HAWAII-PACIFIC TENNIS FOUNDATION

Events & News

Pat Cash Meets with Foundation on Waiola

In March, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash flew into Honolulu to meet with Foundation president Sam Caldwell, executive director Mark Beede and HI-5 Sports president Alex Smith. Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987 and who is currently on the Senior Circuit, is exploring the possibilities of establishing a tennis academy on Oahu with the opening of the Waiola tennis facility at Central Oahu Regional Park.

Cash stopped over in Honolulu on his way from Florida, where he had just played John McEnroe in a Seniors Tour final, to Australia, his home where he has just opened a world class tennis academy. While Mayor Harris’ office cancelled its meeting with Cash, the Foundation used the opportunity to show Pat the new facility as well as to discuss the opportunities which Hawaii presents for a tennis academy.

Pat has teamed with renowned coach and physical trainer Gavin Hopper to establish a world class facility on Hope Island in Australia. While Cash is very personable, it is clear that he has an astute business sense and a drive for a world best standard of excellence. If the City and County of Honolulu privatizes the Waiola tennis operation, it could well provide the opportunity to bring the likes of Cash and Hopper to Oahu and pave the way for a quantum leap in Hawaii’s place on the world tennis map.