Nobody tells the greatest player of all time Roger Federer when to retire but Aussie Pat Cash isn’t shy in offering his advice. Pat Cash did not set the tennis world on fire as he has just 1 Grand Slam win to his name but in Aussie circles he is a legend.
Cash who won Wimbledon in 1987 now does commentary work offering his expert advice and opinion.
He told the BBC after Federer exited the US Open that he believes its time the Swiss great makes a decision on how he wants to end his career.
In a statement, Cash said
Eventually it catches up with you and you get unexplainable losses and bad performances. It will happen once in a while and then a little bit more and a little bit more. Then you say either play a little bit more or retire. He may or may not make that decision this time. I'm not saying retirement is imminent but he might think enough is enough
Federer was supposed to make the US Open quarter finals as he had a relatively easy match against John Millman who was the 55th seed. Federer started in style winning the first set 6-3 but then lost his mojo and went down 5-7, 6-7, 6-7 to make a surprise exit.
Federer who has won 20 Grand Slams said that he was struggling with the heat and was finding it hard to breathe. He said in a post-match interview that he himself losing energy as the match continued and that feeling put him off his game.
ESPN
This was also very much unlike the Federer we are used to who rarely gives excuses after a loss. Those who know Federer well will say that it wasn’t an excuse but an honest assessment of the conditions and how he felt. However, critics will say that the 37 year old who had never lost at the US Open to a played outside the top 50 ranking is now feeling the pressure and coming up with reasons for his early exit.
Pat Cash pointed out to Federer’s new style of choosing to play only specific events as he looks to prolong his career, take care of his health and be injury free. Cash believes that this method isn’t working in his favour and says that Roger Federer needs to start playing more or decide to call it a day.
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