Stockholm Open (SO) is an annual tennis tournament in Sweden that is part of the ATP Tour's 250 Series. The tournament features both men's singles and doubles events and is organized by the Royal Lawn Tennis Club (KLTK), Stockholms Allmänna Lawn Tennis Klubb (Salk), and the Stockholm Tennis Federation. Stockholm Open has been played on hard courts at the Royal Tennis Hall since 1969, except for the period between 1989 and 1994, when it was held in the Globe Arena. The tournament is traditionally held in October and November. In 2020, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Stockholm Open | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament information | |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Location | Stockholm Sweden |
| Venue | The Royal Tennis Hall |
| Category | Grand Prix tennis circuit (1970–1989) (1990–1994) ATP World Series / ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 series (1995-present) |
| Surface | Hard (indoor) (1969–1979, 1981–1988, since 1995) Carpet (indoor) (1980, 1989–1994) |
| Draw | 28S / 16Q / 16D |
| Prize money | EUR 690.000 |
| Website | www.bnppnordicopen.com |
| Current champions (2023) | |
| Men's singles |  Gaël Monfils |
| Men's doubles |  Andrey Golubev  Denys Molchanov |
From the 2023 edition onwards, the tournament's official name was changed to Nordic Open after the global bank BNP Paribas joined as a title sponsor.
History
editIn 1968, when the International Tennis Federation (ITF) first allowed professionals to compete alongside amateurs, it marked the beginning of a new era in tennis. The sport quickly gained popularity, and in 1974, the Men's International Professional Tennis Council was established to coordinate men's professional tennis tournaments.
Former Swedish tennis star Sven Davidson, who had gained significant respect and connections in the tennis world during his playing career, recognized the value of establishing an annual indoor tournament in Sweden. He began discussions with clubs and sponsors about hosting a tournament in Stockholm. Davidson then contacted several of his tennis friends, who formed the first Tournament Committee.
Several clubs embraced Davidson’s idea, forming the first group of organizers: Salk, KLTK, the Stockholm Tennis Federation, TSK, Malmens TK, Swedish Tennis Veterans, and the Stockholm Tennis Umpires' Club.
The first meeting with representatives from all the organizing bodies took place on May 12, 1969, where the tournament's overarching goals, still in place today, were established:
- The tournament should not operate at a loss.
- It should promote tennis as much as possible.
- It should achieve the highest possible outcomes.
The first edition of the tournament was held that same year.
Organization and economy
editAfter the inaugural tournament, all the clubs involved in the organizing group realized that hosting an annual professional tournament in Stockholm posed an economic risk that could threaten their primary activities. It was then decided that the tennis clubs Salk and KLTK would each take over 40% of the ownership and risk, while the Stockholm Tennis Federation would serve as an umbrella organization for all other founding bodies with 20% ownership. The tournament’s goal is to generate profit, with these funds being used to support junior tennis and strengthen Swedish tennis.
Each year, the event requires over 300 volunteers, including ball boys/girls, drivers, and hosts for both the arena and the players.
Inaugural tournament
editThe first edition was held from November 23 to 30, 1969, attracting many of the world's top players at the time. World number one Rod Laver, who had won all four Grand Slam tournaments (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open, and Australian Open) for the second time in his career that year, participated but surprisingly lost in the quarterfinals to fellow Australian Fred Stolle. Laver found solace in winning the doubles tournament with his compatriot Roy Emerson.
The women's tournament also featured a strong field, with Billie Jean King as the top seed. King won the women's title by defeating her compatriot Julie Heldman in the final. The best-performing Swede was Ingrid Löfdahl Bentzer, who lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion.
The men's singles title was won by Yugoslav Nikola Pilić, who defeated Romanian Ilie Năstase in the final. The winner's check of 32,000 SEK was considered a significant amount at the time. The tournament posters prominently featured the total prize money (130,000 SEK) in larger text than both the players' names and the tournament title.
1970–1979
editThe 1970s were dominated by Americans, who won eight of the ten singles titles from 1970 to 1974 and from 1977 to 1979. After the first edition, the tournament continued to attract a strong field. World number one Stan Smith won the title in 1970 and 1972, while Arthur Ashe triumphed in 1971 and 1974. Swedish success was limited during this time, but Leif Johansson's victory over defending champion Stan Smith in 1971 resonated even beyond Sweden (Leif Johansson is the father of tennis player Joachim Johansson).
With Björn Borg’s emergence in world tennis, a 35-year dominance of Swedish players in international men’s tennis began. Borg reached the final in 1973 after defeating top players like Ilie Năstase, Nikola Pilić, and Jimmy Connors but lost to American Tom Gorman in the final. Borg was the Swedish player who advanced the furthest in the tournament from 1972 to 1980, except for 1977 and 1979 when he did not participate.
