What happened to Australian tennis icon Pat Cash?

Australia has a rich tennis history, in which many icons have left their mark. Pat Cash is certainly one of them, standing out in the late 1980s. But what happened in Cash's career, and what is he doing now?

Cash was born on 27 May 1965 in Melbourne, the beating heart of Australian tennis.

He picked up a tennis racket at a young age and built himself a prolific junior career, winning the singles title at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

Cash entered the professional circuit in late 1982 and immediately showed his exceptional talent.

That same year, he won his first title in his native Melbourne.

In 1983, he helped Australia claim the Davis Cup, giving his country the decisive victory over Sweden. In 1986, he would go on to win his second Davis Cup.

1984 was an excellent year for Cash, who reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

This allowed him to enter the top 10 for the first time in his career, finishing the year at world No. 10.

After slipping down the rankings in 1985 and 1986, Cash returned to the top in 1987, one of the best years of his career.

For the first time in his career, he reached the final of a Grand Slam, at the Australian Open.

Cash gave his all in front of his home crowd, but lost to Sweden's defending champion Stefan Edberg (pictured) in five sets.

This was a blow to Cash, who then pulled out all the stops at Wimbledon the same year.

He reached the final, where he faced legend Ivan Lendl (pictured). Cash, however, kept his cool and went on to win his first and only Grand Slam title, the undisputed highlight of his career.

In 1988, Cash started the year well, reaching his second consecutive Australian Open final.

However, another Swede, Mats Wilander (pictured), denied Cash victory in front of his home crowd for the second time by winning in five hard-fought sets.

In May of the same year, Cash reached a career-high world No. 4.

After reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 1988, Cash's career would experience a major decline, as the Australian would never advance beyond the fourth round at a Grand Slam in the following years.

To make matters worse, in April 1989 he suffered an Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for almost a year.

Despite several injuries, Cash went on to claim his sixth and final singles title in 1990, winning the Hong Kong Open. In doubles, he claimed twelve career titles.

After that, Cash continued to play for a few years, but retired for good in 1997.

Following his retirement from tennis, Cash has worked for television, appearing on CNN and BBC.

In 2022, he was featured on ITV's 'The Masked Singer'.

He also featured in the ATP Champions Tour and the Champions Cup, winning several events.

After his career as a player, Cash also took up coaching, advising compatriot Mark Philippoussis (pictured), among others.

In 2005, Cash was elected to the Sports Australia Hall of Fame.

Today, he continues to focus on tennis, with his own tennis academy in his native Australia.

In his private life, Cash has four children, two with Norwegian model Anne-Britt Kristiansen, and another two with Brazilian Emily Bendit, with whom he was married.

Cash was also involved in some controversies, such as when he promoted antiparasitic drug Ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

Another controversial episode involved Cash and surfing legend Kelly Slater (pictured), when the two appeared in a conspiratorial online chat about lockdowns and low-emission zones in cities.

Despite the criticism Cash endured after his career, he will always be remembered primarily as a tennis champion who rewrote the history of Australian sport.