France wins dramatic victory over Sweden

memorable

December 1, 1996: In the decisive final game of the final, Swede Niklas Kurti misses three match points. He lost an epic battle with Arnaud Boetsch for “the world's ugliest salad bowl.”

follow me

Things are looking bad for Swedish men's tennis today. Not a single player appears in the top 300 in the world rankings. Things were completely different in the 1980s and 1990s. Mats Wilander has won seven Grand Slams, while compatriot Stefan Edberg has won six. Both climbed to No. 1 in the world rankings. Sweden reached the Davis Cup finals every year between 1983 and 1989, and the Scandinavians won the team trophy seven times between 1975 and 1998.

At the end of 1996, Edberg left the tennis scene. The Davis Cup final in Malmö in front of our own crowd should be the final great victory. But the farewell turned out to be a fiasco. Not only did Edberg lose to Cedric Piolin in the opening set, but he also injured himself in the three-set loss.

Stefan Edberg is undergoing treatment.Picture: www.imago-images.de

“I made a wrong step. Maybe that was my last game,” Edberg speculated after Friday's game. “Nothing serious, just swollen.” So much so that he actually couldn't play the second single.

The fourth game is already a thriller

France lead 2-1 heading into Sunday as Guy Forget and Guillaume Raoux unexpectedly beat Jonas Björkman in doubles and Nicklas Kulti.

French fans are very happy.Picture: www.imago-images.de

Pioline can now close the bag. But Thomas Nyqvist, ranked ninth in the world, evened the score to 2:2 after four and a half hours and five sets of fierce battle. “This is probably the longest match of my career and certainly one of the most important and exciting matches,” said Nyqvist, who had lost the first two sets, laughing.

His opponent, Cédric Pioline, broke his racket in anger after 6:3, 7:6, 4:6, 4:6 and 7:9. Now all he can do is watch Arnaud Boetsch and cheer him on.

Sweden won the title three times by just one point

In the eyes of the locals, it was thanks to Edberg's substitution that the Swedes were able to celebrate in front of 5,600 fans. Nicklas Kulti was once ranked 32nd in the world and won three ATP events. The showdown with Boetsch – who also won three races and finished as high as 12th – seemed to be a close one.

Boch won the first set in the tie-break, but then things got better for Kurti. He won the second and third rounds and had three match points in the fourth set. Sweden were just one point away from victory and the great Stefan Edberg was one point away from his fifth Davis Cup title.

But Arnaud Boetsch saved all three match points. He won the fourth set in a tiebreak and forced the fifth set. Crime continues. The match took nearly five hours to be decided at 10:59 pm (France). Boch finally defeated the exhausted Kurti 7:6, 2:6, 4:6, 7:6 and 10:8.

The tragic hero later wins

«This is incredible! That's my big dream. cheered Bochy. Five years ago, he participated in France's last Davis Cup victory, but only as a substitute. “This time I play by myself, which is an honor for me.” But to win like this and save three match points… it's amazing! “

Winners: Arnaud Boetsch, Guillaume Raoux, Captain Yannick Noah, Guy Forget and Cédric Pioline.Image source: Associated Press

The Swedes lacked so little, so Stefan Edberg's career ended perfectly. After the trophy was presented, he felt honored and praised what he had witnessed. “It's a great day for tennis. I'm honored to be able to take part in it because it's one of the most exciting Davis Cup matches I've ever experienced.”

Later coach Roger Federer actually didn't play any more tournaments after that, but he was definitely looking forward to spending the next few years with his compatriots: Sweden in 1997 (5-0 Won the Davis Cup twice in 1998 (beating the United States 5-0) and 1998 (beating the United States 5-0). Consecutive 4-1 win over Italy). In addition to Jonas Bjorkmann, Magnus Larsson and Magnus Norman, Niklas Kurti, the tragic loser of the 1996 final, also attended twice.

Kurti (back) and doubles partner Bjorkman won the title in 1997.Image: AP