some of my friends said, ‘Why Becker? Edberg is cooler.’” After hearing this he asked them, “Is he? Okay, I’ll be Edberg.” So, that’s how the chemistry got started. Later on, when Edberg became his coach, the Swedish legend spoke about what is it like to coach someone like Roger Federer.

Both Federer and Edberg have a lot of respect for each other. For example, while sharing his experience of coaching the Swiss, he once revealed, “Teaching Roger Federer is not a difficult thing, he is a very good listener. He knows what to do and he learns very quickly.” What was his main role in the team, though? “He wanted to change his game and that was maybe part of the reason why he took me in to get a few ideas. I think the great thing, looking back, was he switched racket to more of a modern racket – that was really key. He changed his game a little bit. His movement got a little bit more aggressive, which I think he needed to do,” said Edberg in an interview.

He helped Roger Federer develop a more attacking and offensive game. Under his coaching, Roger Federer learned to finish points quicker. How does he look at Federer’s overall playing style? “He’s an artist on the court and very special to watch,” Stefan Edberg said in a previous interview. Under him, Roger Federer reached consecutive Wimbledon finals (2014,2015) and the 2015 US Open final, but unfortunately, the Swiss was defeated in these matches by Novak Djokovic. Nevertheless, their journey is truly worth remembering. Two legends of the game!