Rafter's style will be missed

By TOM TEBBUTT

Monday, December 10, 2001


Patrick Rafter began the 1997 tennis year as the No. 62 player in the world. He was 24 years old and had won only one tour event -- a minor grass-court tournament in Manchester, England, three years earlier.

By the end of 1997, he was the U.S. Open champion and one of the most charismatic and beloved figures in the sport.

Few people anticipated his breakthrough at Flushing Meadows, including Andre Agassi. After losing to Rafter in the round-of-16, Agassi was asked if the rugged Aussie could win the title. "No," was his blunt reply.

That he went on to earn a second U.S. Open in 1998, attain the No. 1 ranking in July, 1999, and twice reach the Wimbledon final (2000 and 2001), is testimony to Rafter's exceptional athleticism and dedication.

He's a workhorse whose form is directly related to how much he plays. That could be what makes an eventual return to tennis, after his sojourn away from the game, highly unlikely.

An MRI on his injured right arm has revealed he will need to rest it for three to six months to prevent possible stress-fracture problems.

Should he decide he wants to play again, he faces a Catch 22. If he plays a lot, he may aggravate the arm. If he doesn't, he won't play well.

With that in mind, it appears the recent Davis Cup final in Melbourne, Australia, will be his swan song.

In his absence, Pete Sampras and Tim Henman are the only top-ranked men who carry the banner for serve-and-volley players amid a legion of hard-hitting baseliners such as Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Gustavo Kuerten, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick.

Rafter's swashbuckling tennis will be missed, as will his being such a decent and caring person.

In a story last month by Australian writer Linda Pearce, his brother/manager Peter claimed the only time Patrick got a little off course was when he had an English girlfriend in 1994 and 1995.

According to Peter, he "wasn't being himself," and "didn't want to spend much time with the family," while he dated Alexandra Dixon. But that didn't last long and he was soon back to being the brother who was called "Skunky," a nickname variously explained as being because of the strip of white hair on his head and/or his proclivity for flatulence.

In a free-flowing panegyric about Rafter last month, Agassi said, "He's a true competitor, true champion, true grit, always punches the clock, always professional on the court, always a first-class person off the court. You want a person like that on the tour."

Rafter is a guy whom Jaime Morrocco, an American court reporter who does press-conference transcripts at events around the world, says is one of the few players (others include Alex Corretja, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Amanda Coetzer) who always says hello to him and his colleagues in their workspace near the interview dais.

He's a guy who announced that the drinks (about 200 of them) were on him for any Australian who was in the Dog and Fox pub in Wimbledon Village the night after his heart-breaking loss to Goran Ivanisevic in this year's Wimbledon final.

And now he is the guy who between Christmas and New Years, with long-time girlfriend Lara Feltham, will take two Bermudian friends and their two young daughters on an around-Australia holiday.

Last week, he deservedly received the "Don" award, given annually to Australia's most inspiring athlete. It is named after the late and much-revered cricketer Sir Donald Bradman.

Rafter, who turns 29 in two weeks, was out of the country so his dad Jim and mom Jocelyn accepted the accolade on behalf of the third-youngest of their nine children.

Jocelyn Rafter told how she received many letters about Patrick and read one from a mother who included a prayer that her young son recited every night before bed. It went as follows: "Dear God, thank-you for Pat Rafter, my favourite toys and the world. Help me with my homework. Love, Aaron."

In Australia and around the world, Rafter has made quite an impression in a scant four years of superstardom.
ttebbutt@globeandmail.ca

A gentleman and a player
The Bulletin
November 28, 20001

On the eve of a Davis Cup final that may mark the end of Pat Rafter's outstanding career, Alan Trengove interviews the last of the serve-and-volley merchants.

So Patrick Rafter, according to a recent survey, is the Australian whom a majority of his male compatriots would most like to be. Not the hard-headed cricketer Steve Waugh nor the macho movie star Russell Crowe but Rafter, with his dodgy shoulder, physical breakdowns and heart-breaking failures on some big occasions. And who would Rafter wish to be? A politician? His popularity, after all, could win him almost any seat in Australia.
"No way, mate. I'm not into politics," the waning tennis champion said last week. "Being a politician is a no-win situation. You get half the population hating you. I'm on a good wicket now."

Well, then, who? "I'd like to experience being the lead singer of a rock band," he said unexpectedly. His voice is promising? "No, mate. Everyone thinks I've got musical talent but I'm bloody useless. There's not one musical bone in my body. It's a lost cause."

The ambition to sing with a rock band, it seems, comes into the same category as the bungee jump he undertook from a high-rise building in Germany; just another Water Mitty-type dream to sample a few of life's more daring adventures. Perhaps his swashbuckling style of tennis should be included as well. After he prematurely quits tennis at the conclusion of this weekend's Davis Cup final against France at Melbourne Park, the 28-year-old Rafter may be remembered not only as a good bloke and exemplary sportsman but also as the last top-class serve-and-volley player this country ever produced. A line that included Sedgman, Hoad, Emerson, Newcombe and Laver is about to end.

Rafter's plight is a consequence of the demands made on his right shoulder by his net-attacking game. This is now an impracticable method of playing tennis, except on grass, because modern racquets and court surfaces have drastically tilted the balance of power toward the baseline player.

