NEW HAVEN, CT – He is now coaching CoCo Vandeweghe, the 26 year old American who many feel, with all her skills and athletic ability should be close to Top 5 in the world. His name is Pat Cash. He is an Australian and a Wimbledon winner in 1987, in straight sets over Ivan Lendl.
Vandeweghe has enhanced her practice habits under the tutelage of Cash, who she describes as bringing “energy and aura” to her team.
We caught up with Cash inside the spacious Cullman-Heyman tennis facility at Yale, where Vandeweghe has been practicing for her opening match against Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia and avoiding the New Haven heat and humidity.
Cash normally is not an advocate of playing the week before a Major, but was emphatic that Vandeweghe needs matches before the US Open and that New Haven, having the same surface, was the right place.
Cash started to talk globally about tennis and his conversation drifter to world No. 2 men’s player, Roger Federer.
Cash played many matches against the great Bjorn Borg and marveled at his stamina, as well as John McEnroe who will be playing in New Haven Friday night in a senior match. Cash was envious of McEnroe’s incredible eye-hand coordination.He feels that Federer is the only player he has ever seen to equal these two tennis greats in both attributes.
He humorously noted that one can’t pick their parents, but that Federer has great genetics. He sees the great Swiss winning at least one more Major.
He also sees no reason why Vandeweghe, his pupil also can’t win at least a Major based on her athletic gifts.
She opens play on Sunday, Kids’ Day at the main stadium.