As the tennis circuit rolls into the Swedish capital of Stockholm this week, it finds the nation at its lowest point in the game.
For decades, Sweden was arguably the best tennis nation in the world on the men’s side.
Between 1974 and 2010 they acquired 25 Grand Slam titles, reached 19 Grand Slam finals, and took out six Davis Cup titles.
Household names like Björn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg are legends of the game and dominated the sport for three decades.
While Robin Söderling, Thomas Enqvist and Magnus Norman kept their legacy alive in the late 90s and 2000s.
However, after Söderling went into virtual retirement due to illness, the game in Sweden has declined.
In 2023, no Swedish players finished the season in the top-100 and, as it stands, no Swedish woman or man is ranked inside the world’s 200.
It has been a remarkably rapid fall from grace for the European country.
So what the hell happened and can Sweden recover?
The world moved on
Compared to some sports, tennis is often viewed as expensive and a game suited for the middle to upper classes.
Sweden was a rich Western European nation with access to many courts and the infrastructure behind the game.
When Borg made his impact in the 1970s, the sport became incredibly popular.
Young players could dream of being the next Swedish champion and there was the system and finances to back them up.
During the peak of Swedish tennis between the mid-70s and early 90s, the game was dominated by Western Europe, the United States and some colonial outposts like Australia.
The game changed with Eastern Europe and South America making more of an impact and the big dogs of the past had less influence and trophies to show for it.
In an interview with the New York Times, Wilander also said many other nations learnt from the Swedes and then took their game to the next level.
“I remember the Spanish federation used to come to Sweden to figure out what we were doing,” he said.
“I don’t know if we had the answers, but everyone hits topspin off both sides and moves great, which is what Swedes were like back then.”
Climate and competition
Sweden’s climate is not ideal for tennis all year round with most of the nation’s courts indoors.
Not only does this limit the amount of tennis being played, but it’s also become a less popular part of the professional circuit.
In 1980, there were over 30 indoor tournaments while the 2024 men’s circuit has just 12 on the regular tour.
Sweden’s climate also sees an array of winter sports like ice hockey vying for the attention of their talented juniors.
This is in addition to other sports like football, handball and golf which are incredibly popular in the country.
For a small population of around 10 million, the more players going to these sports reduces the talent going into tennis.
Pressure
It must be said that Sweden’s smaller neighbours face the exact same issues. You would argue it’s even harder for them to succeed in tennis.
However, Sweden’s Scandinavian cousins Norway, Finland and Denmark are excelling like never before.
Casper Ruud is Norway’s greatest player of the modern era, Holger Rune is making strides after Caroline Wozniacki’s peak and Finland has great depth, even making the Davis Cup Finals last year.
So what’s the difference? Well, perhaps Sweden’s legacy is part of the problem.
Each player coming up has the pressure to be the next Borg, Wilander or Edberg.
Wilander said that when Söderling made two French Open finals in 2009 and 2010, it wasn’t treated with the respect it should have been.
“It was not big news,” he said.
“It was: ‘Why doesn’t he win?’”
With that expectation of a player at the top of the game, how will a young and upcoming player feel?
One of those players is 21-year-old Leo Borg. He is Sweden’s second-ranked male player at 584 and is playing in Stockholm this week.
He is also the son of none other than Björn Borg himself.
That’s a double whammy of pressure!
Can Sweden return to their best?
It hasn’t all been bad for Swedish tennis. They’ve had more depth in the women’s game in the past decade with Johanna Larsson, Rebecca Peterson and Sofia Arvidsson appearing in the top-100.
The Ymer brothers also flew the flag for Sweden with Mikael making No.50 in the world before being suspended for 18 months in mid-2023 for missing three drug tests.
But it’s not only the players that look promising, it's also the coaching investment into the sport.
Magnus Norman is a former world No.2 and French Open finalist. After retiring as a player he became a successful coach of Söderling and Stan Wawrinka.
He set up the Good To Great Academy with other former players Niklas Kulti and Mikael Tillström.
Although they began in 2011, they moved to their purpose-built centre in 2017 with outdoor and indoor courts, student accommodation and other world-class facilities.
The academy attracts top players like Gaël Monfils as well as burgeoning talent across Sweden and Europe.
Norman explained to 1080 Motion that this setting can make a big difference.
“For us, it’s very important that we have a good group here because we believe that environment can make a big difference,” said Norman.
“Talent for me is the hunger in the eyes, the ability to learn, the ability to listen and respect fellow players and their coaches.”
One such player at the academy is Sebastian Eriksson who reached No.20 in the world junior rankings in 2023 and is in the early stages of his main circuit career.
Can these green shoots of progress lead Sweden back to where they once were?
It’s unlikely in the short term, but from rock bottom, the only way is up for the country.
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