After hosting a women’s tournament in 1969, it took until 1975 for the women to return to the Royal Tennis Hall. Like the first edition, the 1975 women’s tournament was of high quality. British player Virginia Wade defeated Frenchwoman Françoise Durr in a hard-fought three-set final.
Another women’s tournament was held in 1979, featuring a first-class field. Billie Jean King claimed her second Stockholm title by defeating Betty Stöve (Netherlands) 7–5 in the decisive set of the final.
The only players to break the American dominance in the men's tournament during the 1970s were Italian Adriano Panatta and Briton Mark Cox, who won in 1975 and 1976, respectively. John McEnroe made his Stockholm Open debut in 1978 and won, a feat he would repeat three more times later.
1980–1989
editThe year 1980 was the last time a women's tournament was included in the Stockholm Open. Czechoslovakian Hana Mandlíková defeated West German Bettina Bunge in the final. It’s noteworthy that all the women who won titles in Stockholm Open also won Grand Slam titles.
In 1980, Björn Borg returned to the tournament after skipping the previous year. That year’s edition was preceded by discussions about Borg’s chances of winning the tournament as long as it was played on the fast Holmsund plates, a surface akin to a gym floor with some "texture" on it. Most indoor tournaments at that time had already switched to slower surfaces for more entertaining tennis. The KLTK, which owns the Royal Tennis Hall, had advanced plans to change the court surface in the arena, but the timeline failed, and the organizers were instead forced to lay a temporary portable carpet on the courts in the arena. In a classic final against McEnroe, Borg became Stockholm Open’s first Swedish winner. This marked the beginning of a successful 1980s for Sweden. By the 1981 tournament, the Royal Tennis Hall's new permanent court surface was in place. This type of surface is still used on all indoor courts at the Royal Tennis Hall today.
In the wake of Björn Borg’s successes, many new Swedish players emerged, which was evident in Stockholm Open. Mats Wilander reached the final in 1982, and the following year, he won the title.
John McEnroe also returned to Stockholm for the 1984 edition (he did not play from 1981 to 1983). In the semifinal against Anders Järryd, he had a famous outburst. When his play faltered, he approached the Swedish chair umpire, Leif-Åke Nilsson, and angrily asked a few quick questions about the calls. When Nilsson did not immediately respond, McEnroe shouted, “Answer my question, the question, jerk!” After the exchange with the umpire, he went to the players’ bench and cleared the table with golf-like swings, sending water bottles and ice buckets flying. The entire incident occurred in front of the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, Franklin S. Forsberg, who was very upset by his compatriot's behavior. This incident has been called the biggest outburst in Swedish tennis history. Despite his behavior, McEnroe was allowed to finish the match, defeated Järryd, and then won the final against Mats Wilander in a close three-set match.
Swedish players were represented in all the singles finals between 1982 and 1990, with two of them being all-Swedish (1986 and 1987) with Stefan Edberg as the winner. In 1987, only Swedes were in the semifinals.
All the Swedish successes and the prevailing economic boom further boosted the Stockholm Open. As early as in the beginning of 1980s, there were calls for a venue change that would elevate the event even further. However, it wasn’t until 1989, when SO became a member of the exclusive category of "Super 9" tournaments, with guaranteed stronger fields and larger prize sums, that the final decision was made to move to the newly built Globe Arena. However, the qualifying matches continued to be held in the Royal Tennis Hall.
1990–1999
editAt the turn of the decade, the future prospects were considered very promising. The tournament, already strong and popular, was expected to grow even further. For the first time in Stockholm Open (SO) history, the total prize money exceeded one million dollars. The first edition at the Globe Arena was a success, with many sessions selling out and the organizing clubs making a profit of five million kronor. This money was used to support junior tennis development in Stockholm. However, after the inaugural year, things became more difficult, largely due to declining audience numbers. Despite this, the tournament continued to be successful in sporting terms. World No. 1 Boris Becker triumphed four times, matching John McEnroe's record, beginning in 1988 at the Royal Tennis Hall. Becker won at the Globe Arena in 1990, 1991, and 1994, with two of these final victories coming against Stefan Edberg. In 1992, the players voted Stockholm Open as the best tournament on the ATP Tour.
After the 1994 competition, facing significant financial deficits, the decision was made to move the tournament back to the Royal Tennis Hall. By 1995, the owning organizations (Salk, Stockholm Tennis Federation, and KLTK) had sold the higher status of the tournament to former Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac and returned to a lower category within the ATP system. Prize money was reduced ($825,000 from 1995–1999), and the field of players was not as strong as during the Globe Arena years.
