Vandeweghe hails 1987 champion Cash as ‘dork’
COCO Vandeweghe described her coach Pat Cash as a “dork” on Tuesday and insisted the Australian should be honoured on the 30th anniversary of his Wimbledon title.
American 24th seed Vandeweghe hired Cash as her coach ahead of Wimbledon, hoping to tap into the expertise which took him to victory, and his only Slam title, over Ivan Lendl in the 1987 final.
The outspoken Vandeweghe admits their relationship can be a complex one, a consequence of their 27-year age gap.
“Well, he’s introduced me to a lot of ‘80 rock bands, which before I wasn’t quite familiar with. I keep having to remind him I was born in ‘ 91,” said the 25-year- old after seeing off Germany’s Mona Barthel 7- 5, 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday.
“I would say he’s actually on the side of dorky a little bit sometimes.
“I mean, it’s a different generation. So for me, it’s like sometimes the things that he says are like references he goes to, it’s like, ‘Dude, that’s a dorky reference’. It’s a fun, jovial light he has to himself.”
The big- hit ting American hopes that the All England Club marks the 30th anniversary of Cash’s straight sets triumph over Lendl.
“It’s a nice number to have a nice celebration -- I hope there is some magic that rubs off on to me,” she said.
Sadly for Vandeweghe, there will be no chance that she will reprise Cash’s iconic chequered headband he wore in the 1987 final as it would contravene the All England Club’s strict dress code.
“Too much colour. I have dabbled with the idea of a headband to try out that look, but I don’t know if I’ll ever succeed in that,” she said.
Vandeweghe ma rked US Independence Day in style on Tuesday by wearing a t- shirt with an American f lag design, although she was disappointed she “couldn’t find any fireworks online or sparklers or anything like that”.
Wimbledon is comfortably Vandeweghe’s best Grand Slam -- she reached the quarter-finals in 2015 and fourth round last year.
She also made the last- eight at the Birmingham grass court event in the run-up to Wimbledon, seeing off world number seven Johanna Konta in the process.
Next up is Tatjana Maria who made the second round when Russian opponent Anastasia Potopova, the 2 016 junior champion, retired with a knee injury.
Vandeweghe, however, was only thinking about what she did well to get past Barthel.
“I think the most important thing is I came out with a victory. I don’t think it was the best nor hopefully the worst. Coming away with a first-round victory is difficult in itself,” she said. — AFP