1 Response to daviscup88edberg_leconte

1. Voo de Mar says:

   October 20, 2020 at 9:19 am

   Points won by each set: | 26-25, 35-29, 52-60, 20-30, 36-30 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   42 % Edberg – 83 of 194
   28 % Leconte – 43 of 149

   It was a brutal Saturday for the French team (the tie was suspended on Friday due to persistent rain) in the Swedish summer resort. It started at 10 a.m. and finished nine hours later with two five-set defeats of the Frenchmen: each of them won 174 points, so above average required to win a five-set match. In his first match after claiming the Wimbledon title, Edberg [2] took the opening two sets getting the deciding breaks as he led 5:4. In the 3rd set he was 3:0* ahead displaying phenomenal service performance, but Leconte [11] broke back in the 5th game and saved a match point at *6:7 with a forehand passing-shot (Edberg hit two volleys). The left-hander was playing his best tennis for 2.5 sets, but squandered two break points in the longest game of the match at 2:1 in the decider (four deuces) and lost his serve at ‘love’ at 3-all.

   # Edberg, Becker & Leconte – the three best serve-and-volleyers of the second half of the 80s, they were involved within a year in three similar five-setters against each other on clay, and the most attacking Swede emerged the most successful. Just like on all other surfaces, he was implementing S&V tactics behind first and second serves almost all the time on clay… Leconte was doing it mainly behind the first serve while standing on the baseline behind the second serve… Becker used to mix it up, depending on who was he playing against.

   # Comparison of three similar five-setters:
   French Open ’88 (4R): Leconte d. Becker 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4… 3 hours 55 minutes… Total points: 162-141
   Davis Cup ’88 (SF): Edberg d. Leconte 6-4, 6-4, 8-10, 3-6, 6-4… 3 hours 40 minutes… Total points: 169-174
   French Open ’89 (SF): Edberg d. Becker 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-2… 3 hours 55 minutes… Total points: 169-158

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