The first edition after the return to the Royal Tennis Hall was won by Thomas Enqvist, who claimed the first of his three Stockholm Open titles. He won again the following year, but it was another Swede who garnered much attention this time. Stefan Edberg played the last match of his career, losing to Nicklas Kulti. Edberg was given a standing ovation after the match. Despite Swedish tennis not being as successful in the late 1990s, Swedish players did well at SO, appearing in all finals between 1995 and 2000, winning three of them.
2000–2009
editIn the 2000 final, Thomas Johansson defeated Yevgeny Kafelnikov to become the sixth Swede to lift the Swedish Royal Trophy. That same year, Robin Söderling had his breakthrough and was very close to defeating American Mardy Fish in the final.
Many consider the 2004 final one of the best matches in SO history. Thomas Johansson played in his third SO final against superstar Andre Agassi. After several hours of intense and high-quality tennis, Johansson won 7–6 in the decisive set. Johansson later said it was the best match of his career.
James Blake is the most recent American winner at SO, with victories in 2005 and 2006. However, what most people remember from the 2006 tournament is John McEnroe's comeback. At 47 years old, McEnroe lost in the double’s quarterfinals, partnered with Jonas Björkman. Joachim Johansson, ranked 690 and having not played an ATP tournament in seven months, surprisingly defeated world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the second round. Johansson advanced to the semifinals, where he lost to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.
Otherwise, these editions are mostly remembered for many top players who signed up but withdrew at the last minute. In 2001, Lleyton Hewitt withdrew late, and in 2003, Andre Agassi was the tournament's star attraction. However, Agassi's wife, Steffi Graf, was heavily pregnant, and Agassi had to withdraw. Andy Roddick never competed in 2004 despite being registered. Hewitt and Agassi both participated in the tournament the years after their withdrawals (Hewitt second round in 2002, Agassi final in 2004).
For the 2007 SO, the organizers presented a strong field, including four top-10 players. However, Tommy Robredo (8) and Tomáš Berdych (10) withdrew due to injuries. American James Blake had a 13–0 match record at SO before his semifinal against Thomas Johansson. In a thrilling match where Johansson saved five match points, the Swede secured a place in the final. In the final, he faced the big-serving Ivo Karlović, ranked 28th. The 208 cm tall Croatian hit 27 aces, and with Johansson struggling in his own service games, the victory went to the Croatian.
In February 2008, SO organizers held a press conference announcing that Swiss world No. 1 Roger Federer would participate in that year's Stockholm Open. It would have been his third time playing in the tournament but the first as world No. 1. Federer was guaranteed 4.2 million kronor just for participating. However, five days before the tournament began, Federer announced he could not attend due to a difficult year, having suffered from mononucleosis earlier in the year. He needed a break during the fall to be in top form for the following year to reclaim the world No. 1 spot.
The 2008 doubles tournament was marked by Jonas Björkman's final career event on Swedish soil. His last match was the doubles final, which Björkman won with Kevin Ullyett 6–1, 6–3, against Johan Brunström and Michael Ryderstedt. This was Björkman and Ullyett's first ATP title together.
In Federer's absence, David Nalbandian was the top seed and lived up to expectations by winning the singles title, defeating Robin Söderling in the final over three sets, 6–2, 5–7, 6–3.
2010–2019
editA new decade began with Roger Federer making his third and final appearance in the tournament. At this time, Federer was the world’s top-ranked male tennis player and was seeded number 1, while Sweden’s top player, Robin Söderling, was seeded second. Federer reached the final relatively easily, except for a challenging quarterfinal match against Stan Wawrinka. Wawrinka, a fellow Swiss player, took the first set and had a break in the second, leading 3–2, before Federer shifted into a higher gear, securing his place in the tournament.
Those hoping for a final between Federer and Söderling were disappointed. Söderling, was defeated in the quarterfinals by Florian Mayer. The German’s unique playing style, with sliced shots on both forehand and backhand, proved troublesome for the Swede.
In the final, Roger Federer defeated Florian Mayer 6–4, 6–3, adding another world number one to the tournament's list of winners. The rest of the decade was largely dominated by Czech player Tomáš Berdych, who won in 2012, 2014, and 2015. With three tournament victories, Berdych closed in on John McEnroe and Boris Becker (both with four titles) and matched Sweden’s Thomas Enqvist.
Another trend of the 2010s was players winning their first ATP title in Stockholm. In 2013, Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) defeated Spaniard David Ferrer in the final. Five years later, it was Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) who won his first title, defeating Ernests Gulbis from Latvia in the final. The following year, in 2019, Canadian Denis Shapovalov claimed his first ATP title by defeating Serbia’s Filip Krajinović.
Other winners during this decade included two crowd favorites. In 2011, Frenchman Gaël Monfils defeated Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, and Grand Slam champion Juan Martín del Potro from Argentina won in both 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he beat American Jack Sock, and the following year, he defeated the 2013 champion, Dimitrov, in the final.
