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Pat Cash slams ‘ridiculous’ Wimbledon rules during Alex de Minaur’s match with Zachary Svajda, ‘I’m so against this’

Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images
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Alex de Minaur booked his place in the fourth round of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year after beating Zachary Svajda.

De Minaur, who has yet to make it past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam, beat the American in four sets, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

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Alex de Minaur waves to the crowd after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2026 Australian Open
(Getty images)

Svajda was looking to make a comeback after taking the second set, but as the third set progressed, he began to struggle physically.

At 5-2 down in the third set, he called for the physio and received a medical timeout to receive treatment on his leg.

Commentating on BBC’s coverage, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was frustrated with what he saw.

Zachary Svajda reacts at Wimbledon.
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Pat Cash reacts to Zachary Svajda’s medical timeout

“Personally I’m against medical timeouts unless you’ve done an injury,” said Cash.

“Because this is loss of condition. This is muscles getting tired and you’re not supposed to have a medical timeout for that.

“If that’s not an overworked muscle getting tired, I don’t know what is. I’m so against this. The doctors need to be standing up and going no, this isn’t an injury.

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Novak Djokovic reacts during his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 US Open
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

“Here’s the rule: anything in the fourth set in the men’s, unless you twist your ankle or roll something or run into a net post or whatever, you don’t get any medical timeouts. It’s as simple as that. Because it’s tiring, you get tired.

“Doctors should come up and go, guess what, you’ve just been playing two hours, you’re tired. Your muscles are tired. Move on, play on.

“This changes the momentum of the game, and it’s against the rules.”

Zachary Svajda celebrates a point at Wimbledon.
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Pat Cash says the ball toss rule in tennis is ‘absolutely ridiculous’

Cash continued: “The ball toss is the other mysterious one for me. It’s just absolutely ridiculous.”

“How can you start the point, shot clocks gone off, balls in play, it’s gone in the air, it’s about to be hit and you catch it.

“These are no brainers, but tennis governing bodies just can’t come to an understanding. You need someone at the ITF to go, right, Grand Slams, this is what we’re doing.

“That’s it. No more throwing the ball up and catching it. As soon as you’re at the pro level, ball is in the air, point starts.”

There is no limit to the number of times a player can let a tossed ball drop and catch it provided they do not swing the racket at it.