Pat Cash
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1997
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1991
Pat Cash
The black-and-white checked headband, the cross earring, and one of the surest volleys of the 1980s. Pat Cash took his 1 major at Wimbledon in 1987, beating world No. 1 Ivan Lendl 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 and dropping just one set all fortnight, then climbed through the Centre Court crowd to his box, inventing the champion's climb every winner since has copied. Home was crueller: he lost both Australian Open finals in five sets, to Stefan Edberg in 1987 and to Mats Wilander 8-6 in the fifth in 1988.
Davis Cup found him first. At 18 he won the clinching rubber against Sweden in 1983, the youngest player yet to appear in a final; three years later he came from two sets down against Mikael Pernfors to seal the 1986 Cup in Melbourne. He reached No. 4 in May 1988, then the body gave way: a ruptured Achilles in 1989 on top of chronic back and knee trouble, and the 6 career titles undersell the peak. He retired in 1997.