"Kids aren't being taught to serve-and-volley any more," says Allan Stone, a Davis Cup selector and former Australian Open doubles champion. It is, he points out, a high-risk style requiring exceptional athleticism. "It's easier to teach someone solid ground strokes, to move quickly around the baseline, and counter-punch," says Stone. "I can't see anyone like Rafter or [Pete] Sampras in the future."

Why, indeed, would anyone want to punish their bodies like Rafter when they can see the results achieved with less physical stress by baseliners such as Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Gustavo Kuerten, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, who wield powerful high-tech racquets with great accuracy?

When Rafter won his second successive US Open title in 1998, he appeared to be heading for many more triumphs. But repetitive serving at maximum speed or with heavy spin eventually damaged his shoulder. At the 1999 US Open, he was forced to retire in the first round, and subsequently underwent surgery. Ever since, he has followed advice to do at least half-an-hour's monotonous stretching and strengthening exercises each day.

"To be a hustler, like Pat, you have to be super fit because everything you do is at maximum effort," explains former Davis Cup captain John Newcombe. "It's like you're doing short sprints for four hours, and your opponents are more in a long-distance race, not constantly expending these huge amounts of energy. I thought that by the end of 1999, he'd be at his peak and would hold it for a couple of years. The injury came and stopped him. Then came the cramping."

Cramp usually denotes lack of fitness but when Rafter was forced to default a critical Davis Cup singles match against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero in Barcelona last December, his condition was believed to be more due to anxiety. He admits that carrying a nation's expectations is one of the things he'll miss least in retirement.

At the Australian Open last January, he cramped when in a winning position against Agassi, either because he hadn't consumed enough fluid or wasn't as fit as he was assumed to be. Two months later, in Brazil, he defaulted in a Davis Cup singles match against Kuerten because of soreness in his arm. And in September, he faded wearily against Sweden's Thomas Johansson in a Davis Cup singles game at Sydney after leading by two sets to love. "He used to practise really hard but now I suspect he doesn't practise long enough because of the shoulder," says Newcombe. "He might do an hour-and-a-quarter, whereas with his game, he should be doing three to four hours a day."
The series of Cup disappointments, along with his defeat in two successive Wimbledon finals, both of which he had an excellent chance of winning, have taken as much toll of Rafter's morale as the injury itself. Yet he has never failed to behave graciously. Who can forget the genuine warmth of his Wimbledon congratulation to Goran Ivanisevic, who doesn't compare with him in talent?

The third youngest of a family of nine children, Rafter has remained, through triumph and disaster, an ordinary bloke, humorous and down-to-earth. "The same old bag of crap," is how he described himself after his first Grand Slam victory, an attitude that permeated his career and struck a chord with the Australian people. A lovable larrikin, he may be; he is also a gentleman by instinct, sensitive to the feelings of others. His charm and sportsmanship provided a welcome counter-balance to the gaucheries of the Warnes, Hewitts and Mundines of Australian sport.
When he won his first US Open crown, he was conscious of a small, anonymous group of Aussies barracking for him high in the stands. He didn't merely wave his thanks but invited them to join his celebratory party. Few international athletes, in a moment of glory, would be so fundamentally egalitarian as to do that.

His honesty is considerably greater than his ego. "I choked," he said frankly after wasting an opportunity to take a two sets-to-love lead against Sampras in the 2000 Wimbledon final. This year, during a press conference, he alluded in awe to Hewitt's extraordinary intensity. "I was talking to some guy at the piss trough," he told reporters, as if yarning in a bar, "and said I could only last a week or two being that intense."

Although he looks formidable charging into the net, lunging or leaping for the ball, Rafter always has been emotionally vulnerable. A late bloomer, he was unknown at the age Hewitt is now, and used to say with puzzlement in his early 20s that a lot of people seemed to have a better opinion of his ability than he did himself. "When he gets into a low spell and starts to doubt himself, you have to do a lot of work on his mind," says Newcombe, one of several close friends who believe he could yet win Wimbledon if he again attained a high level of fitness and a positive attitude.

Has Rafter achieved as much as he thought he would? "As years progress," he said, "you start expecting more of yourself. And sometimes second isn't good enough. But if you'd said to me when I was 13, 'Pat, you are going to win a couple of US Opens and play in two Wimbledon finals, what do you think about that?' I would have taken it hands down."

Making millions hasn't pleased him as much as the opportunity to help others, especially seriously ill children. He gives Agassi credit for showing athletes how to spend some of their wealth in setting up charitable organisations, and possibly offers an insight into where his own future may lay. "It was always something I wanted to get involved with … how nice a thing it is to do! Having hands-on experience in doing that [creating his Cherish the Children Foundation] is very satisfying."

Agassi, in turn, has made one of the finest tributes to Rafter. "I think he brings a great rawness to tennis," he told an American magazine. "He's a true competitor, true champion, true grit, always punches in the clock, always professional on the court, always a first-class person off the court. And you want a person like that on the tour. You want a person like that working for you. You want a person like that related to you. You want a person like that around. The game will miss him when he goes."

