Mats Wilander is one of tennis’ greats, boasting seven Grand Slam titles and 33 Tour-level titles in total.
The Swedish star is considered one of the greatest players his nation has ever produced, alongside Bjorn Borg and Thomas Johansson.
Wilander, a former world number one, won his first four Grand Slams between the ages of 17 and 20 – the youngest to reach this landmark.
Wilander also became the first Swedish player to win the US Open, a Grand Slam Bjorn Borg never won.
The three-time French Open champion also made history in 1983 at the Stockholm Open.
Mats Wilander is the youngest player to have won the Stockholm Open
In 1983, Mats Wilander was the top seed and favourite for the Stockholm Open title.
The 19-year-old duly delivered, defeating Joakim Nyström, Anders Per Järryd, Heinz Peter Günthardt, Vitas Gerulaitis and Tomáš Šmíd on his way to the title.
By defeating Smid in the final, Wilander became the youngest ever winner of the competition, a record that still remains to this day.
Wilander had gone one step further than in the previous year: the Swede lost the 1982 final to France’s Henri Leconte.
Wilander reached the final again in 1984 and 1986, losing on both occasions to John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg respectively.
The 1986 final would end up being Wilander’s last appearance at that stage of the tournament.
The Swedish Stockholm Open champions
As mentioned, Swedish star Stefan Edberg also won the Stockholm Open title. In fact, he won the title on two occasions, in 1986 and 1987.
Before Edberg and Wilander, Bjorn Borg won the title in 1980.
| Swedish Player | Year[s] they won the Stockholm Open title |
| Bjorn Borg | 1980 |
| Mats Wilander | 1983 |
| Stefan Edberg | 1986, 1987 |
| Thomas Enqvist | 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| Jonas Bjorkman | 1997 |
| Thomas Johansson | 2000, 2004 |
Remarkably, there was a Swedish player in the final of every tournament between 1984 and 1991. Unfortunately for the nation, Edberg’s titles were the only two won by Swedes in this period.
Former world number four Thomas Enqvist won the title three times, in 1995, 1996 and 1999. In 1997, fellow Swede Jonas Bjorkman captured the Stockholm title, defeating Jan Siemerink in the final.
Thomas Johansson, the 2002 Australian Open champion, was the last Swedish player to win the title in Stockholm. Johansson won the tournament twice, in 2000 and 2004.
No Swedish player has won the tournament since. In fact, no Swede has reached the final since Robin Soderling in 2008.
