What to expect from the Roger Federer-Stefan Edberg partnership

Roger Federer has become the latest player to recruit a 1980s great, with Stefan Edberg joining the former world No 1’s coaching team. That will also be the first grand slam for the new pairing of Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker, while Andy Murray has won both his grand slam titles since appointing Ivan Lendl as his coach. But the question is, would it be worth it?

Well, the numbers, so often in favour of the history-maker Federer, were less kind to the Swiss in 2013. He failed to reach a grand slam final for the first time since 2002, his grand slam quarterfinal streak ended at 36 and his year-end ranking of No. 6 was his lowest in 11 years. Federer only won one tournament, on grass in Halle, Germany but a few weeks later he crashed out of the Wimbledon, his favourite Grand Slam which he has won a record seven times. However after a shaky season, Federer did turn it around at the end playing his best tennis. So there is some momentum. But with Andy Murray coming back from his surgery, Juan Martin Del Potro playing well and of course Djokovic and Nadal, it’s going to be such a tough landscape next season for a 32-year-old with an aging body. So Roger’s going to need some help to compete.

So for Federer it must have seemed a logical step. With his own prowess fading, he is turning to his childhood hero for help and support albeit on a 10-week trial basis. He has previously cited the Becker-Edberg rivalry as one reason he was inspired to play tennis rather than pursuing a career in soccer.

And on the surface it would seem like Edberg and Federer would be compatible instantly. Two smooth-swinging, mild-mannered masters of the game. Edberg is known as one of the greatest serve and volley players ever. Federer use to play that style long ago when he first won Wimbledon. And of course there are the backhands. Obviously, Edberg cannot bring back the serve and volley game, but he can surely fine tune Federer’s net game. But Edberg’s real value will come from his wisdom. Edberg would be able to give advice to Federer on different game plans on playing different opponents and also help Roger with the mental aspect, something he needs most importantly.

But only time will tell if the partnership will work. True it has worked in the case of Andy Murray and his coach Ivan Lendl but it does not always work, of course.  Former Grand Slam winner, Jimmy Connors lasted only a match as an advisor to Maria Sharapova. But if Edberg can have the same revivifying effect on Federer as Lendl did on Murray, and perhaps even help him to at least one last grand slam, then it would be just great for tennis because everybody wants to see the great champion win another Grand Slam.