Russian tennis player took out the first racket of the world at the US Open! Even he did not believe in success

Grand Slam tournaments are not only a test for young tennis players. Sometimes venerable players can not cope with the excitement.

And how cool it is when our guys are able to surprise in such matches. The first racket of the world expected an easy walk, but left New York with nothing after the match with Alexander Volkov.

A little-known tennis player outplayed the victorious Wimbledon in three sets.

The best right now

The tennis of the Swede Stefan Edberg impressed with his power and athleticism. The start of his career was in many ways reminiscent of the current successes of Carlos Alcaraz – both took the first Grand Slam tournament at 19 years old.

True, the native of Westervik in singles became the first racket of the world only at the age of 24, on the eve of the 1990 US Open. At that time, Stefan already had four major titles in his asset, won Wimbledon two months ago and, of course, was considered one of the main favorites for the US Open.

Stefan Edberg at Wimbledon 1990 / Photo: © PA Images Archive / Contributor / PA Images / Gettyimages.ru

Moreover, Stefan was unbeaten in 21 matches in a row. What more do you need to feel great for your first singles win in a previously unattainable tournament? In a pair, Edberg won the US Open in 1987, won in New York and at the junior Grand Slam, but this adult championship has not yet submitted to him.

Historic victory

In the first round, the Swede got a convenient opponent – the Soviet tennis player Alexander Volkov. At the very least, it was possible to assume an easy walk for Edberg based on the previous meeting of these players. In Basel a year ago, Stefan defeated an athlete from Kaliningrad in two sets.

Volkov was not an outright outsider, he took a place in the middle of the top hundred of the rating, but against the background of Edberg’s impeccable playing, it was pointless to evaluate his chances. So it seemed to experts and fans, but the match unfolded in an extremely unusual way.

Stefan’s killer backhand flew out, the serve did not work – there was no attacking game in the usual sense for the Swede. Volkov, on the contrary, did a lot. It’s hard to believe, but Edberg could not take a single set and for the first time for himself flew out of the US Open in the first round – 3:6, 6:7, 2:6.

Moreover, this happened to the first racket of the world for the first time since 1971, when the Australian John Newcomb lost to Jan Kodes. Volkov repeated the historical success of the Czech after 19 years.

Alexander Volkov at the Kremlin Cup International Tennis Tournament / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Vladimir Rodionov

After the match, Volkov admitted:

“I have been training very well the last few weeks and I was ready for the tournament. Then I saw the draw and I said, “Ooooh.” But, you see, anything can happen, – Alexander noted with joy.

This victory was so unexpected that even Alexander did not believe in it. After seeing the draw, he planned to play in a club tournament in Berlin later this week:

“I had to leave on Wednesday to play there on Friday,” Volkov admitted.

Plans had to be changed. For Edberg, that defeat was a good lesson that he learned admirably.

“I’ve never felt so bad hitting a ball,” Edberg said.

In 1991 and 1992, the Swede made a triumphant return to the US and secured two more titles.

The career of our athlete, who was a year younger than Edberg, also went uphill. In August 1993, Alexander achieved a better position in the rankings, rising to 14th place. A month later, he reached the semi-finals of the US Open, becoming the first Russian to rise so high in New York. Ten years after he upset Edberg, Volkov, as coach of Marat Safin, celebrated a win over favorite Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open title match.