Edberg–Lendl rivalry

The Edberg–Lendl rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. They competed 27 times during their careers, between 1984 and 1992, and Edberg leads the head-to-head 14–13. In an interview with the ATP in 2008, Edberg reflected on his classic rivalries. Edberg led their five-set matches at 3–2.

Singles (27)
Edberg 14 – Lendl 13

1985 Australian Open semifinal
Ivan Lendl, No. 1 at the time, was upset by 19-year old and No. 6 Stefan Edberg in the semifinals of the 1985 Australian Open in an epic spread over two days and delayed multiple times by rain. Edberg won with a scoreline of, and as a result, Edberg reached his first Grand Slam final and would go onto win the final against fellow Swede Mats Wilander. Lendl had recently reclaimed the No. 1 ranking and had won his last 31 matches going into the match. Edberg led 2–1 in the first set before rain suspended the match until the next day, with only ten minutes of play. With no break opportunities in the first set, Lendl, the more experienced played, won it in a tiebreak, before Edberg leveled the match at one set apiece, before outclassing Lendl in the third and taking a two-sets to one lead. At 4–4 in the fourth set, rain sent the players back to the locker room for almost two hours, with them coming back and Lendl leveling the match. In the fifth set, both players held their serves until 8–7, when Edberg finally broke Lendl to seal the match. Unlike the modern Australian Open, the 1985 tournament was played on grass.

1991 Australian Open semifinal
Two-time defending champion and No. 3 Lendl defeated No. 1 Edberg in the semifinals of the 1991 Australian Open. Lendl won with a scoreline of and saved two match points, aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win the Australian Open three consecutive times, but he would ultimately lose to Boris Becker in the final. Edberg squandered his two match points in the fourth set before Lendl came back to win the fourth in a tiebreak and the fifth set. This match was played on hardcourt unlike the semifinal years prior on grass.

1992 Australian Open quarterfinal
No. 1 Edberg defeated No. 4 Lendl in an epic in the quarterfinals of the 1992 Australian Open, with a scoreline of. He would go onto reach the final, losing to Jim Courier.

1992 US Open quarterfinal
In the final match of their rivalry, No. 2 Edberg would defeat No. 7 Lendl in an epic in the quarterfinals of the 1992 US Open, played over the course of two days. Edberg led 2–1 in the fifth set before play was suspended due to rain shortly after midnight and resumed the next day. He won with a scoreline of, and would go onto reach the final and win against Pete Sampras, with it being his sixth and last major title. Edberg won the title with a then record of 22 hours and 22 minutes of play.

Head-to-head breakdown

 * All matches: (27) Edberg 14–13
 * All finals: Lendl 4–3
 * Grand Slam matches: Edberg 5–4
 * Grand Slam finals: Lendl 1–0
 * Non-Grand Slam finals: Tied 3–3
 * Tennis Masters Cup matches: Tied 2–2
 * Five-set matches: Edberg 3–2