Scheduled Pros

Mats Wilander

Born in Vaxjo, Sweden, Mats Wilander captured a remarkable 8 titles in Grand Slam events (7 in singles) and won 33 career singles titles. In 1988, Wilander was the most dominant player on the men's professional tennis tour. He captured 3 of the 4 Grand Slam singles championships (Australian, French and US Opens) and became the No. 1 ranked player in the world for the year.

At 17 years, 9 months, Wilander upset Guillermo Vilas to win the 1982 French Open and became the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles title. This record was broken by Boris Becker (17 years, 7 months) at Wimbledon in 1985 and by Michael Chang (17 years, 3 months) in 1989 at the French Open.

Wilander was a member of Sweden's Davis Cup team (1981-'90, '95) and was an integral member of Sweden's 3 winning Davis Cup teams (1984, '85 and '87). He compiled a 36-14 record in singles and a 7-2 record in doubles for Sweden. However, Wilander's most memorable Davis Cup match came in defeat. In 1982 in the tie versus the United States, Wilander was defeated in a five set, 6 hour and 32 minute marathon, by John McEnroe.

Wilander's lone doubles title in a Grand Slam event came in 1986 at Wimbledon with countryman Joakim Nystrom. Wilander was the number one player in the world for most of 1988 and half of 1989.

Mikael Pernfors:

Before turning professional, Pernfors played tennis for the University of Georgia in the United States and became the first player since Dennis Ralston two decades earlier to win back-to-back NCAA singles titles in 1984 and 1985. In 1986 Pernfors reached his first (and only) Grand Slam singles final at the French Open.

Pernfors played for Sweden in the final of the Davis Cup in 1986. In 1988, Pernfors won his first top-level singles title at Los Angeles, California, defeating Andre Agassi in the final. His second came just a month later in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Injuries limited Pernfors' performances on the tour in the first few years of the 1990s. He came back strongly in 1993 to win the most significant title of his career at the Canadian Open (part of the Tennis Masters Series), where he defeated Todd Martin in the final 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. A few weeks later he pushed Wilander to five sets in the second round of the U.S. Open, falling 7-6, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Pernfors was the recipient of the ATP Tour's Most Improved Player award in 1986, and its Comeback Player of the Year award in 1993.

His career-high singles ranking was World No. 10 in 1986.