CHENNAI: As the WTA Chennai Open kicks off on Mon -day, 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash, 57, is back in Chennai as a coach to China’s Qiang Wang who plays Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium in Round 1.
Excerpts from an interview:
Who according to you will be the favourites to win the title at Chennai Open?
I don’t think there’s any favourite. I think what we’re seeing on the women’s tour is that anybody can win a tournament. That’s what makes it exciting.
What according to you would be Serena’s legacy as she walks into the sunset?
I think Serena changed the game and brought in the power element to the game. Both Serena and Venus Williams are superb athletes. They forced everybody to raise their levels. Once they both became dominant, you saw others working harder and becoming better athletes as well. Players such as Justin Henin who may not have had a lot of power but they had to develop that. A bunch of male players who wouldn’t watch a lot of women’s tennis but they would watch when Serena or Venus were playing.
Carlos Alcaraz is the most talked about player of the season. Where does he stand out?
It’s about an X-factor in him, you don’t become that good a player at that young age without having that. I saw Alcaraz a few years ago playing Challenger tournaments. At that point I was coaching Brandon Nakashima. We saw him play on clay courts and he was doing well. Everyone hits the ball well, but when you consistently win matches then you know there is something special.
Do you see Federer making a comeback and is it possible for him to be competitive again?
There is no chance for him to play as good as he was before. But he deserves, if not anything else, a farewell tour. He looks great and I saw him at Wimbledon and he hasn’t put on an ounce of fat. The world deserves to say a thank you for all the highlights he has given.
Could you tell about the friendship you shared with Shane Warne?
It’s still sad and was just thinking about him the other day when I was coming here -how popular he is. Shane is a superstar athlete and was a very good junior tennis player and was one of the best in Victoria. Not many realise that. He possessed a great serve. We used to catch up whenever we could. We were texting regularly. I also thought he did a great job as a commentator with his insights. He said what he thought and that’s a rare thing these days with so much censorship.
Excerpts from an interview:
Who according to you will be the favourites to win the title at Chennai Open?
I don’t think there’s any favourite. I think what we’re seeing on the women’s tour is that anybody can win a tournament. That’s what makes it exciting.
What according to you would be Serena’s legacy as she walks into the sunset?
I think Serena changed the game and brought in the power element to the game. Both Serena and Venus Williams are superb athletes. They forced everybody to raise their levels. Once they both became dominant, you saw others working harder and becoming better athletes as well. Players such as Justin Henin who may not have had a lot of power but they had to develop that. A bunch of male players who wouldn’t watch a lot of women’s tennis but they would watch when Serena or Venus were playing.
Carlos Alcaraz is the most talked about player of the season. Where does he stand out?
It’s about an X-factor in him, you don’t become that good a player at that young age without having that. I saw Alcaraz a few years ago playing Challenger tournaments. At that point I was coaching Brandon Nakashima. We saw him play on clay courts and he was doing well. Everyone hits the ball well, but when you consistently win matches then you know there is something special.
Do you see Federer making a comeback and is it possible for him to be competitive again?
There is no chance for him to play as good as he was before. But he deserves, if not anything else, a farewell tour. He looks great and I saw him at Wimbledon and he hasn’t put on an ounce of fat. The world deserves to say a thank you for all the highlights he has given.
Could you tell about the friendship you shared with Shane Warne?
It’s still sad and was just thinking about him the other day when I was coming here -how popular he is. Shane is a superstar athlete and was a very good junior tennis player and was one of the best in Victoria. Not many realise that. He possessed a great serve. We used to catch up whenever we could. We were texting regularly. I also thought he did a great job as a commentator with his insights. He said what he thought and that’s a rare thing these days with so much censorship.
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