Pat Cash interview: “Nadal has brought something to the game that we’ve never seen before”

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was one of the first players to realise just how good Rafael Nadal was going to be, a chastening experience when he was beaten by the then 14-year-old, who had stepped in at the last minute for an exhibition when Boris Becker pulled out.

Playing on clay at almost 36, having retired from the sport by that time, it was not perhaps the enormous surprise it would have been had it happened a few years before when he was still playing regularly. Cash was still a little embarrassed to lose to a 14-year-old but by the time Nadal won his 14th French Open title, that embarrassment had long disappeared.

“Turbo-charged Guillermo Vilas”

In its place, Cash developed a huge admiration for Nadal, whom he describes as a one-off.

“Nadal has brought something to the game of tennis that we’ve never seen before. I always say that he’s a he’s a turbo charged Guillermo Vilas,” Cash said in an interview. “Vilas came out hit more top spin than anybody’s seen. He was fitter than anybody had seen. He just used to run, run non stop. He used to train like crazy. You know, he’s obviously a turbo charged version of that. But we’ve never really seen anybody play like Nadal, though.

“I mean, he had modern rackets. He had his follow through on his forehand. It was unusual. Just had so much top spin. And the competitiveness. He’s very, very special. I’ve always said that if I had one person to play for my life, one match somewhere, it would be Nadal. Because if an alien came down from outer space and said, OK, I know how to play tennis. I’ll beat (anyone), give me your best, you’d throw Nadal out there. Go on, handle his slice serve, try to handle this top spin.

“He just plays like nobody else. His competitiveness, ferociousness (were special). Every season was interesting because you’d watch him, you’d go, what’s he changed now? What’s he improved now? He just kept doing that. He kept changing his serve, getting it better. Kept doing different tactics, doing this, this and that.

“Top players tend to do that. You go, either improve, or you stand still, as they say, and he was great at that.”

IT TOOK FEDERER ALMOST HIS WHOLE CAREER TO WORK HIM OUT

Cash said the fact that Roger Federer, arguably the best player ever to play the game, struggled so much against Nadal was another reason he should be considered in such high regard.

“It took Federer almost his whole career to work him out,” Cash said. “That’s saying something, that’s how difficult it is, it took somebody as talented as Federer until last couple of years, to finally work out how to beat him.

Nadal played his last professional event at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in 2024.

“He’ll be missed, for sure,” Cash said.

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