Pat Rafter

Patrick Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972) is an

Patrick Rafter
Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He reached
the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles
ranking on 26 July 1999, holding it for one week. His
career highlights include consecutive US Open titles in
1997 and 1998, consecutive runner-up appearances at
Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001, winning the 1999 Australian
Open men's doubles tournament alongside Jonas
Björkman, and winning two singles and two doubles ATP
Masters titles.

He became the first man in the Open Era to win Canada

Masters, Cincinnati Masters and the US Open in the same
year, which he achieved in 1998; this achievement has
been dubbed the American Summer Slam. To date, only
two players have followed this feat: Andy Roddick in Rafter at the 2015 Australian Open
2003, and Rafael Nadal in 2013. Rafter is the third man in
Full name Patrick Michael Rafter
the Open Era to reach semifinals or better of every Grand
Slam tournament in both singles and doubles, after Rod Country (sports) Australia
Laver and Stefan Edberg, and remains the last man to date Residence Lennox Head, New South
to accomplish this. Rafter is also the only player to remain Wales, Australia
undefeated against Roger Federer with at least three Born 28 December 1972
meetings, though the meetings took place early in Federer's Mount Isa, Queensland,
career. He is also the only player with a winning record Australia
over the Swiss on all the three main surfaces: hard, clay Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)[1]
and grass.[2]
Turned pro 1991
Retired 2003 (last match November

Tennis career 2001)

Plays Right-handed (one-handed
Rafter turned professional in 1991. During the course of backhand)
his career, he twice won the men's singles title at the US Prize money US$11,133,128
Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. He was
Int. Tennis HoF 2006 (member page ([Link]
known for his serve-and-volley style of play.
[Link]/hall-of-fa
mers/inductees/patrick-rafter/))
Early years (1991–1996) Singles
Rafter won his first tour-level match in 1993, at Career record 358–191
Wimbledon. He reached the third round, before losing to Career titles 11
Andre Agassi. He also reached the semifinals in
Highest ranking No. 1 (26 July 1999)
Indianapolis. He defeated Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals
in three tight sets, before losing to Boris Becker in the Grand Slam singles results

semifinals. Rafter finished 1993 with a ranking of 66.[3] Australian Open SF (2001)
French Open SF (1997)
Rafter won his first career singles title in 1994 in Wimbledon F (2000, 2001)
Manchester. Prior to 1997, this was the only ATP singles US Open W (1997, 1998)
title he had won.
Other tournaments
Tour Finals RR (1997, 2001)
Breakthrough and stardom (1997–1999) Grand Slam Cup F (1997)
Rafter's breakthrough came in 1997. At that year's French Olympic Games 2R (2000)
Open, he reached the semifinals, falling in four sets to two
Doubles
time former champion Sergi Bruguera. Then, he surprised
many by winning the US Open, defeating Andriy Career record 214–111
Medvedev, Magnus Norman, Lionel Roux, Andre Agassi, Career titles 10
Magnus Larsson, and Michael Chang before beating Greg Highest ranking No. 6 (1 February 1999)
Rusedski in a four-set final; he was the first non-American Grand Slam doubles results
to win the title since Stefan Edberg in 1992. This was his
Australian Open W (1999)
first Grand Slam title, and catapulted him ahead of Chang
to finish the year ranked #2 in the world (behind only Pete French Open SF (1998)
Sampras). The unexpected nature of his US Open title led Wimbledon SF (1996, 1998)
many, including Hall-of-famer and four-time US Open US Open SF (1996)
champion John McEnroe to criticise Rafter as a "one-slam
wonder".[4]

Rafter had a particularly strong year in 1998, winning the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters ─ Andre
Agassi (1995), Andy Roddick (2003), and Rafael Nadal (2013) are the only other players to have won both of
these tournaments in the same year. Rafter defeated ninth-ranked Richard Krajicek in the Toronto final and
second-ranked Pete Sampras in the Cincinnati final. When asked about the difference between himself and
Rafter following their titles, Sampras responded, "10 grand slams". He added that a tennis player must come
back and win a Grand Slam again in order to be considered great.[4]

Entering the U.S. Open as the defending champion, Rafter reached the final by defeating Hicham Arazi, Hernán
Gumy, David Nainkin, Goran Ivanišević and Jonas Björkman before besting Sampras in a five-set semifinal.[5]
Rafter then defended his US Open title by defeating fellow Australian Mark Philippoussis in four sets,
committing only five unforced errors throughout the match.[4] Altogether, Rafter won six tournaments in 1998,
finishing the year No. 4 in the world.

