Australian Open semifinalist Coco Vandeweghe is to be coached by Pat Cash from the beginning of this week, with the partnership set to last until at least the US Open.
The partnership between the two will begin immediately, with Vandeweghe looking to defend her title at the Ricoh Open this week; seeded fourth, she faces Carina Witthoft in her opening round encounter.
Vandeweghe has the game to succeed on grass, which was likely a factor in terms of her approaching a former Wimbledon champion and someone who reached the final of the Australian Open whilst it was still played on grass. However, the appointment is still an interesting one, with Cash having not coached in a long time and instead focusing on media work in recent years.
Vandeweghe looks to escape poor run of form
The grass court season can undoubtedly be a successful one for Vandeweghe, who has taken the title in s-Hertogenbosch twice, beating Kristina Mladenovic in the final last year, and has made the second week at Wimbledon for the past two years, though she does not head into the grass season with much form.
Vandeweghe, despite being unseeded, stormed through the draw in Melbourne back in January, beating the likes of world number one Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza on her way to the semifinals, though has struggled for back-to-back wins since then; her recent struggles culminated in a straight sets loss to Magdalena Rybarikova at the French Open.
The American will be hoping Cash can revitalize the form that saw her crack the top 20 after Melbourne, with the two set to work together until Vandeweghe’s home Grand Slam tournament at the US Open.
Cash “excited” about the opportunity to coach the American
Cash has coached previously, guiding Mark Philippoussis to the US Open final back in 1998 as well as working with Greg Rusedski and Vince Spadea, though will be working with a WTA player for the first after a relatively long break from coaching, during which time he has worked as a pundit for organisations such as the BBC and Eurosport.
The Australian has expressed his excitement about working with the powerful American, commenting that “She has the power to wipe players off the court,” and saying that he is excited in working with Vandeweghe as he believes “she has the potential to win a slam.”
Commenting on her power, Cash said that himself and Vandeweghe will be aiming “to use that skill throughout the grass court season and beyond.”