Cash back: Sussex tennis star delighted to be involved in pro classic week

The Burgess Hill star lost a marathon encounter against wildcard James Ward at St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club, going down 11-9 in a thrilling tie-break to scupper his hopes of a winning start.

The unique round robin format will give him a shot at redemption, however, having recovered from a groin injury in lockdown alongside his exploits on the Brighton fairways.

The 23-year-old is a talented golfer away from the court but says it’s great to be back playing his game of choice in the leafy Weybridge retreat on Classic Week.

“I injured my groin last summer, decided not to have surgery and it was niggling me at the start of this year,” he said. “As soon as the tour got shut I went straight in and got an operation done, so lockdown was basically rehab for me.

“It probably took me three months to get back on the court, so I was allowed to start for a couple of hours a week.

“I played golf, which opened up at the same time, so I was out there swinging a bit. I’m an okay golfer - I play off a handicap of ten so it’s been nice to get out there.”

Cash is one of 24 leading British players currently duelling it out at St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in the unofficial Premier League of tennis, who are split into two pools of six ahead of finals weekend on August 15 and 16.

And the south coast star is joined at the salubrious sporting location by the likes of Naomi Broady, Jodie Burrage and Eden Silva in the women’s draw and Arthur Fery, Alastair Gray and Liam Broady in the men’s.

The unique format was devised by Andy Murray’s coach Jamie Delgado in conjunction with sports media agency River Media Partners, with Delgado also a member of the LTA Professional Tennis Advisory Group and managing player liaison on the ground.

The young star is eyeing up a shot at the big time and reckons variety is the spice of life when it comes to letting off steam at the event.

“You’ve got to find a balance - it’s a long week if you don’t do anything, and you don’t want to be causing issues on the court if you’re out having dinners or whatever,” he added.

“It’s just about finding that balance - I live an hour away near Brighton so I’ll stay up here for two or three nights and then go home for one for a nice little change up.

“It’s nice for once not having to be in a hotel, so it’s just about trying to make it work and looking after the body.”

* 12 of the UK’s top women and men have qualified through the UK Pro Series for the UK Pro Classic - www.ukproseries.com. The final 3 days of competition will have national free to air coverage: Freeview Channel 64, Sky Channel 422, Virgin Media Channel 553, TalkTalkTV Channel 64, BT TV Channel 64 and on download app FreeSportsPlayer.tv