Pat Cash re-lives his legendary Wimbledon triumph in 1987

It was the childish bullying that went horribly wrong and played a key part in Aussie tennis legend Pat Cash winning the biggest prize in the game.

This week, 35 years after winning Wimbledon, Cash spoke of how he had to be restrained from physically attacking world number one Ivan Lendl who had attempted to intimidate him during a tournament in Monte Carlo.

And how it came back to bite Lendl on the biggest stage in tennis.

‘Intimidation and sledging were a day-to-day thing back then, but we sorted it out face to face in the locker room,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘If someone tried to bully you, you’d tell him, “Do that again and I’m going to get you”.’

Which is what happened with Cash and Lendl in Monte Carlo back in 1983.

‘He had just become world number one. He was confident, strutting around the locker room and trying to intimidate me,’ Cash recalled.

It is 35 years since Pat Cash sent shockwaves through tennis by winning Wimbledon in 1987

Only 18 years-old and new to the tour, Cash had just been given a pair of red training shoes by his sponsor Diadora.

As Lendl walked past, he grabbed the shoes and started ripping them apart. Cash leapt at him, and it was only the intervention of fellow Australian Paul McNamee that prevented a full-blown physical altercation.

Cash had his ultimate revenge four years later when he beat Lendl in the final of Wimbledon – the only Grand Slam the Czech didn’t win.

The pair would remain bitter rivals throughout their careers.

As Cash said in his 2002 autobiography, Uncovered: ‘He was always so conceited, so superior and always used to put people down. He would regularly berate me about my game, and say I possessed so many technical and fundamental faults.

‘To me, he was too unfunny for words, and I always wanted to make him really suffer. That was why I enjoyed beating him at Wimbledon so much.’

That Wimbledon victory remains one of the most iconic moments in Australian sporting history, on a par with Australia II winning the America’s Cup in 1983 and Cathy Freeman’s 400m triumph at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The Australian defied convention by climbing into his team's box after he defeated Ivan Lendl

The Australian defied convention by climbing into his team’s box after he defeated Ivan Lendl

Lendl had tried to intimidate Cash in Monte Carlo and came to rue those bullying tactics

Lendl had tried to intimidate Cash in Monte Carlo and came to rue those bullying tactics

Not just because of Cash’s decisive 7-6 6-2 7-5 win, but because of what happened immediately afterwards, as he climbed across the press box roof and into the stand to embrace his family and coaching team.

Speaking to writer James Buddell on the 30th anniversary of the championship victory, he joked: ‘I beat three top players to win Wimbledon but all anyone remembers me for today is climbing into the stand.’

While it is now common practice for newly-crowned Wimbledon champions to – as one reporter put it – ‘do a Crocodile Dundee’ and climb across the backs of spectators to reach loved ones, in 1987 it was very much a break with tradition.

‘When I got there, I didn’t realise there weren’t any seats to stand on,’ Cash recalled. ‘It was standing room only. I was regretting it midway up, and I thought I was going to make myself the biggest fool of all time. I was thinking about turning around, going down and back onto the court but I knew I couldn’t do that, so it took me a while to test out the strength of the commentary box roof.’

Meanwhile, the Duke of Kent was waiting to present the trophy, much to the consternation of All England Club chairman Reginald ‘Buzzer’ Hadingham.

Cash dominated the All England club with his sublime serve and volley strategy

Cash dominated the All England club with his sublime serve and volley strategy

Boris Becker's surprise second-round exit opened the draw up for the charismatic Australian

Boris Becker’s surprise second-round exit opened the draw up for the charismatic Australian

‘Afterwards, he came up to me and said, “Enjoy the moment, but promise me you won’t do it again”,’ Cash said.

He wouldn’t get the chance. He would never win Wimbledon again, but that 1987 victory gave him lifetime membership of one of the most exclusive clubs in world sport and he has stayed close to the game since he retired from the pro tour in 1997.

Based mainly in London, the 57-year-old grandfather works as a coach, commentator, plays seniors’ events and this week became the latest ambassador for Advanced Hair Studios.

He also gained worldwide headlines for his staunch criticism of the on-court behaviour of fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios during his third-round clash with Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Given that he was, by his own admission, ‘one of the most hot-headed players in my day’ some might find that a touch hypocritical, but there can never be any question over the skill, effort and single-minded determination that Cash brought to bear in that remarkable run to the 1987 championship.

Cash based himself in Fulham with his young family and quietly went about his preparations

Cash based himself in Fulham with his young family and quietly went about his preparations

A year earlier the former world No.8 was a virtual crock as a swollen disc in his back kept him sidelined for over six months and saw his ranking plummet.

He contacted fitness trainer/dietician Ann Quinn and pleaded, ‘I’m 463 in the world, I can’t walk. I’m starting from scratch. Can you help me?’

Quinn, along with long-time coach Ian Barclay and sports psychologist Jeff Bond from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra would become the dream team that would take Cash back to the top, but it was a journey not without its pitfalls.

Three weeks before the start of the 1986 Wimbledon championships he was rushed to hospital with a burst appendix. Incredibly, after undergoing pioneering keyhole surgery, he was back on the court for a three-set first win over Argentinian Guillermo Vilas but it was his next victory, over Kiwi Russell Simpson, that was more momentous as it saw the introduction of his trademark black and white chequered headband.

