Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 9, 1990 TAG: 9007090233
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: From New York Times and Associated Press reports
DATELINE: WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND LENGTH: Medium
Wimbledon has restored order and stability to a game that in recent months seemed a playground for many.
As Stefan Edberg and Martina Navratilova proved once again, it takes a special breed to win on the grass courts of the All England Club.
On Sunday, Boris Becker was forced to make the long trudge across the court and over the net to pay tribute to the victor in the Wimbledon men's final.
Moved by the moment, he put an arm around the shoulders of Edberg, who had just defeated him 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, and gave him a friendly hug.
"I had mixed emotions," said the 22-year-old West German, who for the past three years has been engaged in a tug-of-war with Edberg for the championship of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.
Becker, who in 1988 played the role of also-ran when Edberg won his first title here, snatched the championship back last year in a straight-sets exercise only to have it wrestled away from him again this year.
It had been more than a century since the same two men had dueled in a Wimbledon final for three years in a row.
Edberg, 24, a runner-up in 1989 in the French Open and Wimbledon, had not won a major title since defeating Becker here in 1988. He hardly knew how to react after winning Sunday.
After an instant of uncertainty, he belted a tennis ball into the stands. Edberg then tossed his shirt into the crowd and, in his rush to change into a clean shirt before confronting the Duke and Duchess of Kent, he put on the new one backward.
"After what happened in the French Open, losing early, you know, this feels really, really good," said the Swede, who like Becker was knocked out of the French Open in the first round.
"We really are the two challengers to Lendl's No. 1 spot; I know this No. 1 spot is within reach now."
Edberg nearly watched Sunday's match slip away when Becker rallied from a two-set deficit and took a 3-1 lead in the final set.
Had Becker been able to maintain his edge, he would have become the first player to recover from so large a disadvantage in a Wimbledon final since Henri Cochet defeated Jean Borotra in 1927.
"I needed to lift myself in the fifth set to win that match," said Edberg, who was uncharacteristically emotional after key points. "I think it's important sometimes to get fired up, and maybe that's why I won today."
Also on Sunday, Zina Garrison teamed with Rick Leach to win the title in mixed doubles, gaining some consolation for her loss 24 hours earlier to Martina Navratilova in the women's singles final.
The American duo of Garrison and Leach defeated Australians John Fitzgerald and Liz Smylie 7-5, 6-2.
It was Leach's second title of the tournament. He won the men's doubles Saturday with Jim Pugh and described that victory as the realization of a dream.
by CNB