Pat Cash facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pat Cash

Pat Cash at the 2015 Australian Open
Country (sports)	Australia
Residence	London, England
Born	(1965-05-27) 27 May 1965 (age 60) Melbourne, Australia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro	1982
Retired	1997 (singles) 2006 (doubles)
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$1,950,345
Singles
Career record	238–148 (61.7%)
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 4 (9 May 1988)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	F (1987, 1988)
French Open	4R (1988)
Wimbledon	W (1987)
US Open	SF (1984)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (1987)
WCT Finals	QF (1988)
Olympic Games	1R (1984, demonstration event)
Doubles
Career record	174–110
Career titles	12
Highest ranking	No. 6 (13 August 1984)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1984)
French Open	3R (1982)
Wimbledon	F (1984, 1985)
US Open	SF (1983)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1983, 1986)
Hopman Cup	F (1989)

Patrick Hart Cash (born in Melbourne, Australia, on 27 May 1965) is an Australian former professional tennis player and coach. He became famous for winning the Wimbledon singles title in 1987. After his big win, he climbed into the stands to celebrate with his team. This started a fun tradition that many tennis champions still follow today!

Pat Cash reached a high ranking in tennis. He was ranked world No. 4 in singles in May 1988. He also reached world No. 6 in doubles in August 1988.

Early Life and Education

Pat Cash grew up in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Pat Cash Sr., was also a sportsman. He played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the 1950s.

Pat went to Marcellin College and Whitefriars College for his schooling.

Pat Cash's Tennis Career

Junior Years: A Rising Star

Pat Cash first caught the eye of the tennis world as a very promising young player. This was in the early 1980s. He even received a special scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport.

In 1981, he was ranked the No. 1 junior tennis player in the world. He won many junior titles in 1982. He won the junior doubles at the French Open. He also won both the junior singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon. Later that year, he won the junior singles title at the US Open.

Professional Years: Grand Slam Success

Pat Cash became a professional tennis player in late 1982. He won his first major singles title in Melbourne that same year.

In 1983, Pat made history. He became the youngest player to play in a Davis Cup final. He won a key match, helping Australia beat Sweden 3–2 to win the cup.

In 1984, Pat reached the semifinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He beat Mats Wilander in both tournaments. At the US Open, his semifinal match was part of a famous day called 'Super Saturday'.

He was also a runner-up in the doubles at Wimbledon in 1984 and 1985.

In 1986, Pat had an emergency appendix operation just before Wimbledon. Despite this, he played amazingly and reached the quarterfinals. During this tournament, he started the tradition of throwing his wristbands and headbands into the crowd. He also helped Australia win the Davis Cup again, beating Sweden.

1987 was a fantastic year for Pat Cash. He reached five singles finals, including two Grand Slam finals. He made it to his first Grand Slam singles final at the Australian Open. He lost a close five-set match to Stefan Edberg. This was the last Australian Open played on a grass court.

The biggest moment of Pat's career came in 1987 at Wimbledon. He played incredibly well throughout the tournament. In the final, he defeated the world No. 1 player, Ivan Lendl, in straight sets. After winning, Pat famously climbed into the stands to celebrate with his family and coach. This started a tradition that many champions have followed since.

In 1988, Pat reached the Australian Open final for the second year in a row. He beat Ivan Lendl in a tough five-set match. He then faced Mats Wilander in the final, which was the first men's singles final played indoors at the new Melbourne Park. Wilander won the long match. In May 1988, Pat reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 4.

Later in 1988, as the defending champion at Wimbledon, Pat reached the quarterfinals. However, he lost to Boris Becker. This was his last time reaching the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament.

In April 1989, Pat suffered a serious injury to his Achilles tendon. This kept him out of action for almost a year.

Pat played in his third Davis Cup final in 1990, but Australia lost to the United States. He continued to play tennis on and off through the mid-1990s. Injuries to his Achilles tendon, knees, and back made it hard for him to play his best after his Wimbledon win. He won his last singles title in April 1990 in Hong Kong. His last doubles title was in 1996 with Pat Rafter.

Pat Cash was known for his aggressive "serve-and-volley" style of play. He also had a trademark black-and-white checked headband and a cross earring. His coach for most of his career was Ian Barclay.