Unless his shoulder fully recovers and he decides by, say, mid-April to give Wimbledon one final fling, this weekend will mark the end of the Queenslander's competitive career. To be in a successful Davis Cup team, he says, is "something I've always really, really wanted". If this particular wish is realised, it will at least be some compensation for recent frustrations. Most Australians will be hoping it does for his sake alone.


DOUBLE FAULT
The Bulletin Dec 5,2001

Pat Rafter's arm was the crucial feature of Australia's Davis Cup defeat, writes Alan Trengove.

One fan had brought along a branch of gum tree from which a soft woollen frog was hanging by the neck. It may have been a desperate attempt at voodoo but, like every other Australian ploy at the Davis Cup final, it simply didn't work. A portable grass court, an 11th-hour switch in the doubles team, spontaneous renditions of the national anthem and plastic kangaroos hopping around the aisles of Melbourne Park all failed to stop a dramatic French victory.

The root cause of our unexpected 3-2 defeat was the selection of an unfit player. It is a cardinal rule in any sport never to rely on anyone carrying an injury, and everyone in the Australian camp knew that Pat Rafter's chronically sore right arm could bring the team undone. He should not have played, but how could rookie captain John Fitzgerald resist the national sentiment that wished Australia's favourite son to have one final fling at achieving the cup triumph that's eluded him?

The whole event was structured around Rafter and the "Let's-do-it-for-Pat" theme. It was primarily to suit him that a grass court was installed, even though that didn't help baseliner Lleyton Hewitt. When Hewitt was bothered by dodgy bounces and lost to a dashing Nicolas Escude, Australia was in trouble. Rafter levelled the series by beating Sebastien Grosjean, but already his arm was causing concern. He reckoned he could play one more match and wanted that to be the doubles. So Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs, having practised together for a fortnight, made way for Rafter and Hewitt, who were duly outclassed by Cedric Pioline and Fabrice Santoro. Hewitt began a rearguard action by dispatching Grosjean, but Escude again played like a potential Wimbledon champion in defeating Rafter's unfortunate substitute, the 30-year-old Wayne Arthurs.

What we will never know is whether the outcome would have been different if Arthurs, who was in the best form of his career, had been chosen to play singles from the outset. Also imponderable is whether Rafter will definitely quit and whether Mark Philippoussis – hero of the 1999 victory over France – can be coaxed back into the team. Philippoussis, who has also been plagued by injury, was in Melbourne a few days before the final but declined an invitation to attend. That wasn't a good sign.


Despite the pugs' bad example, comebacks can succeed
Date: 08/12/2001
By Richard Hinds
Comebacks have a bad reputation and, for that, you can blame boxing. If so many addled, punch-drunk pugs hadn't climbed through the ropes for that one fight too many, the notion of retired sportsmen in less life-threatening pursuits having another crack would not be on the nose.

Take Michael Jordan's comeback with the Washington Wizards. The team still stinks and Jordan has already wrenched his right knee. But in starring against Air-apparent Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers, Jordan provided valuable context. It was a bit like The Don being able to take block at the other end to Sachin Tendulkar, just to remind the world what 99.94 really means.

Which is not to say every washed-up jock should be hauling their aching bodies off the couch or the golf course. Just that comeback is not always a dirty word.

Pat Rafter should come back.
And I'm betting he will, some time.
One report after the Davis Cup final suggested Rafter's right arm was so badly banged up it would drop straight off if he picked up a ping-pong ball. The way he had mauled Sebastien Grosjean on the first day, that is difficult to believe.

But that was one of the sad things about Rafter's messy departure. A lot of things he and the rest of the Australian team said were about as credible as a Mafia hitman's testimony.

One minute Rafter was whaling into the media for suggesting he would struggle to make it through the three days, the next, we were led to believe that by Saturday morning he had only "half a match" left in him.

The truth is the Australians went for the quick kill by playing Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt in the doubles and blew it. No shame existed in this for captain John Fitzgerald and his team. Not until Hewitt took another ill-timed shot at those members of the press who wouldn't kiss his sneakers.

Throughout the lead-up to the final, Rafter had trained every second day. On that schedule, he would have played Friday and Sunday. Had he missed the doubles, there must have been a chance Rafter would have woken up on the Sunday morning ready to play. We will never know.

Yet next year, with Pete Sampras waning and Goran Ivanisevic doing national service (is anyone else concerned about him being armed?) there is the real chance Tim Henman will win Wimbledon. For an Australian, surely there can be no greater motivation to leave the beach and pick up the racquet again.

Tony Lockett, though, should not have come back. And he didn't. Good decision, big fella.
As comeback ideas go, this was a tough call. No doubt Lockett could have made some contribution. Clearly, Plugger was getting itchy feet teaching lesser mortals to kick for goal when he felt he could still do the job.
The Sydney Swans deserve some credit for the way they handled a difficult situation. Rather than hiring a forklift and carrying him straight to the goal square, they made Lockett an offer he could refuse.

Limited playing time. Sometimes none at all. A full training schedule. Minimum wage.
In that context, mowing the lawn back at his property near Bowral suddenly didn't seem like such a bad idea. And it wasn't.

Anthony Mundine should come back - as himself.

