The former tennis player Pat Cash criticized Roger Federer for his approach in the Australian Open final. Federer took a medical timeout at one of the key stages of his victory over Rafael Nadal.
“You can’t just stop a marathon if you’re tired… I can’t stress how bad this has been supervised or looked at by the medical team here in the whole tour. It’s wrong, wrong and wrong. It’s cheating and it’s being allowed. It’s legal cheating, but it’s still not right” said Cash angrily for BBC radio.
However, Roger Federer shrugged off his criticism by saying that he had been avoiding these treatments in the past at any cost.
“I also think we shouldn’t be using these rules or abusing the system. I think I’ve led the way for 20 years. So I think to be critical there is exaggerating. I’m the last guy to call a medical timeout. So I don’t know what he’s (Cash) talking about.”
He also took a medical treatment while playing with Stan Wawrinka, but it was only after he used one himself.
“After he (Wawrinka) took a medical timeout, I thought I could also take one for a change and see if actually something like a massage during the match is actually going to help me,” Roger emphasized.
“It did a little bit potentially. I’m not sure. And then today I felt my quad midway through the second set, and the groin started to hurt midway through the third set.”
This was like in old days when Federer and Nadal were dominating the tour, and they were regular participants in almost all finals. The latest duel went Roger’s way as he was victorious with 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final 2017.