Life After Professional Tennis

Cash in 2010

Since retiring from professional tennis in 1997, Pat Cash has mostly lived in London. He has worked as a TV commentator, mainly for the BBC. He also hosts a tennis show called Open Court on CNN.

Pat still plays in special "legends" tennis tours. He won the Hall of Fame event in Newport, Rhode Island, in both 2008 and 2009. He has also coached other top players like Greg Rusedski and Mark Philippoussis.

Pat Cash has opened tennis academies in Australia, Thailand, and the Caribbean.

In 2005, Pat Cash was honored by being inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

In 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, Pat won the over-45s Wimbledon doubles title with fellow Australian Mark Woodforde. In 2022, he appeared on the British TV show The Masked Singer as "Bagpipes".

Pat Cash's Family Life

Pat Cash has children from his past relationships. In his early twenties, he had a son and a daughter with Anne-Britt Kristiansen. From 1990 to 2002, he was married to Emily Bendit, and they had twin boys. In 2010, Pat became a grandfather when his daughter had a baby girl.

Grand Slam Finals: Pat Cash's Major Matches

Singles: 3 (1 Title, 2 Runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1987	Australian Open	Grass	Stefan Edberg	3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6
Win	1987	Wimbledon	Grass	Ivan Lendl	7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–5
Loss	1988	Australian Open	Hard	Mats Wilander	3–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–3, 1–6, 6–8

Doubles (2 Runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1984	Wimbledon	Grass	Paul McNamee	Peter Fleming John McEnroe	2–6, 7–5, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss	1985	Wimbledon	Grass	John Fitzgerald	Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy	4–6, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6

ATP Career Finals: Pat Cash's Wins and Losses

Singles: 11 (6 Titles, 5 Runner-ups)

Result	W-L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Dec 1982	Melbourne Outdoor, Australia	Grass	Rod Frawley	6–4, 7–6
Win	2–0	Oct 1983	Brisbane, Australia	Carpet (i)	Paul McNamee	4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Loss	2–1	Oct 1984	Melbourne Indoor, Australia	Carpet (i)	Matt Mitchell	4–6, 6–3, 2–6
Loss	2–2	Jan 1987	Australian Open, Melbourne	Grass	Stefan Edberg	3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6
Win	3–2	Mar 1987	Lorraine Open, France	Carpet (i)	Wally Masur	6–2, 6–3
Win	4–2	Jun 1987	Wimbledon	Grass	Ivan Lendl	7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–5
Loss	4–3	Oct 1987	Australian Indoor Championships	Hard (i)	Ivan Lendl	4–6, 2–6, 4–6
Win	5–3	Nov 1987	South African Open	Hard (i)	Brad Gilbert	7–6(9–7), 4–6, 2–6, 6–0, 6–1
Loss	5–4	Jan 1988	Australian Open, Melbourne	Hard	Mats Wilander	3–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–3, 1–6, 6–8
Loss	5–5	Apr 1990	Seoul Open, South Korea	Hard	Alex Antonitsch	6–7(2–7), 3–6
Win	6–5	Apr 1990	Hong Kong	Hard	Alex Antonitsch	6–3, 6–4