However, first he should write a letter to Sven Ottke.
"Dear Sven,
"Thank you very much for hitting me in the head very, very hard. When I came to, I remembered that I am Anthony Mundine - champion rugby league player. Not Ali Lite - big-mouthed boxer.
"Oh, and sorry about the 'That's my belt' crack at the weigh-in. Clearly, it belongs to you.
"Yours humbly, Anthony (not Muhammad) Mundine."

Of course, we're dreaming.

What really happened was Mundine walked through Customs waving a scorecard he maintained showed he was winning the fight until his head got in the way of Ottke's fist. Which is like the Japanese claiming they were doing pretty well in the Pacific until the Americans introduced those pesky atomic bombs.
The sad thing is, Mundine is a gifted and - don't quote me on this - intelligent athlete. Potentially, a wonderful role model for Aboriginal children, he seems to have become side-tracked by his lame Ali impersonation.
Even when he suggested the United States should take some responsibility for the September 11 terrorist attacks, he ruined his credibility by retracting the statement. The real Muhammad stood his ground on Vietnam and copped the punishment.

But, despite his best attempts to match Osama bin Laden's popularity rating, Mundine could still be a hero. If he is looking for a cause, turn out for South Sydney. The sport is right, the demographic is perfect. Once more he would be The Man.
END

Rafter earns award glory
By RON REED
07dec01

PAT Rafter couldn't get Australia over the line in the Davis Cup, but he has still been judged the sporting inspiration of the nation.

The dual US Open champion was the recipient of The Don award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame dinner in Melbourne last night.
The award, which honours the Hall of Fame's first inductee, the late Sir Donald Bradman, is given to the athlete who, by example, has been the most inspirational -- not necessarily the best -- performer.

Previous winners were marathon runner Heather Turland and cricketer Mark Taylor -- joint recipients in 1998 -- swimmer Ian Thorpe in 1999 and runner Cathy Freeman last year.

Rafter's parents, Jim and Jocelyn, collected the award on behalf of their son, who has begun a long holiday from the game and all official engagements. He may not return to tennis.

Rafter beat a strong field for the award. The other candidates were newly-retired rugby captain John Eales, world champion swimmer Grant Hackett, cricket captain Steve Waugh, golfer Karrie Webb and Rafter's Davis Cup teammate Lleyton Hewitt.

The accolade provides a silver-lining sequel to the disappointments of last weekend, when Rafter -- nursing an injured right arm -- was caught in the middle of a controversy over the tactics employed as Australia lost the Davis Cup final to France.

Because candidates must be retired for two years, Rafter does not become a member of the Hall of Fame -- but five new members and two associate members were inducted last night.

The new members are:

GOLFER Bruce Crampton, the first Australian to win more than $1 million in prizemoney. He won the 1956 Australian Open and was twice runner-up in the US PGA, runner-up in the Masters and runner-up in the US Open. He won 15 tournaments in America.

HORSEMAN Phillip Dutton, a member of the gold medal three-day event teams at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics and the first foreign rider to win the USA Rider of the Year award in 1998 and again in 2000.

ROWER Nick Green, part of the Oarsome Foursome coxless four which won gold at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, plus four world championships.

FOOTBALLER Peter Hudson, who kicked 727 goals in 130 matches with Hawthorn, kicked 100 goals five times, won two club best and fairest awards and was made a Legend of the game.

SQUASH player Michelle Martin, winner of three World Opens, six British Opens, seven Australian Opens and two Commonwealth Games gold medals.

Recently-retired Wallabies rugby coach Rod MacQueen and long serving Olympic medico, Dr Brian Sando, were given associate memberships.

Horseman Andrew Hoy and sprinter Darren Clark were also inducted after becoming members last year.

One of the early members, golf veteran Peter Thomson, was elevated to a Hall of Fame legend in recognition of his five British Open wins in the 1950s and 60s and his continuing involvement in the game.

His old mate Kel Nagle, who also won a British Open, was among those on hand to congratulate Thomson.

If this does turn out to be Pat Rafter’s last year in tennis, it has at least ended on a more fitting note than looked likely last Sunday.

Rafter was a good choice last night for one of the more interesting and salient of the sports accolades that tend to proliferate at this time of the year: the Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s The Don Award.

Struck in honour of the late Sir Donald Bradman, the gong does not depend on the candidate winning anything, but rather his or her capacity to inspire the nation.

It was a long-overdue concept when it was introduced in 1998, with cricket captain Mark Taylor and the running mum, Commonwealth games marathon champion Heather Turland, sharing the first one.

Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman followed, so it has quickly become elite company.

This year’s field also included retired rugby captain John Eales, Rafter’s protégé Lleyton Hewitt, swimmer Grant Hackett, cricket captain Steve Waugh and golfer Karrie Webb and each, in their own way, would be worthy winners.

You couldn’t argue with the judging panel, headed by former marathon champion Rob de Castella, option for Rafter, although you suspect that is might be in recognition of his overall contribution rather than simply his year 2001.

The year did include a second successive Wimbledon final, after which he was lauded for his grace in defeat.

But that sense of style, sportsmanship, compassion and modesty have long been as much a part of the popular Queenslander’s CV as the two US Open championships and numerous other tournament victories.

It is the man as much as the tennis player that Australians love so much, but until now it has been a slightly nebulous concept with no formal way of recognising it. That has now been attended to.

