Wesley Cash
photo by Sue Chamberlain
Wesley Cash on the court
photo by Sue Chamberlain
In 2008, Wesley Cash thought his competitive tennis playing days were done due to bad knees.
Four years later, after successful knee surgery and hours of rehab, the Manker Patten teaching pro has plans to take his No.5 world doubles ranking and travel to Antalya Turkey next March as a member of the United States Seniors World Team.
“It’s a great honor to be selected for the United States team and a dream come true to be playing at 100% after near career ending knee problems a few years ago,’” said Cash who will compete in the 55s age division for a world gold medal.
“Dr.
David Moore of Elite Sports Medicine in Nashville did a remarkable job of knee reconstruction and if it wasn’t for him I would not be preparing to play for a world championship in three months,” Cash stated.
Cash joins Mark Vines (No.2 in the world in singles, No.9 in double), Sal Castillo (No.20 in singles) and Peter Markas to form the USA squad.
This is Cash’s third world team as he helped the USA win bronze medals in 2003 and 2008.
The selection of Cash and Vines to the world team seemed a near certainty in mid-November after they completed a 55s doubles grand slam claiming national championships on all four surfaces – indoor, grass, hard and clay – this year.
“Mark and I had a great year in winning all four national titles and it was even more remarkable that we did not lose a set in any of our matches in all four tournaments,” said Cash who played at Baylor School and the University of Georgia and is in two halls of fame - Baylor School and Greater Chattanooga.
Vines has an impressive resume in 2012 with four doubles and three singles national titles and a ITF World Games gold medal. Castillo won that fourth national singles title, defeating Vines in the clay court finals. The world team cup will be played on clay.
This is the second “Golden Slam” for Cash as he won on all four surfaces a decade ago and was chosen for the 2003 team.
Another World Champion? While Cash and Vines were winning the third jewel (clay courts) of their tennis Grand Slam Oct. 10-14 in Savannah, Ga. , another Chattanooga resident – UTC golfer Steven Fox – was in Antalya, Turkey a few days earlier. (Oct 4-7) helping the U.S. win the world team gold medal … In March, Cash also heads to Antalya, Turkey in search of his world title as Fox ventures to Georgia during the spring – specifically to Augusta – in preparation to play in The Masters in April.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net