JO Waldner could conjure like no one else.
And you really could never figure him out.
Just check out this absolutely match-clinching blow – that no one else would come close to pulling off.
The career spanned almost 40 years and JO Waldner managed to become one of Sweden’s most prominent and popular athletes in history. The big international breakthrough came already at the age of 16 when he made it to the European Championship final in Paris, and after that the successes continued to pour in.
Incredible career
Even as a child, JO Waldner was an extraordinary talent. When he first started in a club, he was actually two years too young. The idea was that he would wait before he could start playing organized, but after a short time the club understood that it was something very special, and the rest is, as they say, history.
But it wasn’t just for his six World Cup golds, eleven European Championship golds, double World Cup titles and Olympic gold that Waldner became so immensely popular. It was the way he won his titles and matches. Waldner was a godsend on the ball who could conjure up just about anyone with his set pieces and rebounds. His creativity was impossible to match, and it led to some incredible career moments to say the least.
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Incredible battle
When JO Waldner was 46 years old, he was still playing club team tennis in Germany. In a match against Danny Heister, Waldner was in a clear lead in the third set, and had match point to decide the whole thing. But it looked completely done. The opponent landed a good shot and Waldner looked completely calculated. But then he did what he did so many other times.
Waldner came back from a completely out position, got a racket on the ball which was then almost down the hill. To everyone’s surprise, the ball hit the right side of the net, and a shocked opponent could not answer. This is truly JO Waldner at his very best, the one who never gives up, and the one who can conjure up the most powerful of punches at any time. What an icon!
Watch the battle here (5.03 in):
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