The one slightly sad note is that there has been no opportunity for a formal farewell, even if his absence does prove to be temporary.

Nobody but the dressing-room insiders knew that the ill-fated doubles last Saturday afternoon would be the last match, that he would not appear in the reverse singles because of his injured arm.

Nod did he appear at the testy final press conference to throw any light on either his plans or his feelings about the way the fairytale “do it for Pat” script went wrong.

And having started his eagerly anticipated sabbatical or retirement, whatever it is, he could not be coaxed into a dinner suit and a plane for last night’s function. His parents, Jim and Jocelyn, did the honours for him. His invisibility, though, had done nothing to dilute the applause.

There are those of us who believe that the Davis Cup might not be in Paris now if all the sentiment involved had not led to an injured player being picked for a big match – one of the oldest traps in the book – but Rafter’s reputation will survive that, easily.

In all the angst over the Davis Cup result, it got slightly lost that it has still been a stellar year for Australian tennis. Runner-up isn’t to be sneezed at, after all.

As well, Rafter had a significant impact on the grand slams, a semifinalist in the Australian as well as the memorable epic against Goran Ivanisevic on the last day of Wimbledon.

And Hewitt, of course, won the US Open, the season-ending Masters championship and became the youngest No. 1 in history.

In this column’s view, that makes him – slightly ahead of swimmer Ian Thorpe – Australia’s sportsman of the year.

Rafter named as Australia's most inspiring athlete
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Twice U.S. Open champion Patrick Rafter has been officially recognised as Australia's most inspiring athlete during 2001.

The Wimbledon finalist received the annual "Don" award at Thursday's Australian Sports Hall of Fame dinner.

The award is named after Australia's cricketing legend, the late Sir Donald Bradman, and recognises athletes who set an example both on and off the playing field.

Rafter, who showed amazing grace in his Wimbledon final loss to Goran Ivanisevic, won the award ahead of a distinguished field that included retired rugby union captain John Eales, cricket captain Steve Waugh, swimmer Grant Hackett, golfer Karrie Webb and Rafter's Davis Cup team mate Lleyton Hewitt.

Previous winners of the award include runner Cathy Freeman, swimmer Ian Thorpe, cricketer Mark Taylor and marathon runner Heather Turland.

Golfer Bruce Crampton, equestrian rider Phillip Dutton, rower Nick Green, Australian Rules footballer Peter Hudson and squash player Michelle Martin were named as this year's five new inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Five-times British Open golf champion Peter Thomson was elevated to "legend" status.

There are 318 members in the hall of fame, of whom 21 are recognised as legends.

Pat Rafter's year of losing painfully: twelve months of arm wrestling.
The final hurrah of Australia's favourite son reflects a year of ups and downs.

The DC loss was not the end to a magnificent career Patrick Rafter wanted. Patrick Miles plots the highs and lows of 2001. 
January:
Rafter's announcement in the second week of the year that he is planing an "indefinite break" from tennis at the end of 2001 is met with disbelief and sadness. He says he is giving 12 months notice to allow his fans their last chance to see him in action at the OZ Open. His decision is based on the fact that he fed up with travelling and recurring aches and pains, sets the agenda for the year. At every stop on thee tour he is questioned about "retirement". He does not fail to ignite the passion of the crowds as he records his best performance at Melbourne Park but an attack of cramp in the semi-finals halts hymn in a wining position against Ages and also creates a theme for his last season.

"I never really want to say that this is definite retirement" he said "I'm going to take a long Berala and see what happens. I'm committed to this year. I'd love to be able to leave the game and say "it was a great year."

February
In the build up to the DC Perth a barrage of questions about his health and his ability to compete over 5 sets causes a case of prickly heat ."I don't want to talk about it" he said. Rafter is so annoyed that , for the next 3 ties, the players refuse to participate in an open press conference until the day of the draw. Rafter sees off Ecuador's Lapentii brothers without dropping a set and for the time being anyway, fends off the clamour for constant medial bulletins.

March
In the US for the first time cine the announcement of his retirement plan=n, Rafter has to endure a while new series of questions and a host of farewell tributes from his fellow competitors, some of whom believe that he wont be away for long. he finds good form in the first 2 Tennis masters events of the season, reaching the quarter finals in Indian Wells and the semi-finals in Miami. He plays doubles with Lleyton Hewitt to create another option for the coming DC quarter-final in Florianopolis Brazil.
"I don't want to have sympathy from all the other guys and from tournaments" he said/ "That';s the one thing I do regret about what I have said."

April
Rafter reties from the opening DC quarter- finals match against the home-town hero, Guestevo Kuerten, complaining of pain in his right forearm.
Intentionally or otherwise it is a tactual withdrawal with startling consequences for the Australian team. Hewitt turns on the performance of his life to win nine sets in 3 days , having teamed with Rafter in the doubles on the middle day. Australia defeat Brazil away on clay and Rafter's dream of becoming a DC winner edges closer to reality. But Rafter, nursing his forearm has had enough of this beastly surface and returns home to Pembroke, dodging TMS events on clay in Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg.
"Playing doubles with Lleyton is another ace up our sleeve" he said.

