ALEXANDER Volkov had such little expectation of beating Stefan Edberg at the 1990 US Open that he booked a flight out of New York straight after the match.
But the Russian world No. 52 managed to produce the performance of his life to defeat the top-ranked Edberg in straight sets at the grand slam.
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Edberg went into the US Open in top form, having won Wimbledon two months earlier as well as three hard-court warm-up events.
By contrast, Volkov was so sure that he would lose that he scheduled himself to play at a tournament in West Germany later in the week.
His 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 victory over Edberg in the first round is now considered the greatest upset in US Open history.
It was the first time the top men’s seed lost in the opening round in New York since Jan Kodes defeated John Newcombe in 1971.
Edberg was at a loss to explain the defeat afterward.
“That is really hard to tell,” he said, the Los Angeles Times.
“This is something I need to sit down and think about.
“At the moment, I can’t think of any reasons why it happened.”
It was Edberg’s first opening-round exit in New York since his 1983 debut as a teenager.
“I never felt comfortable hitting the ball,” he said.
“The courts were very, very quick. I’ve been working hard and I knew it would be tough, but I didn’t come up to the standard I needed to win.”
Volkov had an optimistic view of the US Open draw – until he saw his first-round opponent.
“I practiced very well the past few weeks and I was ready to play,” Volkov said, per tennis.com.
“Then I saw the draw and I said, ‘Ohhhh.’ But you see, anything can happen.”
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He added afterward, “I don’t know when I’m going to play well. I know I have a chance, because it’s tennis.
“But I did not expect a win this easy.”
Volkov’s run did not last – he lost his second-round match in straight sets to unseeded Todd Witsken.
The Russian went on to greater success, including the semifinals of the US Open in 1993 where he lost to eventual champion Pete Sampras.
I don’t know when I’m going to play well. I know I have a chance, because it’s tennis.
Alexander Volkov
Reaching a high of world No. 14, he helped Russia reach the Davis Cup final in 1994 and 1995.
In 1994, Edberg and Volkov squared off again in the Davis Cup final in Moscow.
Edberg got his revenge with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 0-6, 8-6 victory – to secure the Davis Cup for Sweden.
Volkov also won three ATP singles titles in an 11-year career from 1988-1998.
After retiring, he coached Russian grand slam winner Marat Safin.
He died at just 52 in 2019.
Volkov reportedly had some personal issues before he passed.
“This is a whole era. The man who did a lot for tennis helped me a lot,” Safin said in tribute.
“Thanks to him, I became the first [world No. 1] so this is a person who is very close to me in heart, in spirit.”