Rafter won the Australian Open men's doubles title in 1999 (partnering Jonas Björkman), making him one of
few players in the modern era to win both a singles and doubles Grand Slam title during their career (fellow
countryman Lleyton Hewitt would later achieve this feat in 2001). He and Björkman also won a doubles title at
the ATP Masters Series event in Canada in 1999.[6] At the 1999 French Open, Rafter drew future world No. 1
and 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the first round, making him the first-ever opponent of
Federer in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. Rafter defeated him in four sets.[7] Rafter then reached
the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in 1999, losing in straight sets to Agassi. This was the first of three
consecutive years that the two met in the Wimbledon semifinals. July 1999 saw Rafter holding the world No. 1
men's singles ranking for one week, making him the shortest-reigning world No. 1 in ATP Tour history.[8] As
the two-time defending US Open champion, Rafter lost in the first round of the tournament, retiring in the fifth
set against Cédric Pioline after succumbing to shoulder tendinitis. Rafter's shoulder injury wound up being
serious enough to necessitate surgery.[9]
Due to injury, Rafter was unable to play in the 1999 Davis Cup final won by Australia; however, he won
important matches in the earlier rounds to help the team qualify.[10]

Late career (2000–2003)

Rafter's ranking had fallen to No. 21 by the time he reached the
Wimbledon final in July 2000. In the semifinals, he defeated Agassi 7–5,
4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3. The match was hailed as a classic, particularly
because of their contrasting playing styles, with Agassi playing primarily
from the baseline and Rafter attacking the net. Rafter faced Sampras in
the final, who was gunning for a record-breaking seventh Wimbledon
title overall (and seven in the past eight years). While Rafter made a
strong start to the match and took the first set, after the match he would
claim that he had "choked" part way through the second set tie-break,
and was then not able to get back into his game. Sampras won in four
sets.

Rafter played on the Australian Davis Cup Team that lost in the final in
2000 (to Spain) and 2001 (to France). Rafter played on the Australian
teams that won the World Team Cup in 1999 and 2001.
Rafter playing for the Australia Davis
In 2001, Rafter reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. Despite Cup team in 2001
holding a two sets to one lead and having the support of the home
crowd, Rafter lost the match to Agassi in five sets.[11] Later in the year,
Rafter again reached the Wimbledon final. For the third straight year, he faced Agassi in the semifinals and won
in yet another five-setter, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 8–6. Much like the previous year's semifinal, this match also
received praise for the quality of play that the two men displayed.[12][13] The final was originally scheduled to
play on the second Sunday but was rescheduled to the third Monday because the other semifinal between Goran
Ivanišević and Tim Henman was played on three separate days. In the final he played Ivanišević, who had
reached the Wimbledon final three times before but had slid down the rankings to World No. 125 following
injury problems. In a five-set struggle that lasted just over three hours, Ivanišević prevailed. He played his last
match at the Davis Cup final on rubber, winning the singles but losing the doubles.

Rafter did not play any tour matches in 2002. He spent the year recovering from injuries. In January 2003, he
announced his retirement from professional tennis, stating that he had lost all motivation to compete at the top
level.[14]

Comebacks and post-retirement activities

The 5,500-seat centre court of the Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane, Australia, was named Pat Rafter
Arena in Rafter's honour.[15] In 2002, he won the Australian of the Year award.[16] This created some
controversy, as he had spent much of his career residing in Bermuda for tax purposes.[17]

Rafter did return at the beginning of the 2004 season to play doubles at two tournaments only; the 2004
Australian Open and the 2004 AAPT Championships (in Adelaide). However, he lost in round one of both
events, playing alongside Joshua Eagle.

In 2005, Rafter won the International Club ([Link] prestigious Jean Borotra Sportsmanship
Award.
He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in
2006.[18] On Australia Day 2008, Rafter was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.

In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, Rafter was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for his
role as a "sports legend".[19]

In October 2010, Rafter was announced as Australia's Davis Cup captain.[20] Rafter stood down as Australia's
Davis Cup captain on 29 January 2015.[21] He was succeeded by Wally Masur.

On 12 January 2014, Rafter—then aged 41—announced that he would be partnering current Australian number
one Lleyton Hewitt in the doubles draw of the 2014 Australian Open. The comeback, however, was short-lived,
as the pair went down in straight sets to eventual runner-ups Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen in the first
round.[22]

ATP Champions Tour

At the 2009 AEGON Masters Tennis, Rafter lost his opening round robin match against the 1987 Wimbledon
Champion and fellow Aussie Pat Cash 2–6, 6–2, 10–6. In a much anticipated match and replay of the 2001
Wimbledon final, Rafter faced Goran Ivanišević. Rafter won the match when Ivanisevic retired while serving
for the opening set, 3–5. Despite his performance, the retirement was enough to push Rafter into the final
against Stefan Edberg. In what is described as a spell-binding serve-and-volley showdown,[23] Rafter won the
match 6–7, 6–4, 11–9. This represented the first time that Rafter was able to defeat Edberg.

