COVER STORY CASH, IN THE CHECKS
Australian tennis legend Pat Cash still can’t let go of his famous headband and from his annual Gold Coast holiday serves up his thoughts on the state of the sport
IT’S 30 years since Pat Cash won Wimbledon and famously climbed into the stands to embrace those in his supporters box.
The colourful Australian tennis legend who won two Davis Cups and reached two Australian Open finals now works as a commentator, CNN presenter and tennis writer plus plays on the Champions Tour.
In a candid chat on the Gold Coast, he took time out from hitting balls at the Emerald Lakes Tennis Club to talk Tomic, Stosur and why he loves the Gold Coast.
COAST WEEKEND: You come every January, Gold Coast must be one of your favourite places? PAT CASH: It is. I love the beach. I live in the centre of London so I don’t see an awful lot of that. When I’m here friends are like I suppose you’ll be down the beach? I’ve got to get to the water, it’s like a calling but I don’t surf.
CW: What have you been up to? PC: I’ve had a chance to do a bit of sightseeing. I found a good yoga studio to stretch my back out and an amazing trainer in Tallai, a guy who is a naturopath and masseur, so it’s been like a health retreat – the beach, good weather, yoga, physical therapy and a bit of tennis.
CW: You play on the Champions Tour, played the Australian Open this year? PC: I teamed with Goran Ivanisevic. He’s an old buddy. We didn’t win a match, I’ve played with him three years and never won. Seriously, he screws around, biggest clown of all time. But we have a great time. He’s actually still the best of them in singles, him and Mark Philippoussis are the best.
CW: You’re good friends with Jeremy Whittle who has taken on the Emerald Lakes Tennis Club lease, playing there a bit? PC: There were a few eyebrows raised when I turned up to Thursday evening social tennis. They were like ‘That guy looks pretty good, what’s with the (Pat Cash) headband he’s wearing?’
CW: You always still wear your famous black and white chequered headband? PC: Yeah I feel naked otherwise. And I’ve got to or the sweat just runs into my eyeballs.
CW: Do you feel tennis became more popular globally because of your colourful era? PC: Yeah I think on the back of obviously guys like Rod Laver retiring with Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe … that was phenomenal, there was the good guy, bad guy thing, contrasting styles, it attracted a lot of attention.
CW: You enjoy social hitting at Emerald Lakes? PC: It’s almost the way tennis should be, social … I’m not that competitive anymore. I’ve kind of had my day doing that so it’s nice to come down and it’s bit of a thrill for the locals and it’s a good laugh, there’s a bit of good old fashioned banter from the 1980s, a bit of sledging. You don’t get that these days.
CW: Are the current era’s top echelon, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, while great personalities, almost too diplomatic? PC: Yeah I suppose it is. They are good ambassadors. But you tend to wonder if they are putting on a bit of a facade. It smells a bit of that. They are nice guys though, all good guys. CW: Sam Stosur hopes to play for a few more years. Can she challenge for the top prizes? PC: She hits the ball big, has one of the best kick serves, and on the clay and hard courts with faster balls at US Open she can really take advantage. If she’s enjoying it and fit, why not? If she can keep going she will have some good weeks for sure, she’s a good player.
CW: How lucky are we to have her given she’s such a good ambassador compared to the male bratpackers? PC: Very lucky. I’ve always said about Sam she is a fantastic example of what you can do if you work hard and you persist. She has gone from being just a doubles player to a Grand Slam singles champion. That’s unbelievable. I can’t think of any guys who have done that. It’s usually you are a singles player and not a bad doubles player. She really is a great story.
CW: Can Bernard Tomic fulfil his potential? PC: He was one of the best juniors in the world, it looked like he was going to be top five or three in the world. I still believe he can be top 10 but it requires hard work. It’s no secret Bernie doesn’t like hard work, he admits it himself. There is a problem there. Talent wise, he really does have the game to be a top-five player.
CW: Favourite thing about the Gold Coast? PC: The beach, it sounds boring but it’s true. And Thursday night social tennis at the Emerald Lakes Tennis Club. I limp in, get some bets on and then bring out the headband.