Doubles: 11 Titles, 6 Runner-ups

Result	W-L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Dec 1982	Adelaide, Australia	Grass	Chris Johnstone	Broderick Dyke Wayne Hampson	6–3, 6–7, 7–6
Loss	1–1	Jun 1985	London/Queen's Club, UK	Grass	John Fitzgerald	Ken Flach Robert Seguso	6–3, 3–6, 14–16
Loss	1–2	Jul 1985	Wimbledon, London	Grass	John Fitzgerald	Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy	4–6, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win	2–2	Oct 1983	Brisbane, Australia	Carpet	Paul McNamee	Mark Edmondson Kim Warwick	7–6, 7–6
Win	3–2	Dec 1983	Sydney, Australia	Grass	Mike Bauer	Broderick Dyke Rod Frawley	7–6, 6–4
Win	4–2	Apr 1984	Houston, US	Clay	Paul McNamee	David Dowlen Nduka Odizor	7–5, 4–6, 6–3
Win	5–2	Apr 1984	Aix-en-Provence, France	Clay	Paul McNamee	Chris Lewis Wally Masur	4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win	6–2	Jun 1984	London/Queen's Club, UK	Grass	Paul McNamee	Bernard Mitton Butch Walts	6–4, 6–3
Loss	6–3	Jul 1984	Wimbledon, London	Grass	Paul McNamee	Peter Fleming John McEnroe	2–6, 7–5, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win	7–3	May 1985	Las Vegas, US	Hard	John Fitzgerald	Paul Annacone Christo van Rensburg	7–6, 6–7, 7–6
Loss	7–4	Nov 1986	Hong Kong, Hong Kong	Hard	Mark Kratzmann	Mike De Palmer Gary Donnelly	6–7, 7–6, 5–7
Loss	7–5	Nov 1986	Stockholm, Sweden	Hard	Slobodan Živojinović	Sherwood Stewart Kim Warwick	4–6, 4–6
Win	8–5	Aug 1987	Montreal, Canada	Hard	Stefan Edberg	Peter Doohan Laurie Warder	6–7, 6–3, 6–4
Win	9–5	Jan 1990	Sydney, Australia	Hard	Mark Kratzmann	Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser	6–4, 7–5
Win	10–5	Apr 1990	Hong Kong, Hong Kong	Hard	Wally Masur	Kevin Curren Joey Rive	6–3, 6–3
Loss	10–6	Apr 1996	Bermuda	Clay	Pat Rafter	Jan Apell Brent Haygarth	6–3, 1–6, 3–6
Win	11–6	May 1996	Pinehurst, US	Clay	Pat Rafter	Ken Flach David Wheaton	6–2, 6–3

Junior Grand Slam Finals: Pat Cash's Early Success

Boys' Singles: 3 (2 Wins, 1 Loss)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1981	Wimbledon Jrs.	Grass	Matt Anger	6–7(3–7), 5–7
Win	1982	Wimbledon Jrs.	Grass	Henrik Sundström	6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–3
Win	1982	US Open Jrs.	Hard	Guy Forget	6–3, 6–3

Performance Timelines: Pat Cash's Career Overview

Singles

Walkovers are neither official wins nor official losses.

Top 10 Wins: Beating the Best

#	Player	Rank	Event	Surface	Rd	Score	Cash rank
1983
1.	Vitas Gerulaitis	9	Queen's Club, London	Grass	2R	5–7, 6–3, 6–3	61
1984
2.	Mats Wilander	4	Wimbledon, London	Grass	2R	6–7(2–7), 6–4, 6–2, 6–4	33
3.	Andrés Gómez	6	Wimbledon, London	Grass	QF	6–4, 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5)	33
4.	Mats Wilander	4	US Open, New York	Hard	QF	7–6(7–3), 6–4, 2–6, 6–3	18
5.	Jimmy Connors	2	Davis Cup, Portland U.S.	Carpet (i)	RR	6–4, 6–2	10
1986
6.	Mats Wilander	2	Wimbledon, London	Grass	4R	4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–3	413
7.	Stefan Edberg	5	Davis Cup, Melbourne	Grass	RR	13–11, 13–11, 6–4	24
1987
8.	Yannick Noah	4	Australian Open, Melbourne	Grass	QF	6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–0	24
9.	Ivan Lendl	1	Australian Open, Melbourne	Grass	SF	7–6(7–1), 5–7, 7–6(7–5), 6–4	24
10.	Stefan Edberg	4	Queen's Club, London	Grass	QF	7–6, 7–6	13
11.	Mats Wilander	3	Wimbledon, London	Grass	QF	6–3, 7–5, 6–4	11
12.	Jimmy Connors	7	Wimbledon, London	Grass	SF	6–4, 6–4, 6–1	11
13.	Ivan Lendl	1	Wimbledon, London	Grass	F	7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–5	11
14.	Boris Becker	4	Sydney, Australia	Hard (i)	SF	6–3, 2–6, 7–6	8
15.	Miloslav Mečíř	6	Masters, New York	Carpet (i)	RR	7–5, 6–4	7
1988
16.	Ivan Lendl	1	Australian Open, Melbourne	Hard	SF	6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–2	7

Senior Tour Titles

• 2000 – London Masters, UK (Blackrock Tour of Champions)
• 2001 – Graz, Austria (Blackrock Tour of Champions)

See also

In Spanish: Pat Cash para niños