Rafter
ready for US Open
by Morgan Beck
Pat's back and with the US Open not far away, the Rafter camp is confident his
Bermuda layover will have recharged his batteries.
After his dramatic loss to Goran Ivanisevic in the Wimbledon final early this
month, Rafter has spent a couple of weeks recuperating at his Bermuda home.
With the American hardcourt season getting underway, Rafter is back on court on
Monday at the Canadian Open in the lead-up to what may be his last grand slam.
Brother and manager Steve Rafter said while Pat had been relaxing and hitting
only a few balls during the last few weeks, he should do well at the Montreal
tournament.
"He's only been out of it for two-and-a-half weeks, so his form should
still be pretty good," Steve said.
While Steve Rafter said they don't place any more emphasis on winning the US
Open then they do any of the other three grand slams, they are hopeful Rafter
will add to his 1997 final victory over Greg Rusedski, and 1998 win over
compatriot Mark Philippoussis.
"It's a major, so we are placing a lot of emphasis on it," Steve said.
"Pat will be one of the handfuls of guys who everyone will be watching out
for."
Steve said his brother had shaken off any injury concerns, with his sometimes
troublesome shoulder holding up fine.
"If Pat's healthy he will be a real threat."
As for Rafter's retirement plans, Steve said his brother was still planning to
take a breather for a couple of months at the end of the year to consider his
future.
"We would love for Pat to keep going. But we don't know how his head and
body feel," he said.
Top players Gustavo Kuerten, Andre Agassi, Marat Safin, Pete Sampras, Lleyton
Hewitt and Tim Henman are all expected to compete at the Canadian Open.
The US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York begins on August 27.
END
Roche
to follow Rafter out of game
By MARGIE McDONALD
20jul01
IF Pat Rafter decides against playing another Wimbledon, then Tony Roche will
probably follow suit.
"It'd be hard without Pat," Roche said yesterday. "There's no one
like Pat."
It's hard to say who was in more pain after Rafter's loss over five sets to
Goran Ivanisevic at the All England Club's centre court on July 9.
"Obviously it hurt a lot," Roche said yesterday. "He (Rafter)
wanted to win it as much for me as he did for himself, I think, because he knows
my record at Wimbledon with (Ivan) Lendl, Chris Lewis and myself (lost to Rod
Laver in 1968).
"So he felt bad about that. But he was terrific about it. I've never seen
anyone handle a loss like that so well."
Roche was caught by the world's cameras with his head bowed on some of the
crucial points.
No one would have blamed him for looking away, but he says he ignored the
temptation.
"I think I saw most points but it was something I'd never really
experienced before in terms of just how nervous and just how sickening it
was."
Even being there four times before as coach – twice with Lendl (1986-87), once
with Lewis (83) and once with Rafter (2000) – didn't help Roche deal with the
agony.
He didn't sleep well the night before, went to the toilet several times before
the match, and also once during it (after the second set).
"I just knew how much it meant to Pat, being maybe his last Wimbledon, and
it would have been a fantastic way to have gone out." Which begs the
question: why quit?
Roche, in Sydney to cheer on the Fed Cup women's team, which meets Switzerland
in a second-round tie this weekend, hinted that his coaching career might be
pegged to Rafter's playing career.
Other ATP top-ranked players, including Britain's Tim Henman – who lost to
Ivanisevic in the semi-finals at Wimbledon – have made inquiries about Roche's
availability.
"I've been approached by a few guys but I've just said 'Look, I'm going to
just get through this year and see where Pat's heading'. I'm not making any sort
of decisions on what I'm doing next year."
And neither has Rafter, although he plans to start hitting a ball today for the
first time since July 9, according to Roche, who spoke with him in Bermuda by
phone on Wednesday.
The pair link up at the Cincinnati tournament in two weeks in the lead-up to the
US Open (August 27-September 9) and then head to Sydney for the Davis Cup semi
against Sweden (September 21-23).
Rafter is adamant he won't play next January's Australian Open, which frees up
Roche for other duties there.
But Roche is also adamant he won't try to talk Rafter into another Wimbledon –
not yet, at least.
"Pat's made up his mind that he wants this break after the Davis Cup.
"At this stage, I don't think he's going to listen to anybody. I think two
or three months into the break, I'll sit down with him and say 'Pat, how are you
feeling and what are your thoughts?' Then go from there."
Rafter's $40m
price
By JOHN THIRSK
15jul01
PAT Rafter has a dream to win the Davis Cup, Wimbledon and the Australian Open
but to do so he will have to sacrifice up to $40million.
That's the opinion of three-time Wimbledon champion John Newcombe, who believes
Rafter has two more years of tennis left in him. But the cost is a restricted
tournament schedule and sacrificing millions of dollars in prizemoney and
endorsements.
"I don't think this is his last year – he's got two more really good
years left in him," Newcombe said.
"What Pat is prepared to do, and what many players are not prepared to do,
is to sacrifice millions of dollars in order to do it the way he wants to do it.
"By playing an abbreviated circuit next year, that will probably cost him
$10 to $15 million in prizemoney and endorsements.
"If he was to play two more years, say six months each year, it would
probably cost him $30 to $40 million."
Rafter has drawn worldwide praise for his humble acceptance of losing his second
successive Wimbledon final last Monday.