Career statistics

Grand Slam performance timeline

Key

W F SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage;
(Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won /
competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
 W–
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 SR
L

Australian 0/ 15–
Q2 Q1 1R 1R 3R 4R 2R 1R 3R 3R A SF
Open 9 9

French 0/ 12–
A A A Q3 4R 1R 1R SF 2R 3R 2R 1R
Open 8 8
0/ 29–
Wimbledon A A Q2 3R 2R 1R 4R 4R 4R SF F F
9 9

2/ 20–
US Open A A Q1 1R 3R 2R 1R W W 1R 1R 4R
9 7

2/ 76–
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–1 2–3 8–4 4–4 4–4 15–3 13–3 9–4 7–3 14–4
35 33

Finals: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score

Win 1997 US Open Hard Greg Rusedski 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5
Win 1998 US Open (2) Hard Mark Philippoussis 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 6–0

Loss 2000 Wimbledon Grass Pete Sampras 7–6(12–10), 6–7(5–7), 4–6, 2–6
Loss 2001 Wimbledon (2) Grass Goran Ivanišević 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 7–9

See also
Tennis portal

List of male underwear models

References
1. "Patrick Rafter" ([Link]
[Link]. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
2. s.r.o., eHM. "Patrick Rafter vs. Roger Federer - The Ericsson Open - Miami - [Link]" (htt
p://[Link]/atp/match/patrick-rafter-VS-roger-federer/the-ericsson-open-miami-2001/).
[Link].
3. "Patrick Rafter | Overview | ATP World Tour | Tennis" ([Link]
ick-rafter/r255/overview). ATP World Tour. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
4. Dillman, Lisa (14 September 1998). "Rafter Grandly Slams U.S. Open Criticism" ([Link]
[Link]/archives/[Link]). Los Angeles Times.
5. "Sampras slight raises stakes for 'Pat-trick' " ([Link]
-[Link]). The Independent. 28 August 1999. Archived (http
s://[Link]/archive/20220525/[Link]
-[Link]) from the original on 25 May 2022.
6. "Patrick Rafter | Titles and Finals | ATP Tour | Tennis" ([Link]
after/r255/overview). ATP Tour.
7. "1999 French Open Men's Singles" ([Link]
[Link]/en/scores/draws/ms/[Link]) (PDF). 1 October 1999. Archived from the original (h
ttp://[Link]/en/scores/draws/ms/[Link]) (PDF) on 1 October 1999.
 8. "Top 5 tennis players with the shortest reign as World No. 1" ([Link]
p-5-tennis-players-with-the-shortest-reign-as-world-no-1/). EssentiallySports. 9 August 2015.
9. "Rio Olympics 2016 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)" ([Link]
profiles/[Link]). ABC News.
10. Matthews, Bruce (11 January 2003). "Good guy of tennis quits for his family". Herald Sun
(First ed.). Melbourne, Victoria. p. 7.
11. "Survival of the fittest" ([Link]
om/tennis/2001/australian_open/news/2001/01/25/agassi_recap/). Archived from the original (htt
p://[Link]/tennis/2001/australian_open/news/2001/01/25/agassi_recap) on 11
August 2001.
12. "Rafter charges into final" ([Link]
[Link]). [Link]. 6 July 2001.
13. "Back for more" ([Link]
nis/2001/wimbledon/news/2001/07/06/wimbledon_friday_ap/). Archived from the original ([Link]
[Link]/tennis/2001/wimbledon/news/2001/07/06/wimbledon_friday_ap) on 10 July
2001.
14. "Rafter announces retirement" ([Link]
[Link]). The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 January 2003.
15. "Stadium named after Pat Rafter - Brisbane International Tennis" ([Link]
[Link]/2008/10/stadium-named-after-pat-rafter). 23 October 2008.
16. Lewis, Wendy (2010). Australians of the Year. Pier 9 Press. ISBN 978-1-74196-809-5.
17. "Pat comes home from exile" ([Link]
[Link]). The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 September 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
18. "Patrick Rafter" ([Link] Sport Australia Hall of
Fame. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
19. Bligh, Anna (10 June 2009). "PREMIER UNVEILS QUEENSLAND'S 150 ICONS" ([Link]
[Link]/web/20170524033717/[Link] Queensland
Government. Archived from the original ([Link] on 24
May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
20. "Pat Rafter named Australian Davis Cup captain" ([Link]
[Link]). The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax
Media. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
21. "Lleyton Hewitt to retire from tennis after 2016 Australian Open, Pat Rafter stands down as Davis
Cup captain" ([Link]
6055726). ABC News. ABC. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
22. ATP Staff. "Hewitt/Rafter Doubles Campaign Ends in Defeat" ([Link]
16173446/[Link]
[Link]). ATP World Tour. Archived from the original ([Link]
m/News/Tennis/2014/01/3/[Link]) on 16
February 2015.
23. "Pat Cash Wins First Ever Meeting With Pat Rafter" ([Link]
9/[Link] Archived from the original ([Link]
[Link]/[Link]) on 3 November 2012.

External links
Pat Rafter ([Link] at the Association of Tennis
Professionals
Pat Rafter ([Link] at the International
Tennis Federation
Pat Rafter ([Link] at the Davis Cup
Pat Rafter ([Link] at the International
Tennis Hall of Fame
 Pat Rafter ([Link] at Tennis Australia
Pat Rafter ([Link] at [Link]
2002 Australian of the Year ([Link]
[Link]/pages/[Link]) at the Wayback Machine (archived 10 December 2009)
Pat Rafter Cherish the Children (Charity) ([Link]
[Link]/) at the Wayback Machine (archived 1 December 2005)

Retrieved from "[Link]