Invited by Rolex on semi-finals day, Stefan Edberg reflected on his memories in the Principality and shared his thoughts on the players contesting the final four at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.<\/p>\n
Stefan, what memories do you have of this tournament as a player?<\/strong> \u201cIf I remember correctly, I reached two semi-finals here [editor’s note: it was three semi-finals] and won the doubles once with Petr Korda. It\u2019s a fascinating court, and the view from the stands is spectacular \u2014 especially if you can see both the sea and Monaco. I think for many players, it\u2019s a special moment to compete here.\u201d<\/p>\n As a former coach of Roger Federer, how do you view today\u2019s Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry?<\/strong> \u201cThen Becker and I had a kind of rivalry, with slightly different personalities, which proved very useful. And of course, the rivalry between Rafa and Roger is one of the most incredible. Then Novak came along and built a great rivalry with Rafa as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are living through a very special period, which is now continuing with the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry. What those two have achieved in recent years is simply extraordinary. They have truly put tennis back at the forefront. Being able to witness this rivalry right now is something very important, and it will continue to matter in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have played incredible matches of the highest quality, just like Rafa, Roger and Novak did. As I said a few months ago, last year\u2019s Roland Garros final was probably one of the most exciting \u2014 and perhaps one of the best \u2014 matches you could hope to see.\u201d<\/p>\n What impresses you most about their styles?<\/strong> \u201cAlcaraz is perhaps a bit more emotional and feeds more off the crowd \u2014 he needs that energy more than Sinner. Sinner is more \u2018let\u2019s focus on the job\u2019 \u2014 hitting the ball and giving the opponent no chance.<\/p>\n \u201cBut both speak very well after matches. They are very kind, both on and off the court. They are truly great ambassadors for tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former world No. 1 attended as a guest of Rolex<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-classifiee-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u201cThe Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is a unique event, steeped in history. At the time, many Swedish players had a lot of success here. Personally, I didn\u2019t have as much.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWell, I think if you look back at history, these rivalries are absolutely essential to tennis. The first one for me was obviously Borg-McEnroe \u2014 a perfect rivalry in many ways.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI find both of them very impressive in many ways. Of course, their work ethic and their presence stand out. They both behave in an exemplary way on court.<\/p>\n