May
Dragging himself away from the golf courses in Bermuda and Australia, Rafter picks up the Europe clay court season with just two events remaining. He joins Hewitt for the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, where he is guaranteed at least three matches against top players before the French Open. When asked how his coach Tony Roche is advising him, Rafter replies "he told me to get ready for the grass."
Despite this fatalistic attitude, Rafter wins two of his three matches, helping Australia to vestiary in the team event for the second time in three years. But he does not fancy is chances at Roland Garros. his assessment turns out to be more accurate than he would've liked when he loses to his DC team mate Wayne Arthirs, in the first round having squandered a two set lead. "I'll just try to find a grass court around here" he said.

June
The grass is always greener anywhere for Rafter, who braces himself for the final fling on the surface which best suits his style. He reaches the semi-final in Halle, then crosses to Rosmalen , where he has won the title three years in a row. He says he wants another one to thwart his "little mate" Hewitt who is coming to the Netherlands with his eye on the prize.
Sure enough Rafter loses in the first round and Hewitt wins his second grass tournament in a fortnight. The at last Wimbledon where Rafter was the runner-up to Pete Sampras the previous year. The Australian advances with confidence and style to the second week.
"It's great to see Goran play well especially" he said.

July
For the second year running Rafter defeats Agassi in the Wimbledon semi-finals to set up a crack at his third Grand Slam title. In the final which is held on the Monday because of bad weather, support is divided between Rafter, one of the most popular men on the tour, and Goran I. who has failed in the final three times previously.Rafter was two points away from Victory in the fifth set but the Croat produced a fairy-tale finish to deny Rafter once more. There were carrion calls for the Queenslander to come back next year.
"Who knows? " he said. "It was just electric and it was great to be out there and playing in that atmosphere. I don't think Wimbledon's ever seen it. But I am sick of making bloody history."

August
A few years ago, after Rafter won back-to-back US Open titles, Rafter was know as "Mr August"
The hard courts of North America proved to be a productive surface as he followed his run at Wimbledon with 3 more finals appearances in a row. At TMS in Montreal and Cincinnatti he loses to Andre Pavel and Gustavo Kuerten, but in Indianapolis he breaks through for his one and only title of the season by defeating and injured Guga, who was forced to retire in the first set.

September
Flushing Meadows has been a fruitful arena for Rafter, who won his two Grand Slam titles there in 1997 and 1998. But it was also the scene of his heart-breaking loss to Cedric Pioline in the first round in 1999, after which he has surgery on his shoulder which kept him out of the game for around six months. On this occasion he is facing what is likely to be his last Grand Slam campaign. After being drawn in "the quarter of death" he has to play Sampras in the fourth round and he loses in 4 sets. A fortnight later he is part of the Australian DC team to defeat Sweden in the semi-finals but his own contribution is lacking.
"I am just trying to ride the wave as long as I can. Then I want to step back and see what life is"

October
After the terrorist attacks in the US Rafter excuses himself from the European indoor season, which he has planned to keep brief anyway. He misses the last two TMS events; in Stuttgart and Paris, but his results earlier in the year are sufficient for him to join the eight-man field for the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney- the points from which must be included in a player's year end total- making the Masters a notable achievement.

November
Drawn in the same group as Hewitt, Agassi and Grosjean for the Masters, Rafter is faced with a difficult task, particularly as his arm is giving him grief. Although he fails to win a match, his loss to Hewitt propels his compatriot to the top of the world rankings. Once again Rafter is under siege from his injured arm and
with the DC final against France looming large. On the first day of the tie at Melbourne Park the usual roles are reversed as Hewitt loses the first rubber and Rafter picks up the pieces.
"It feels good to really contribute, the adrenalin is pumping."

December
Rafer keeps Australia's hopes alive on the opening day of the final by winning the second singles rubber. His victory levels the score at 1-1 after Hewitt's loss to Escude. Afterwards he tells DC captain John Fitzgerald that he has only one more match left in him, and it is decided to throw him into the doubles with Hewitt. The move does not pay off as the Australians lose to Pioline and Santoro. Rafter then claims he is raring to go in the reverse singles Sunday. But, during the first match on Sunday when Hewitt beats Grosjean, it is announced that Wayne Arthurs will substitute for Rafter against Escude. The DC is lost. Rafter's dream of winning the Cup is shattered. Confusion reigns over Australia's final game plan.
"I'll go out there full of confidence against Escude and full steam- bloody oath. I still think we have a chance of wining the DC" Rafer said.

END

Rafter not out of sporting spotlight just yet
BRISBANE, Dec 3 AAP|Published: Monday December 3, 5:19 PM

Pat Rafter will put aside the huge disappointment of Australia's weekend Davis Cup tennis loss to France by playing his second love on the Sunshine Coast this month.

Rafter will be one of many high profile Australian sports stars playing in Jack Newton's annual celebrity golf pro-am Classic at the Peter Thomson-designed Twin Waters resort course from December 17-18.

He'll be joined on the tee by former Australian rugby league star Allan Langer who is tipped to make a comeback for the Brisbane Broncos next season plus Michael Voss, Alastair Lynch and Jason Akermanis from newly crowned AFL premiership winners Brisbane.

Former swimming golden girl Susie O'Neill will also make her golfing debut.

Newton has not given up hope on Australian Open golf champion Stuart Appleby playing, although the Victorian so far has not entered with nominations closing on Wednesday.

