Henrik Sundström
Encyclopedia
Henrik Sundström is a former professional male tennis player from Sweden
. He is nicknamed Henke. Sundström was at his best on clay
and achieved his strongest results on this surface, with his solid and heavy topspin
groundstrokes from the baseline.
in Båstad
losing to countryman and reigning French Open champion Mats Wilander
6–4 6–4.
In 1983 Sundström won his first ATP
title in Nice
over Manuel Orantes
7–5 4–6 6–3 and made the final of Madrid
, losing to Yannick Noah
who later went on to win the French Open that year. Sundström also made his Davis Cup
debut against New Zealand
in the quarter finals played at Eastbourne
on grass. He lost both of his matches, but Sweden
still managed to win the tie and make the final that year against Australia.
1984 was the best year of Sundström's career as he compiled a record of 54–21. In 3 weeks between 2 April and 22 April he won 14 out 15 matches, winning titles in Bari
over Pedro Rebolledo
without losing a set, and proceeded to make the final in Nice
also without losing a set before losing to Andrés Gómez
. He then won the biggest tournament of his career, the Monte Carlo Open, against Mats Wilander
6–3 7–5 6–2. After victory Sundström made the final of the German Open
in Hamburg
defeating Mats Wilander
again on the way before losing a 5 set match against Juan Aguilera
6–4 2–6 2–6 6–4 6–4. He then made it to the quarterfinals at the French Open, where he was defeated by Jimmy Connors
.
After the French Open Sundström won the title in Båstad
and made the final of Geneva
, losing to Aaron Krickstein
.
Sundström competed for the victorious Swedish Davis Cup
team that year. He came into the Swedish
team in the quarter finals and composed a 6–0 record in singles for the year. All of these matches were on clay
; his opponents included the reigning French Open champion Ivan Lendl
who was still playing for Czechoslovakia
at the time. Sundström turned around a 2-sets-to-love and 0-3 (0-40) deficit in the third set, and won the match 4–6 3–6 6–3 6–1 6–1, which gave the Swedes the edge and they made the final against the United States. The US team included John McEnroe
who had lost only 2 matches for the season, Jimmy Connors
, and Peter Fleming, John McEnroe
's long term doubles partner.
Mats Wilander
defeated Jimmy Connors
in the first match, and Sundström faced McEnroe in the second match. He defeated John McEnroe
in straight sets 13–11 6–4 6–3 to inflict his third defeat for 1984. This match turned the Davis Cup
final in the Swedes' favor and they won the Davis Cup
by taking the doubles as well. Sundström also won his second singles match against Jimmy Arias
, but Sweden
had already clinched the Davis Cup
by taking an unassailable 3–0 lead.
Sundström never reached the same heights again after 1984. He played Davis Cup
only once more after that and he only managed to win one more title in 1986 at Athens
, defeating Francisco Maciel
. Sundström had injury problems with his back and retired in 1989 after playing only 21 matches in 3 years.
Sundström now lives in Monaco
where he works. He has two children.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He is nicknamed Henke. Sundström was at his best on clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
and achieved his strongest results on this surface, with his solid and heavy topspin
Topspin
In ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates as if rolling in the same direction as it is moving. Topspin on a shot imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air . It can be generated by hitting the ball with an up-and-forward swing, with...
groundstrokes from the baseline.
Tennis career
Sundström turned professional in 1981 and in 1982 he went on to make his first final at the Swedish OpenSwedish Open
The SkiStar Swedish Open is an ATP World Tour 250 series tennis tournament on the ATP Tour held in Båstad, Sweden in July each year.The Collector Swedish Open Women is a tennis tournament held in Båstad, Sweden...
in Båstad
Båstad
Båstad is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 4,793 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Båstad is located in a sheltered bay with the Hallandian ridge stretching behind it...
losing to countryman and reigning French Open champion Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
6–4 6–4.
In 1983 Sundström won his first ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
title in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
over Manuel Orantes
Manuel Orantes
Manuel Orantes Corral was a tennis champion in the 1970s and 1980s. He won the US Open in 1975, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors in the final.-Career:...
7–5 4–6 6–3 and made the final of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, losing to Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams...
who later went on to win the French Open that year. Sundström also made his Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
debut against New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the quarter finals played at Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
on grass. He lost both of his matches, but Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
still managed to win the tie and make the final that year against Australia.
1984 was the best year of Sundström's career as he compiled a record of 54–21. In 3 weeks between 2 April and 22 April he won 14 out 15 matches, winning titles in Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
over Pedro Rebolledo
Pedro Rebolledo
----Pedro Rebolledo , is a former professional tennis player from Chile. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 36 in 1982...
without losing a set, and proceeded to make the final in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
also without losing a set before losing to Andrés Gómez
Andrés Gómez
Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:...
