Cash fears Scud encounter after 'distraction' call

By Emma Quayle
January 30, 2004


Pat Cash said last night he might not feel safe the next time he met Mark Philippoussis in a locker room. Cash said he had received a threatening phone call from the Philippoussis camp on Wednesday after he was one of several former and current players to publicly question the 27-year-old's commitment.

"I've had a lot of abuse hurled at me, rightly or wrongly," Cash said. "I've been in arguments and fights. I've even been through a divorce but I've never, ever been abused and threatened like I was yesterday on the telephone."

Asked whether he would be safe to visit Philippoussis, whom he once coached, in the change rooms, the 1987 Wimbledon champion said: "Unfortunately . . . I'm not sure. As a member of the media and as an ex-player, I think it [the phone call] is completely out of order. I won't accept that behaviour from anybody. I don't appreciate what happened. Rightly or wrongly it's my right to make a comment on what I see on the tennis court."

Cash had suggested Philippoussis had been distracted by his friendship with pop star Delta Goodrem in the lead-up to his disappointing fourth-round loss to Hicham Arazi. Philippoussis's Davis Cup teammate Todd Woodbridge and former player John Alexander also questioned Philippoussis's dedication and off-court distractions. Woodbridge said last night that he had spoken to Philippoussis and that they had no lingering issues.


"Mark and I have talked," Woodbridge said. "We're exactly the same as we were when I was coaching him a couple of weeks ago."

Cash denied on Channel Nine's A Current Affair that his criticism of Philippoussis was, by extension, a criticism of Goodrem, who sat in Philippoussis's courtside box on Monday and also watched him play last Saturday.

"It was never my intention to make that insinuation," Cash said. "I have no idea about Mark's private life. I have not got even the faintest."

Cash also revealed that he had recently had a melanoma removed from his leg. "It was serious enough that once the doctor saw it he basically took it off, got it tested and found out it was stage-two melanoma," Cash said. "It's an absolute shock when the doctor tells you, 'Listen, if you wait another six months there's a very good chance your chances of survival will be minimal'. "

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/29/1075340785762.html
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I for one wont be too :sad: to see Cash get whats coming his way.
He's bad-mouthed nearly everyone he's worked with and go Poo, let him have it. :devil: :D

Of course threatening phone calls are unacceptable (if that part is true), but agree that Pat Cash shouldn´t wonder if he gets some resistance from those players he keeps saying negative things about. I generally don´t like the habit of some ex-players (for example McEnroe, Becker) who keep picking on active players and see themselves as gods whose accomplishments can never be reached by any following generation.

Cash needs to learn a little tact. I don't blame Mark for being pissed.

Cash: zip it. :tape:

Not sure how can people defend Philli on this... Whether Cash lacks tact or not, threatening someone on the phone is not acceptable.

yeah i agree with giving him a fat lip in exchange for his loose lips. it's only fair...

Sometimes threats are the only things assholes respond to. He said some pretty nasty stuff some days ago regarding Federer's lack of a coach and how his girlfriend "must have" intervened on that one -- it was completely out of order. Philly would be doing a lot of people on the tour a favour IMO....

undomiele, I agree. it's not just what he said about Mark, he's said a whole lot of really rude and tactless stuff all week.... most of the guys on the tour owe him a punch lol

Can Cash just die and burn in hell? Please?!

The entire nation of Australia must be so embarassed by this classless guy.

Can't stand Pat Cash in the least, but am glad they caught the cancer. Hopefully it hasn't spread.

Looking at all his "comments" about players which basically had no facts to support on, I won't be surprise if he had exaggerated the "threatening" call.

If he had no idea about Mark's private life as he claimed, why don't he shut his big mouth instead of making factless assumptions? Similarly about Roger when he doesn't even know him? Hats off to him now by actually saying he's just making comments on what he sees "on court"...

What is his problem really???

what is it about players' girlfriends that makes him say what he says? first, Mirka, now Mark's gf.

no wonder he's divorced! :rolleyes:

umm, threatening is not so good, if i were Mark, i will beat him instead :devil: :p

Pat Cash is always mouthing off about other players. He was one of the first to stick the knife in Greg Rusedski's back after the nandrolone allegations. Why is Pat hanging round in the locker rooms anyway? He is not coaching anyone. I am also not surprised Saint Todd Woodbridge took it upon himself to speak out about Mark Philippoussis's dedication. :rolleyes: Todd is too good to be true.

"It was never my intention to make that insinuation," Cash said. "I have no idea about Mark's private life. I have not got even the faintest."

Why is he making allegations about Delta distracting Scud when he admits he doesnt have a clue? :rolleyes: He lost whatever little credibility he may have had with all these recent comments about Scud and Roger and Greg. He'd deserve whatever he gets. I cant believe he acts surprised when he behaves like this and the players are actually pissed off!

"It was never my intention to make that insinuation," Cash said. "I have no idea about Mark's private life. I have not got even the faintest."

Why is he making allegations about Delta distracting Scud when he admits he doesnt have a clue? :rolleyes: He lost whatever little credibility he may have had with all these recent comments about Scud and Roger and Greg. He'd deserve whatever he gets. I cant believe he acts surprised when he behaves like this and the players are actually pissed off!

SO TRUE!

And here's the other thing: Why are people taking Cash's word that he's gotten threatening phone calls? He's probably gotten an angry phone call from Mark. And in that angry phone call, Mark might have said something about wanting to give Cash a punch. Who wouldn't?

The woman is very upset. She's a public figure and Cash has made some nasty insinuations about her as well.

Cash says something that is way over the line, and then he makes himself out to be the victim....... and he has cancer too... sniff sniff. Classic bully. He says horrible things about people and then when someone stands up to him, he declares himself to be the abused one.

I don't blame Mark for being pissed.

Cash is an a**hole. He doesn't mind if he spreads rubbish all over the tour as long as he's in the paper. All his comments could be replaced by 'Look at ME, look at MEEEEEE', and the bottom line would be the same.

What does "from the Philipoussis camp" mean anyway? It seems that the call was not even from Mark, or Cash would have said so.

I know that Cash is not all that old (what is he, early 40s or something?), but maybe he should retire from public life with good grace because right now he is just shitting in his own nest, demeaning his past achievements. He seems to lack the good sense and maturity for a public life after his time as an athlete.

Better to remember him as the good player he was when he was a young man than as this desperate, pathetic character that he has turned into.