Pat Cash misses last chance to join Hall of Fame

Australian tennis great Pat Cash has missed his last chance to join the International Tennis Hall of Fame after the Class of 2018 was revealed.

Cash and doubles major winners Anders Jarryd and Tom Okker were beaten in the votes by Germany's 1991 Wimbledon champion Michael Stich and Czech star Helena Sukova.

Sukova was a four-time singles runner-up at the Australian Open and US Open but won a host of women's and mixed doubles grand slams.

Cash, having retired in 1997, is no longer eligible to be inducted under the Hall of Fame's 20-year rule.

The 52-year-old defeated world No.1 Ivan Lendl to win Wimbledon in 1987 and kicked off the tradition of climbing into the stands to celebrate with the player's box.

The Victorian was also a two-time runner-up at the Australian Open, while he won the Davis Cup twice with Australia and reached a career-high ranking of No.4 in the world.

Stich, whose other highlights include reaching world No.2, winning the Wimbledon men's doubles with John McEnroe and the 1993 Davis Cup, and Sukova will be celebrated alongside other tennis legends on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday night.

They will be formally inducted in July at the Hall of Fame in Rhode Island, USA.

"I’m humbled to be included among this elite group of tennis athletes, many of whom I so greatly admired and was inspired by throughout my career,” Stich said.

Sukova credited Czech compatriots Martina Navratilova and Jan Kodes, as well as her mother Vera -- who reached the 1962 Wimbledon final -- for inspiring her career.

"It was truly my joy and privilege to compete for my country, on the WTA tour, and among the greatest tennis players in the world," Sukova said.