‘A fan had given me a white headband in 1984 and remembering the thrill I got when I had received a sweaty wristband from a player when watching tennis as a youngster at Kooyong, I asked my mum to source something different that you couldn’t find in a store,’ he said. ‘She thought it was a stupid idea, but I just wanted something lively, a bit rock n’ roll, a bit Guns n’ Roses. It was actually inspired by Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen who wore one just like it.’

The then-22-year-old pictured with his girlfriend Anne-Britt Kristiansen and their son Daniel

The then-22-year-old pictured with his girlfriend Anne-Britt Kristiansen and their son Daniel

Cash would eventually bow out of those championships to Frenchman Henri Leconte in the quarterfinals, but 12 months later he was back at Wimbledon in the best shape of his life – arguably in the best shape that any tennis player had ever been in.

Nothing was left to chance, with everything Cash ate and drank meticulously planned and monitored. Weighing 82 kilograms and with 4.2 per cent body fat, his daily intake was approximately 6000 calories through five or six small meals.

Regular blood tests were sent to the US to have every vitamin, mineral and amino acid tested, and energy and recovery drinks were prepared each day to a scientific formula.

It was a preparation that was revolutionary for the time, with Martina Navratilova the only other player employing a fulltime trainer and psychologist.

Living in a house at Fulham with his Norwegian partner Anne-Britt Kristiansen and year-old son Daniel, Cash would warm up each morning with a 45-minute session at a nearby park before a hit-up on the practice courts at Wimbledon and a run on the golf course over the road before his match. When rain closed the practice courts during the first week, Barclay called the Royal Air Force weather forecasters each morning and drove Cash across the south of England to wherever they could find a dry grass court.

Cash was told to change into all-white after being spotted in a Hawthorn jumper

Cash hitting a backhand during his famous Wimbledon victory

Cash audaciously wore a Hawthorn jumper during practice (L) as he was in confident mood

Weather aside, everything went according to plan. Isolated in his bubble with only his closest supporters and cut off from all newspapers and media reports, Cash concentrated solely on his next game.

It was not until the third round that he dropped his first – and only – set of the championships, to Dutchman Michael Shapers.

Next up was Frenchman Guy Forget who Cash had played against many times in the junior ranks.

After Cash’s 6-2 6-3 6-4 win, Forget went up to Barclay in the locker room and told him, ‘They won’t beat him’.

Not wanting to upset his concentration, Barclay didn’t tell Cash what Forget had said, but there was one piece of news that couldn’t be hidden from him.

Going into the championship, Cash feared only one player – defending champion Boris Becker.

After the second round any fears were gone, with 301-ranked Australian Peter Doohan pulling off one of the biggest upsets in sports history by beating Becker 7-6 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the earliest exit by a defending champion for 20 years.

Now, Nick Kyrgios is looking to emulate his countryman and make history in London this year

Now, Nick Kyrgios is looking to emulate his countryman and make history in London this year

With Becker out of the picture, Cash entered the finals full of confidence. He downed Mats Willander in the quarters and overcame both Jimmy Connors and the crowd to make it to the final against his long-time antagonist Lendl.

He kept to his usual pre-match preparation, except for one thing. In honour of his father Pat Senior, who had played for the Hawthorn Football Club, he warmed up on the practice court in a Hawks jersey, while his hitting partner Darren Cahill, who impersonated Lendl’s playing style to Barclay’s instructions, wore a Collingwood jumper.

‘It lasted 10 minutes before an official came over and reminded us of Wimbledon’s all-white policy,’ Cahill told writer James Buddell. ‘But that was nine minutes longer than we thought we’d last.’

Barclay sent Cash out with a two-pronged match-plan, Cash recalled.

‘It was pretty simple,’ he said. ‘The first part was: hit as many returns as possible and make him hit as many volleys as possible. The second was to win the first set.’

Cash followed both instruction to perfection, taking the first set in a tie-break and dominating Lendl at the net for the rest of the match.

Up 7-6 6-2 and 6-5 in the third, he rose from his seat to serve for the championship.

‘Standing up from your chair, the crowd roaring and knowing you’re serving for the Wimbledon title is a pretty nerve-wracking moment,’ he said. ‘I didn’t have one of those serves where I knew I could serve three aces, I had to place it and get it in.

‘I always backed myself on the volley and I wasn’t scared to do it. It really was back to basics, get the first serve in and run to the net quickly. It would then be a complete reflex; all the thousands of hours of training make it automatic.’

By now the once arrogant Lendl who had tried to bully an 18-year-old kid in Monte Carlo was a shattered man, the title he coveted more than any other slipping through his fingers for the second year in succession. Cash served and volleyed his way to 40-0 then took his time over the final serve.

Getting the bounce just right, he served to Lendl’s forehand, then volleyed to his backhand and finally put away a forehand cross-court winner. After two hours and 43 minutes, plus a lifetime of pain and hard work, 22-year-old Pat Cash was Wimbledon champion.

He gave a double fist pump in celebration, then another to his team in the players’ box. He then went over and sat in his courtside seat for a few minutes before thinking better of it and setting off on the climb into the stand that would live in the memories of those who saw it forever.

‘The officials didn’t have an idea what I was doing, but I climbed up because it was a team effort,’ he said 30 years later. ‘They had put me there, and through hard work and sheer dedication, countless tears, the Wimbledon trophy was for them.’

Cash earned around AU$271,000 for the win, a fraction of the AU$3.6 million both men and women winners will receive this year, but it was still enough for him to buy his first car – a Mercedes Benz – with enough left over for a new pair of red training shoes.

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