Stefan Edberg (Sweden)

Stefan Edberg and French Open made an odd couple. For a player who was up to the net almost immediately after completing his serve, the back court slug fest at Roland Garros was always going to be difficult.

Also read: Tennis players who retired early

"The clay surface is not a problem but that extra week makes it difficult," he said once about the tournament. Having said that, he made it to the second week of the competition on six of the 13 times he participated in.

To his credit, the genial Swede slowly but surely, adjusted his game to the serve and became more consistent with each passing year.

A junior French Open champion in 1983, Edberg's best came in 1989 when he made all the way to the final. Edberg put out a young Goran Ivanisevic and Alberto Mancini to set up a semi-final clash with eternal rival Boris Becker.

The straight sets (6-1, 6-3, 7-6) win over Mancini was arguably the best match the Swede played on clay in his career, considering the fact that the Argentine had won big events at Monte Carlo and Rome in the run-up to the major and was considered the favourite. Edberg then put out Becker in a five-set thriller to set up a final with rookie American Michael Chang.

The Swede went on to lose the final despite being two-sets-to-one up and that remained a lifelong disappointment as he never got another chance to complete his major collection.

However, in 1996, his farewell year Edberg put out Carlos Moya and then had his revenge over Chang before hanging up his boots.

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