2020–2023
editThe next decade began with a grim year. A pandemic originating from China spread across the globe, leading to the deaths of over 6 million people worldwide due to COVID-19. Societies shut down globally, and many major sporting events were postponed, including the Stockholm Open, which could not take place for the first time since its inception in 1969.
The tournament’s return in 2021 was eagerly anticipated, with the organizers managing to attract a "new" and exciting lineup. Jannik Sinner from Italy was seeded number 1, and Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada was seeded number 2. Sinner’s best career ranking is number 1, while Auger-Aliassime’s best ranking is number 6.
Although the top-seeded young players were favorites, it was two other players who garnered the most media and public attention, at least in the early stages of the tournament. One was former world number one Andy Murray from Scotland, and the other was Leo Borg, the son of the 1980 Stockholm Open champion Björn Borg.
Andy Murray became the tournament's biggest favorite and surprise. After an expected win in the first round, he defeated Sinner in straight sets, only to fall in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Tommy Paul from the USA, in a hard-fought three-set match.
Paul's opponent in the final was the tournament’s defending champion from 2019, Denis Shapovalov. As we know, the 2020 tournament was canceled. Paul and Shapovalov treated the packed Centre Court audience to a very well-played final, where Paul eventually came out on top, winning 6–4 in the decisive set. With this victory, Tommy Paul continued a trend in Stockholm from the previous decade, where several players claimed their first ATP title at the Royal Tennis Hall.
So, how did Leo Borg fare? He held his own well against the eventual champion Paul and even had a slight lead in the first set (4–6, 2–6).
The 2022 tournament also saw a debutant as the singles champion. The 2018 winner, Tsitsipas, was the top seed and made it to the final as expected. Waiting for him there was the tournament's big surprise, the young Danish talent Holger Rune. Rune's path to the final included many tough three-set matches. In the quarterfinals, he defeated the second-seeded Brit Cameron Norrie and in the semifinals, Australia's Alex de Minaur.
In the final, the 2018 Stockholm Open champion could not withstand the power tennis of the Dane. The match ended 6–4, 6–4, and the Stockholm crowd celebrated the tournament’s first Danish winner.
2023 did not see a newcomer as the tournament's champion. Holger Rune had a successful run leading up to his return to the "crime scene" of his first ATP title, seeded number 1. On the other side of the draw was Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Many expected another Danish triumph, but these hopes were dashed in Rune's first match when he lost in straight sets to Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
One player stood out in the lineup, particularly for the Swedish audience: Gaël Monfils. The popular Frenchman not only won a title in Stockholm (2011) and participated in several tournaments at the Royal Tennis Hall, but he also collaborates with Swedish coach Mikael Tillström from Good to Great. Monfils entered the draw with a "protected ranking" after numerous injury problems.
It was clear from the start that Monfils was the crowd favorite. He played as he usually does, with high peaks and deep valleys. Spectacular shots that only he could make, and simple mistakes that few at this level commit. The audience enjoyed and cheered, and when the semifinals were over, Gaël Monfils was in the final.
On paper, the final seemed easy, as he faced an unknown qualifier from Moscow named Pavel Kotov. The question was, who was more fatigued before the final? Monfils, after long injury periods, or Kotov, who had played both the qualifying rounds and the main draw. The final turned out to be one of the most entertaining in the tournament's history. Monfils lost the first set, and it long seemed like he wouldn't have enough energy. But when the match point was finally struck, it was the Frenchman who raised The Swedish Royal Trophy in front of an enthralled audience.
Past finals
editMen
editSingles
edit
Doubles
edit
Women
editSingles
edit| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969[2] |  Billie Jean King |
Julie Heldman |
9–7, 6–2 |
| 1975 |  Virginia Wade |
Françoise Dürr |
6–3, 4–6, 7–5 |
| 1976–78 | Not held | ||
| 1979 | Billie Jean King |
 Betty Stöve |
6–3, 6–7 (4–7), 7–5 |
| 1980 |  Hana Mandlíková |
 Bettina Bunge |
6–2, 6–2 |
Doubles
edit| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve |
 Evonne Goolagong Cawley Virginia Wade |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1976–78 | Not held | ||
| 1979 | Betty Stöve (2) Wendy Turnbull |
Billie Jean King Ilana Kloss |
7–5, 7–6 |
| 1980 |  Mima Jaušovec Virginia Ruzici |
Hana Mandlíková Betty Stöve |
6–2, 6–1 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Sports Round Up: Pilic Wins First Tourney as Pro". The Cincinnati Post. Cincinnati, Ohio: newspapers.com. 1 Dec 1969. p. 26. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ The Cincinnati Post
External links
edit
Media related to Stockholm Open at Wikimedia Commons- Official website (in Swedish and English)
- ATP tournament profile
- Stockholm Open at SVT's open archive (in Swedish)
