Edberg on serve-and-volley: “I’m sure it will come back, not like in the old days, but that would be good”
Stefan Edberg, the 1990 champion and one of the former winners honored at the 40th Rolex Paris Masters, met Carlos Alcaraz behind the scenes at the Plenitude Arena on Saturday. The Swede, whose game was built on serve-and-volley, talked about Alcaraz’s comeback, Ben Shelton’s potential and the speed of the courts in Paris.
Stefan Edberg, 2026 | © CHRISTOPHE SAIDI / SIPA
When Carlos Alcaraz was born in 2003, Stefan Edberg had been retired for seven years. But judging by the way the Spaniard looked at the Swede behind the scenes of the Plenitude Arena on Saturday, after his Rolex Paris Masters semi-final, there was no doubt he knew exactly who he was.
Focused and friendly, the world No. 3 formally met Edberg, who won six Grand Slam titles between 1985 and 1992, one fewer than Alcaraz has today. Edberg was among the former champions honored at the tournament’s 40th edition, for his title in 1990.
Like every former champion, he feels welcome wherever he goes. “They’re looking back more to former champions, and (…) we’re more than welcome to come anytime we would like to, and it’s very much appreciated,” Edberg said on Saturday to a small pool of journalists, including Tennis Majors, as he discussed Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, serve-and-volley and the speed of the courts in Paris.
Edberg on Alcaraz the showman
Stefan, what are your thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz since his comeback? He looks very impressive.
Well, he’s a very impressive player to begin with, and obviously he’s made a great comeback, because he was away for quite a long time, and it’s never easy when you’ve been away. And thank goodness he’s back. He is a very important player for the game of tennis, because the way he is as a person, he loves tennis, he loves to be on the court, he’s a little bit of a showman. He’s got the full sort of game, from anything from power to touch, and so it’s good to have him back in good form.
Are you surprised to see him put on this kind of show so soon after his return?
He’s one of a kind, so yes, you do have expectations, but it’s fantastic to see what he has done and what he’s doing at the moment. I hope he can keep it all together, because it’s tough being on the court and you want to stay injury-free as much as you can. And I think he’s still young, he’s going to be around for a long time to come.
Edberg on serve-and-volley’s return
Carlos plays serve-and-volley, which is something you know very well. At one point we heard serve-and-volley was finished, and now it’s coming back, not only in Carlos’s game. How do you see that?
I think tennis goes in cycles, and I think you train differently now. Tennis has been played from the back of the court, and serve-and-volley is a game that takes longer to develop. It really does. You need to start at a pretty early age, and I think maybe the players don’t practice as much as they need to, because you need to start playing matches at a young age (…) so at least it’s in your backbone, because it’s not easy to start when you’re 20, 21. It’s not coming natural, but it’s an advantage if you can have variety in your game. It’s something that can surprise and it’s something that can win your matches, and that’s the way I feel. So I’m sure it will come back. Not like in the old days, there’s no way, but I think (…) that would be good for the game as well, to have a little bit more variation in general.
The courts are not as fast as the ones you knew in the past. Some people would like to go back to very quick courts. What’s your opinion?
Well, you don’t want to make the courts too quick, but I think this is a good trial here, to make it a little bit quicker, and I think it’s good in general to have a little variation in the speed of the court, because the game will be played a little bit different if it is a little bit quicker. Obviously (…) it gets harder to defend and it gets easier to play serve-and-volley if it’s quicker.
Shelton, “putting a puzzle together”
What about Ben Shelton? He also played a great semi-final, with such a big serve.
Oh yeah, he’s got a lot of potential, and he’s sort of in the learning process, getting to the very top of the game. I mean, it’s a little bit putting a puzzle together. (…) He’s already threatened the Grand Slams, and I’m sure at one stage he’s going to win a slam, because he’s got the game, he’s got the power, and (…) just got to get there.
Edberg, 30 years after retiring
The Rolex Paris Masters is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and let’s not foget it is 30 years since you retired. How do you feel about your legacy in tennis when you go to tournaments and meet people?
Well, I think tennis has grown as a sport (…). And I think they’re making a good thing about the history as well, and keeping some of the old players, and it’s nice maybe for some of the older fans to see us, you know, being actually physically here watching, or, you know, being presented on the court today a little bit. That adds to tennis.
