Becker, Edberg, Ivanisevic, Chang … Who would win the U.S. Open (Coaches' edition)

NEW YORK – It is no doubt a first in tennis history, that the coaches of all four U.S. Open semi-finalists all boast outstanding tennis playing resumés and Grand Slam titles of their own.

Stefan Edberg (Roger Federer)
Boris Becker (Novak Djokovic)
Michael Chang (Kei Nishikori)
Goran Ivanisevic (Marin Cilic)

Even better, they're all roughly of the same generation – or at least from overlapping generations, with Ivanisevic and Chang younger than Edberg and Becker by a few years.

If Becker hadn't had a few surgeries lately, and if they weren't all busy with their coaching duties, how great would it be if they had a Final Four of their own, concurrent with the main event?

Chang is the only one of the four actually playing in the Legends invitational that's taking place on the back courts here this week. But he likely wouldn't win the Coaches' U.S. Open, because his head-to-heads against the other three are the worst.

On that basis, Becker gets the trophy in a walk – er, limp.

Here are their career head-to-heads, and the years during which they played each other. The most surprising thing is how well Ivanisevic did against the others; he was the least-decorated of them all, winning his one Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 2001 on the People's Monday, as a wild card, in one of those improbable stories you couldn't even make up.

Here are the tales of the tape for each of the Final Four coaches.

Stefan Edberg

Pupil: Roger Federer

Age: 48

Playing height and weight: 6-foot-2, 170 pounds

Highest ranking: No. 1

Number of titles (Grand Slam titles):  41 (6)

U.S. Open champion?: Yes, in 1991 and 1992

Boris Becker

Pupil: Novak Djokovic

Age: 46

Playing height and weight: 6-foot-3, 187 pounds

Highest ranking: No. 1

Number of titles (Grand Slam titles): 49 (6)

U.S. Open champion?: Yes, in 1989

Goran Ivanisevic

Pupil: Marin Cilic

Age: 42

Playing height and weight: 6-foot-4, 180 pounds

Highest ranking: No. 2

Number of titles (Grand Slam titles): 22 (1)

U.S. Open champion?: No, but he got to the semis in 1996 (losing to Sampras) and beat Edberg in the quarters that year.

Michael Chang

Pupil: Kei Nishikori

Age: 42

Playing height and weight: 5-foot-9, 160 pounds

Highest ranking: No. 2

Number of titles (Grand Slam titles): 34 (1)

U.S. Open champion?: No, but he got to the final in 1996, losing to Sampras. Edberg ended his U.S. Open run in 1991 and 1992.