"Stuart indicated he may not play, but Jack has spoken to him since," said long-time tournament organiser, Judy Brady.

Appleby, who usually spends Christmas in Australia, is back home with her new American girlfriend who shared in his emotional Open victory on the Gold Coast late last month.

"I'm sure if he decided to play, Jack (Newton) could find him a special invite," said Brady.

Rafter, a very enthusiastic golfer, has not played in Newton's tournament for a few years but told Brady last month he is keen to make a comeback.

Newton's 23 year-old tournament - which has raised $1 million for charity - allows professionals, celebrities and sponsors to play in a relaxed atmosphere over two days.

It invariably produces some good and bad golf, tosses up some memorable stories and since Newton first won it in 1980, some very good golfers.

Peter Senior has won it four times, Ian Baker-Finch took out the event in 1987, Rodger Davis won in 1985 while Peter Lonard broke through in 1990.

By Wayne Heming

Rafter's career faces new threat

By LEO SCHLINK
04dec01

PAT Rafter has been warned he is on the brink of suffering stress fractures in his right arm, possibly signalling the permanent end of his career.

Rafter, 28, has been told by medical experts he will need up to six months' rest before even considering a comeback, making a shot at Wimbledon next year unlikely.

The Queenslander intends to take an extended break from the sport – as he foreshadowed in January – but has also declared he won't officially retire.

The fear now is that he may not have a choice when, and if, he feels the urge to return to the game.

MRI scans of his right forearm, elbow and upper arm showed the limb had been seriously stressed. It is understood Rafter was warned any further duress brought on by his kick serve would lead to more severe damage.

The revelation over the parlous state of Rafter's right arm also vindicates Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald's to play Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt in the Saturday's crucial doubles rubber.

It is understood Rafter indicated to Fitzgerald and coach Wally Masur on Friday night after crushing Sebastien Grosjean in singles his arm would not last another singles match, but thought he could produce in doubles.

Fitzgerald was effectively left with no choice but to play Hewitt and Rafter in doubles because he knew the dual US Open champion would not have lasted the best-of-five sets fifth singles rubber.

Fitzgerald outlined the difficulties Rafter has endured over the past three months.

"His arm is giving him a heck of a time and he needs time," Fitzgerald said. "If he didn't want to take time off now, right now he's going to have to take it. He has been hurting.

"Anyone with less character wouldn't have lasted anywhere near as long and we thought we could get two matches out of him. We were hoping on the first day we would get a win out of him . . . but there was no guarantee he could play the doubles, let alone the singles and if he had a day off there was still no guarantee."

Rafter underwent intensive treatment in quest of an unfulfilled Davis Cup dream with daily sessions with physiotherapist Lynne Watson and chiropractor and kinesiologist Andreas Bisaz.

Rafter was restricted to practising on alternate days before the tie.

Life After Pat Nov 19 2001
Will tennis be the same without Patrick Rafter?


It was hard to know whether it was a fitting finale or a somewhat of an anti-climax. Perhaps it was both. Patrick Rafter's last tournament match before his sabbatical was played before 16,800 people at Sydney's SuperDome at the Tennis Masters Cup - the biggest single-stadium tennis crowd in Australia for nearly 50 years.

Rafter's three consecutive round-robin losses - in part due to his lack of match practice leading into the tournament - was undoubtedly a disappointing end to an impressive season and an outstanding career. But his final loss to Hewitt, which resulted in the 20-year-old's ascension to world No.1, symbolically represented the passing of the baton from the revered Australian legend to his heir apparent.

Of the 16,800 people who attended, just as many came to farewell Rafter as did to witness Hewitt's coronation as the youngest year-end world No.1 in ATP history (since 1973). ATP Chief Executive Officer Mark Miles articulated the emotion in the cavernous stadium during the presentation of the ATP Champions Race trophy to Hewitt after the match. "Although this is Lleyton's night, there is still a lot of love in this building for you," Miles said to Rafter, drawing an enormous cheer from fans.

Although Hewitt offers Australian tennis fans a new hero to worship in coming years, Rafter will be sorely missed. While Hewitt and Australia's other leading player Mark Philippoussis have polarized public opinion during their young careers, Rafter was universally admired and respected. 

From his award-winning sportsmanship qualities (including correcting calls in favor of his opponent), to his large charitable donations (which he tried to keep out of the news) and hands-on work for children's charities, Rafter has been a perfect role model as a sportsman and as a human being. Two US Open titles and two Wimbledon finals have not changed this humble country boy from the outback Queensland mining town of Mt. Isa.

And then there was his tennis. The best serve/volleyer since Stefan Edberg, Rafter's sure hands and acrobatics at the net will be fondly remembered by fans seeking more variety to the baseline-dominated era which Rafter dared to defy in his climb to No.1. In recent years his epic contests with Andre Agassi - including back-to-back five-set Wimbledon semi-final victories - have proved just as riveting as the celebrated Sampras/Agassi rivalry.

Before packing the RV for his holiday around Australia, Rafter has one more on-court duty. Rafter will reunite with Hewitt, two of the most passionate Davis Cuppers Australia has ever produced in its long and proud history, for the final at Melbourne Park against France. After his shoulder injury sidelined him from Australia's victory over the French in the 1999 final, the 2001 final could prove to be an unequivocal fitting finale to Rafter's career.