Goran Ivanisevic won after Pete Sampras edged Rafter out last year. The
Australian hero has now decided on a six-month break after the US Open and
Newcombe believes some type of sabbatical is necessary for Rafter to fulfil his
destiny.
"If Pat wants to have a talk, then we will," he said.
"I'll tell him he's making the right decision to have a break, but it
shouldn't be too long. Pat has it in his mind to do that, but it should be
closer to three months off, better than six months out of the game.
"If Pat is to win Wimbledon next year he's got to give himself enough time
to get ready and I'm sure he'll plan to do that. He's got something to achieve
for himself. In my mind it's more unfinished business.
"Properly prepared, there is no reason why he can't win next year, but
then, there's no guarantee either.
"If he didn't give it a really good shot again, he'd be sorry later in
life."
Newcombe said Rafter was one of the few athletes who has been able to conquer
the difference between money and sport.
"His own personal life is more important to him than the money he makes out
of the sport," Newcombe said.
"In my mind, a lot of young players should take a leaf out of his
book."
Newcombe added that he felt Rafter had enough money to satisfy him for life.
"If Pat retired from the sport with $100 million in the bank or $20
million, he would rather have the lesser amount and be happy.
"It's a great lesson for people."
While Rafter says he may not play the Australian Open next year (after losing to
Andre Agassi in a semi-final last January), Newcombe says there is always 2003.
"Winning the Davis Cup, Wimbledon and the Australian Open, to my mind, is
Pat's unfinished business," he added.
There's been no wild nights out on the town – just a couple of golf games, some swimming and a few contemplative beers at a mate's place overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Like the rest of Australia, Rafter is still coming to terms with knowing he was within a couple of points of fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a Wimbledon champion.
"It'll stay with me for a bit longer yet," he admitted to The Sunday Telegraph.
"I wish it would go away but I'm not going to force it out."
Rafter doesn't try to put on a brave face. He wanted to win Wimbledon badly. Getting so close only makes it worse.
"You know, it's just tennis, it doesn't mean much." Then he pauses and adds: "But it would have been nice."
He's still the same gracious and humble guy the world applauded after that extraordinary five-set final. The one who shouted the bar for 400 raucous, sleep-deprived Aussies who had queued for hours to get a ticket.
But now, Rafter says, he needs some time to himself.
"I don't really feel like going out," he says. "I'm having a bit of trouble dealing with being around people at the moment.
"I'm happy just to stay at home with Lara."
Rafter agreed to speak to The Sunday Telegraph only because he wanted to thank the Australian public for their support.
He is still stunned that more than 3.5 million people – 87 per cent of the TV viewing audience – watched the final. He now realises he wasn't the only one left with an empty feeling after Ivanisevic took the final set 9-7.
"I'm really flattered about what's happened in Australia," he says. "You don't expect it. I hope people know I appreciate it. That's the reason I'm talking to you."
Rafter had promised his mother that if he won he would fly home to the family in Queensland.
An impatient Mrs Rafter will now have to wait until the Davis Cup semi-final in September to see her son.
He says he just wouldn't be able to handle all the attention if he went back to Australia now.
That's why Rafter has retreated to Bermuda, where he's just another face in the crowd among the 60,000 mostly well-heeled locals. It is a low-key island where almost everyone, including Rafter, gets around on a moped scooter.
"They don't give a damn who you are," he says.
"It's the perfect place to take things easy for a while."
Although he owns an apartment on Bermuda, Rafter and Feltham have been spending a lot of time this week with another couple who have a waterfront house on a secluded part of the island.
It is a warm, friendly home where Rafter is content to play in the swimming pool with the couple's two young children or just hang out.
They treat him like one of the family. And he pays his way. One evening he borrowed a bottle of maple syrup. The next day he replaced it with a new bottle bought from the local shop.
"He's not doing too badly," his mate says. "He's been a lot better than I expected.
"Apparently Tony Roche [Rafter's occasional coach] thinks it'll take him at least a month to get back to normal."
Rafter, who has twice won the US Open, also took it hard after he lost the 2000 Wimbledon final to Pete Sampras.
During that match, he was one set up and leading 4-1 in the second set tie-break when nerves hit him. He admits he choked, a word athletes rarely use about themselves. Normally, they make less honest excuses.
But this time Rafter has no such doubts. He knows he didn't freeze when the pressure was on.
"I don't look back and say I choked," he says.
After the Sampras match, he would often think about crucial points and the mistakes he made. Again, not so this time.
"There were a couple of big points. Love-30 (when he was two points away from winning)," Rafter recalls.
"I replayed some points from the Sampras game in my head, but with Goran you don't get that chance. It's all over so quickly."
Rafter hasn't picked up a tennis racquet or exercised since Wimbledon. He'll start jogging next week, then think about hitting a few balls in preparation for the Canadian Open in two weeks.
Then he'll have a crack at winning a third US Open, before flying home to see his family and lead Australia's Davis Cup tie against Sweden.
After that, he's not sure.
"I haven't got any plans. I'll just see what happens," he says.
The Davis Cup semi-final will be played against Sweden on September 21-23 at the Sydney International Tennis Centre.
Tickets for the three-day event – to be played on specially made grass courts to suit the Australian team – go on sale tomorrow.