Pat Cash gave an interview to the TennisNet portal to review his career in tennis and also current events in the sport, with special attention to the achievements that Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic continue to achieve on the circuit.
Cash highlighted the keys to the success of the 'Big Three ?, highlighting the fact of being healthy and the determination that the three tennis players have. “Rafa Nadal is incredible. Wow! What a tennis player. Djokovic is too. We should never say never, but I think we will never see a clay court player like him again. Bjorn Börg was close to it too and it was difficult to win. Nadal is fit, healthy and hungry. Then also Federer returns, who is fresh although it will take him a while to adapt his body to the competition. We're talking about the top three players of all time as long as they're good … but they actually get better every year! They are experienced, they are not mentally exhausted and they have that determination. But this can't last forever “
However, Cash focused in particular on Rafa Nadal's thirteenth Roland Garros conquest, saying that winning the Balearic in Paris is quite a challenge. “With Nadal you can say: 'OK, if he plays long games, he will have problems recovering.' But he always wins in the shortest time. For me the most difficult task in the history of sport is to beat Rafa Nadal in Paris. I can't think of anything that is more difficult. “
The Australian even dared to make several comparisons about how incredible Nadal's feat at Roland Garros was. “Think of any soccer team that is unbeatable in their stadium. Or someone who wins the Tour de France year after year 13 times. It's unthinkable. If you had said that 20 years ago you would have been locked up in a madhouse. In fact it is unimaginable that these guys have won 20, 20 and 17 Grand Slam. There is something that motivates all three of them a lot and it is fascinating. I was happy with winning a Grand Slam or a Davis Cup, but Federer, Nadal or Djokovic are not happy with 20 Grand Slam and several Davis Cups “
Cash was also asked about his compatriot Nick Kyrgios and the statements he has made in recent months. “I know Nick Kyrgios, I pay little attention to what he says. If Kyrgios gives us advice on how to behave, then we are worse off than he thought.”
Cash also analyzed the NextGen tennis players, highlighting Tsitsipas and Thiem among them. “I think Tsitsipas is very interesting, he brings different things and people like that. Thiem also because he hits the ball very hard. And Shapovalov is also an exciting player. “
Regarding his career Cash regretted not having conquered the Grand Slam of his land, the Australian Open, although he was satisfied with his career. “I got to two finals and played well in both. But winning Wimbledon was also a dream for me. My priorities were Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the Davis Cup and also the US Open. Winning Roland Garros was not very realistic. “