Or, it might not. A source within the Rafter camp says that Pat will definitely return to the ATP circuit, probably towards the middle of next year. The competitive juices still flow. And besides, Rafter has some unfinished business at the All England Club.

Rafter sends Hewitt long distance praise
Tuesday, 23 October, 2001

STOCKHOLM, Oct 22 AFP - While Lleyton Hewitt was preparing to travel north to start as top seed at the $US800,000 ($A1.58 million) Stockolm Open, the young Australian was receiving plenty of long-distance support and encouragement today from one of the men he admires most in the game.

Double US Open champion Patrick Rafter was to have joined compatriots Hewitt, recovering Mark Philippoussis and Davis Cup doubles ace Wayne Arthurs for this week's event at the Kungligahalle . But Rafter will remain at home, skipping the two remaining events of the European indoor season, working on fitness for his chronically injured right shoulder as he works through a fitness niggle which was enough excuse to keep him away from the indoor action that he detests.

The 28-year-old is preparing for two huge season-wrapup dates next month - the Masters Cup in Sydney and Australia's Davis Cup final against France from November 30 in Melbourne. While he luxuriates in sunny spring weather at Noosa, where he spent many of his teenage years, Rafter is not forgetting about red-hot Hewitt, who like himself, has qualified for the eight-man Sydney field.

The 28-year-old Rafter can sympathise with Hewitt's state of mental and physical exhaustion after winning 17 matches on the trot, a streak snapped last weekend in the semi-finals of the Masters Series event in Stuttgart. That autumn run took him to a US Open title, a trophy at the AIG Open in Tokyo and included Australia's move into the Davis Cup semis over Sweden in September.

Despite aching for a rest, Hewitt and coach Darren Cahill were due to arrive in chilly Stockholm from Germany late today, officials said. The top seed will not be due on court until Wednesday, when he opens against modest Spaniard David Sanchez. "He's got to be tired, he's played a lot of tennis," said Rafter of his 20-year-old fellow US Open title holder. "He's had to deal with a lot of emotional ups - he's got to have a down sooner or later. I think that's a big reason why he lost to Tommy (Haas at Stuttgart), taking nothing away from Tommy and how well he's been playing, but I still think Lleyton is a better player."

Rafter, who has been something of big brother to Hewitt since before the talented youngster from Adelaide won his first title at his home event at age 16, couldn't say enough good things about the man who is certainly the future of the Aussie game. "He's definitely proved he's the Number one player over the last couple of months on the tour and I'd really love to see him take the (top) spot."

Going into Stockholm - an event won for five of the last six years by home players - Hewitt stands second in the Champions race points chase behind Gustavo Kuerten, playing as top seed this week in Basel, Switzerland. Andre Agassi is also included in the Sydney ranks along with Rafter and Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, who on Monday became the fourth and fifth men in the field.

Despite what could look to be an apparent lack of commitment to make the trip to play events which he does not like, Rafter is keen to be fully ready for the November 12 start in Sydney. "I'll do anything to play well there," he said. "I'll be doing a lot of training, a couple of easy weeks here and there to ease back into it, and get down to Sydney a week early and train really hard the week before. It was very successful last year and to me again it's coming down to another beauty."
Opening-day play at Stockholm was light, with just a handful of matches scheduled and qualifying rounds being completed.

Hewitt could dominate tour, Rafter says
By Pritha Sarkar

LONDON (Reuters) - Australian Pat Rafter believes his compatriot Lleyton Hewitt is capable of becoming a dominant force on the circuit for years to come.

"Lleyton's definitely proved he's the number one player over the last couple of months on the tour and I'd really love to see him take the (top) spot," twice U.S. Open champion Rafter said in a teleconference.

"Lleyton has so many attributes that you want as part of your game, that's the reason why he is close to being the number one player in the world right now.

"His tenacity, his day-in day-out dedication to the game, his speed and mental toughness is second to none right now."

Hewitt, who last month overwhelmed former world number one Pete Sampras in straight sets in the final of the U.S. Open, has had a glorious year on the tour.

The 20-year-old has won five tournaments and moved past Andre Agassi into second place in the ATP Champions Race after reaching the semifinals of last week's Stuttgart Masters Series.

"Lleyton is someone who, although a slight figure, has been very imposing for the last couple of years and he's got himself in position this year to become the number one player," Rafter added.

"You look at guys like (Boris) Becker and Sampras, they were very good at that age as well.

"It's always phenomenal to see someone so young to be that good and Lleyton does have those qualities."

WINNING STREAK

Hewitt chalked up a 17-match winning streak -- a 2001 record -- before his semifinal loss in Stuttgart to eventual winner Tommy Haas of Germany.

During his remarkable run, he also helped Australia beat Sweden to reach next month's Davis Cup final against France.

With the likes of Sampras, the world number one for a record six consecutive years, and Andre Agassi entering the twilight of their careers, Rafter thinks Hewitt is perfectly placed to take over the spotlight.

"I found the biggest pressure after winning my first Grand Slam was dealing with all the media attention," Rafter said.

"I thought Lleyton might struggle with that but he's really been dynamite."