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Cash weight slur criticized
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MARTINA HINGIS and Lleyton Hewitt have hit out at former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash after he told a British newspaper that Lindsay Davenport might be better suited to shot-put than tennis.
Hingis said she had little respect for Cash while Hewitt described him as big mouth after he told The Mirror that Davenport was overweight.
The retired Australian player was quoted as saying: “When you look at her, you think 'whoah, there is no way she is going to be a tennis player - put her in the shot put instead'.”
Hingis, who beat Davenport in Saturday's final of the Sydney international, said Cash's comments had no credibility considering his own career was cut short by injuries.
“It was a ridiculous comment,” the Swiss world number one said.
“If he had been number one for four, five years, I'd respect him definitely as a player and as a legend.
“But so many times he was injured because, I think, he just couldn't keep up with the physical level.”
Hewitt, who beat Swede Magnus Norman on Saturday to win his second Sydney title, said:“I think Pat probably opens his mouth a little bit too often.
Davenport beat Hingis in last year's Melbourne final to claim her third Grand Slam singles title in a professional career spanning 10 years.
She also won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics while Cash's only major triumph was winning Wimbledon in 1987.
“I'm really proud of what I've done and how far I've come,”said Davenport, who is 1.89 m tall and weighs 79 kg.
“I think a lot of times results speak for themselves, so I just kind of shrug my shoulders and let it die.” (SD-Agencies)
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