. He then won the biggest tournament of his career, the Monte Carlo Open, against Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
6–3 7–5 6–2. After victory Sundström made the final of the German Open
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
defeating Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
again on the way before losing a 5 set match against Juan Aguilera
Juan Aguilera
Juan Aguilera Herrera is a professional male tennis player. He was born in Barcelona, Catalonia.Aguilera has won 5 singles titles during his career, including one Tennis Masters shield: Hamburg Masters 1990.-Wins :- Wins :...
6–4 2–6 2–6 6–4 6–4. He then made it to the quarterfinals at the French Open, where he was defeated by Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
.
After the French Open Sundström won the title in Båstad
Båstad
Båstad is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 4,793 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Båstad is located in a sheltered bay with the Hallandian ridge stretching behind it...
and made the final of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, losing to Aaron Krickstein
Aaron Krickstein
Aaron Krickstein , nicknamed "Marathon Man", is a former American professional tennis player, who competed on the ATP Tour from 1983 to 1996. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he currently competes on the Outback Champions Series Over-30 tour.Krickstein reached his career high ATP ranking of World No....
.
Sundström competed for the victorious Swedish Davis Cup
Sweden Davis Cup team
The Sweden Davis Cup team represents Sweden in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Svenska Tennisförbundet.Sweden is the 5th most successful nation, winning the title 7 times...
team that year. He came into the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
team in the quarter finals and composed a 6–0 record in singles for the year. All of these matches were on clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
; his opponents included the reigning French Open champion Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
who was still playing for Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
at the time. Sundström turned around a 2-sets-to-love and 0-3 (0-40) deficit in the third set, and won the match 4–6 3–6 6–3 6–1 6–1, which gave the Swedes the edge and they made the final against the United States. The US team included John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
who had lost only 2 matches for the season, Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
, and Peter Fleming, John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
's long term doubles partner.
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
defeated Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
in the first match, and Sundström faced McEnroe in the second match. He defeated John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
in straight sets 13–11 6–4 6–3 to inflict his third defeat for 1984. This match turned the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
final in the Swedes' favor and they won the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
by taking the doubles as well. Sundström also won his second singles match against Jimmy Arias
Jimmy Arias
James Arias is a former tennis touring professional player from the United States, a bronze medallist.From Grand Island, near Buffalo, New York, Arias's peak year was 1983, when as a 19 year-old he finished the year ranked World No. 6, having reached the U.S...
, but Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
had already clinched the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
by taking an unassailable 3–0 lead.
Sundström never reached the same heights again after 1984. He played Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
only once more after that and he only managed to win one more title in 1986 at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, defeating Francisco Maciel
Francisco Maciel
Francisco Maciel García is a former tennis player from Mexico. He represented his native country as a qualifier at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was defeated in the first round by Switzerland's Jakob Hlasek. He won the silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, when tennis was a...
. Sundström had injury problems with his back and retired in 1989 after playing only 21 matches in 3 years.
Sundström now lives in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
where he works. He has two children.
Career titles (5)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Tour (5) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| 1. | 27 March 1983 |  NiceATP Nice The ATP Nice Open is an ATP World Tour 250 series and, formerly, Grand Prix tennis circuit affiliated men's tennis tournament... |
Clay |  Manuel OrantesManuel Orantes Manuel Orantes Corral was a tennis champion in the 1970s and 1980s. He won the US Open in 1975, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors in the final.-Career:... |
7–5, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 2. | 8 April 1984 |  BariHypo Group Tennis International The Hypo Group Tennis International was an annual tennis tournament held in Pörtschach, Austria. The event was part of the ATP Tour's ATP International Series. The tournament had been held since 1981, on clay courts.-List of singles winners:... |
Clay |  Pedro RebolledoPedro Rebolledo ----Pedro Rebolledo , is a former professional tennis player from Chile. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 36 in 1982... |
7–5, 6–4 |
| 3. | 22 April 1984 |  Monte Carlo |
Clay |  Mats WilanderMats Wilander Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title... |
6–3, 7–5, 6–2 |
| 4. | 22 July 1984 | Båstad |
Clay | Anders Järryd Anders Järryd Anders Per Järryd is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles , reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.Järryd was born in Lidköping, Västra Götaland... |
3–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
| 5. | 22 June 1986 |  AthensATP Athens Open The ATP Athens Open is a defunct Grand Prix and ATP Tour affiliated tennis tournament held annually in Athens in Greece from 1986 to 1994 and played on outdoor clay courts. In 2008 the tournament was renewed under the new name of the Athens Status Open on the ATP Challenger Series, awarding $75,000... |
Clay |  Francisco MacielFrancisco Maciel Francisco Maciel García is a former tennis player from Mexico. He represented his native country as a qualifier at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was defeated in the first round by Switzerland's Jakob Hlasek. He won the silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, when tennis was a... |
6–0, 7–5 |