Pat Cash

Infobox Tennis player
playername = Pat Cash


country = AUS
residence = London, United Kingdom
datebirth = birth date and age|mf=yes|1965|5|27
placebirth = Melbourne, Australia
height = height|m=1.90
weight = convert|84|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro = 1982
retired = 1997
plays = Right-handed; one-handed backhand
careerprizemoney = US$1,950,345
singlesrecord = 242–149
singlestitles = 7
highestsinglesranking = 4 (May 9, 1988)
AustralianOpenresult = F (1987, 1988)
FrenchOpenresult = 4R
Wimbledonresult = W (1987)
USOpenresult = SF
doublesrecord = 174–110
doublestitles = 12
highestdoublesranking = 6 (August 13, 1984)
updated= July 18, 2006

Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash (born May 27, 1965, in Melbourne, Victoria) is a former professional tennis player from Australia who won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1987.

Early career

Cash first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior player in the early 1980s. He was ranked the top junior player in the world in 1981, and in 1982 he won the junior titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He turned professional in 1982 and won his first top-level singles title that year in Melbourne.

Cash established a reputation on the tour as a hard-fighting serve-and-volleyer and for wearing his trademark black-and-white checked headband, which his mother had made for him by hand.

In 1983, Cash became the youngest player to play in a Davis Cup final. He won the decisive singles rubber against Joakim Nyström as Australia defeated Sweden 3–2 to claim the cup.

In 1984, Cash reached the men's singles semifinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He lost in three sets in the Wimbledon semifinals to John McEnroe and was defeated in the semifinals at the US Open by Ivan Lendl, who won their match in a fifth set tiebreaker.

Cash was the runner-up in the men's doubles competition at Wimbledon in both 1984 and 1985.

In 1986, he helped Australia regain the Davis Cup with a 3–2 victory over Sweden. Cash again won the decisive singles rubber, recovering from two sets down against Mikael Pernfors.

In 1987, Cash reached his first Grand Slam singles final at the Australian Open, where he lost in five sets to Stefan Edberg. This was the last Australian Open played on a grass court.

Wimbledon victory

The crowning moment of Cash's career came at Wimbledon in 1987. Having already beaten Mats Wilander in the quarterfinals and Jimmy Connors in the semifinals, Cash defeated the World No. 1, Ivan Lendl, in the final. Cash sealed the victory by climbing into the stands and up to the player's box at Centre Court, where he celebrated with his family, girlfriend, and coach. This started a Wimbledon tradition that has been followed by many other champions at Wimbledon and other Grand Slam tournaments.

Later career and retirement

In 1988, Cash reached the Australian Open final for the second consecutive year and faced another Swede, Mats Wilander. It was the first men's singles final played at the new Melbourne Park venue, and Wilander won in a four-and-a-half-hour encounter, taking the fifth set 8–6.

Cash played in his third Davis Cup final in 1990. This time, Australia lost 3–2 to the United States.

Cash continued to play on the circuit on-and-off through the mid-1990s. But a series of injuries to his Achilles tendon, knees, and back prevented him from recapturing his best form after winning Wimbledon in 1987. He won his last top-level singles title in 1990 in Hong Kong. His last doubles title came in 1996 at Pinehurst.

Since his retirement from the tour, Cash has resided mainly in London. He has coached top players including Greg Rusedski and Mark Philippoussis. He has also worked as a TV commentator for the BBC. A father of four, Cash's main passion away from tennis and his family is playing the guitar. He took to the stage with INXS at the 2003 Australian Open and has played with his own band at various events and festivals.

At an early age, Cash had two children out of wedlock with his then girlfriend, the Norwegian model Anne-Britt Kristiansen. In 1990, Cash married Emily, the Neo-Geo Baseball champion, and they appeared together on the first series of the Gamesmaster television programme. They had two sons, twins Shannon and Jett, before divorcing.

In 1999, Cash checked into a rehabilitation clinic for treatment for his drug and alcohol addictions. He has stated publicly that in the past, he was depressed and considered suicide. [ [http://championsseriestennis.com/news.php?newsid=177 Finalist thrilled by return game - Larsson loves coming to Memphis] ]

Trivia

* Cash was the last player to win a major title using a non-composite tennis racket. In the 1987 Wimbledon final, he played with a Prince Magnesium Pro model.
* Cash won a total of 7 top-level singles and 12 tour doubles titles during his career.
* Cash's career-high world rankings were World No. 4 in singles and World No. 6 in doubles.
* During the 1987 Wimbledon men's singles final, while the match was in progress, a fan held up a sign reading "Cash is better than a Czech", a play on the nationality of the eventual runner-up Ivan Lendl.
* The term "Pat Cash" has become Cockney rhyming slang for "slash", which is itself a British slang term for "urinate".
* Cash has jammed on stage with members from bands such as Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Rose Tattoo, Bad Company, The Cult, The Pretenders and more. He is thanked in the liner notes of the Iron Maiden albums Somewhere in Time (album) and Piece of Mind (Iron Maiden album). [ [http://www.bigdealinc.com.au/artist_patcash.htm ABOUT PAT CASH] ]
* His son Daniel plays varsity tennis at the University of Florida, Gainesville.
* In May 2001, Cash lost a clay court exhibition match to the future World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who was then only 14 years old.

Grand Slam singles finals

Win (1)

Doubles (12)

* 1982 - Adelaide
* 1983 - Sydney Outdoor, Brisbane
* 1984 - Aix-En-Provence, Houston, Houston WCT, London
* 1985 - Las Vegas
* 1987 - Montreal
* 1990 - Sydney Outdoor, Hong Kong
* 1996 - Pinehurst

Senior tour (3)

* 2000 - London Masters, U.K. (Blackrock Tour of Champions)
* 2001 - Graz, Austria (Blackrock Tour of Champions)
* 2008 - Champions Cup Newport, U.S.A. (Outback Champions Tour)

References

External links

* [http://www.patcash.co.uk/ Official Pat Cash Website]
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