Rafter: A Rebounding Ace
by Linda Pearce 22 June 2000
The word on the street, or at least around the courts, is that Pat Rafter is
probably gone. He'll be 28 by the end of the year, is sliding down the rankings
to the point where he is no longer guaranteed a seeding, and has not been the
same player since surgery on his right shoulder last October.
Rafter may not have heard it directly, but he is aware that doubt is probably
the abiding sentiment. "Yeah, I think it would be," he says.
"That's a good question. I often wonder. Yeah, it probably would be at this
stage. But I guess it all depends on how you feel." Well? And? "I feel
like it's just time I need. A bit more time to get the shoulder right."
The trouble is that Rafter no longer has years left in which to extract what he
still desires from his game, most notably, more grand slam titles to add to his
pair of US Opens, and a Davis Cup, Australia having won without its leader for
the second half of the 1999 competition.
Yet he claims not to be carpingly conscious of a ticking career clock, believing
that "if the shoulder continues to get better and stronger", then so
will he. Rafter says tennis is still fun when he is fit and firing, although the
frustrating unpredictability of his comeback means he has won just 9 matches in
his 10 tournaments since February.
Still, many of those have been on clay, his least preferred surface, and while
hardcourt remains his first choice, grass is somewhere in between. Despite his
serve-volley game, Rafter has never considered lawn his favorite playground, and
believes his greatest advantage comes as a result of so many other players
liking it far less.
Footing - or lack of it - is the problem. Trying to push off into the net.
Attempting to change direction and feeling his legs slip out from under him.
Rafter estimates it is only 60-70 per cent as secure as he feels on Plexipave or
Rebound Ace, for example. Then again, he is not the only one, and the rest of
his game does plenty to help compensate.
At least, it has in the past, and Rafter has quiet confidence in his ability to
do some damage again when Wimbledon begins on Monday. The Queenslander arrived
in Paris knowing he would not win the French Open, and used it merely to gain
some necessary match practice before switching to grass in Halle, Germany, last
week, thereby resisting the temptation of dropping his bags in London and
setting up house for a full, settled, month.
A tight second-round loss to 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek followed,
but Rafter was encouraged enough to head to the Netherlands this week with his
grasscourt ambitions intact. There, he has begun well in his attempt at a third
successive title at Rosmalen, moving through to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3
win over Dutch qualifier Dennis van Scheppingen .
He insists he is feeling better about the shoulder progress, and although there
is still some soreness occasionally, such as in Halle when he played three sets
of singles and three more of doubles on the same day, it's nothing major, he
says. Adequate preparation is what Rafter believes has been holding him back
since coming back, but he has been able to work hard on the practice court since
his loss at Roland Garros.
"Nothing's really changed," he says of his game post-surgery compared
with before he had to retire from the first round of the US Open, his rotator
cuff torn by a full centimetre. "I just sort of need to get my confidence
back, get a bit of speed back around the court, short and sharp, and probably
the serve's been a little bit lighter than in the past."
Still, he believes it is starting to come together, just as Team Rafter will
reassemble in London for the next fortnight, including his brother Peter as
pseudo tour manager and trusty trainer Mark Waters. Davis Cup coach Tony Roche
will return, as will Rafter's girlfriend, Lara Feltham, the latter from a
two-week holiday in Greece. "She needs a break from me," Rafter jokes.
Yet despite occasional bouts of negativity, he has vowed never to seek the help
of a sports psychologist, on the basis that "I don't believe in that. It
turns you into a nutcase". But perhaps a physiotherapist will be added at
the end of the year to help nurse Rafter through what may be his final season.
Indeed, despite saying he would give himself only until the end of 2000 to
decide whether to retire, he now says: "I'd like to do next year and take
it from there." Fitness permitting, of course. Even so, Rafter will set no
performance goals, such as returning to the top 20, having started out this year
seeking only to "get the shoulder feeling good again".
And life after tennis? "Yeah, I guess I'm wondering, but I've got no idea
what I'd like to do. First of all I'd like to take a year off." He is
already getting something of a break from the relentless attention his high
profile inspires, having joked at the French Open about being relegated to court
nine and interviewed only in room two. Is the famous Pat Rafter slipping down
the pecking order? "Yeah, definitely. It's good, I don't mind it. You've
just got to go back and do the hard work to get back up there."
Still, his popularity is sure to be intact at Wimbledon, where Rafter reached
the semis last year for the first time, and returns a year later with his entry
system ranking at No.27, but is the recipient of a sympathetic 12th seeding on
the basis of his proven grasscourt form. He will start against British wildcard
Jamie Delgado and has a reasonable run through Andre Agassi's half of the draw
to a possible fourth-round clash with Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Not a bad result, and it has been a while since Rafter has considered himself a
genuine chance to win a major title, having failed to complete the US Open,
missed the Australian and merely made up the numbers at the French. So it's a
familiar, yet welcome, feeling to be a contender once again.
"I knew I was never going to do very well at the French, but Wimbledon ...
I think I can go in there pretty confident," he says, although one or two
doubts clearly remain. "If I can get some confidence and some good training
on the grass and a good preparation, I definitely consider myself a chance,
yeah."
END
THE GIFT OF RAFTER. 22
June 2000 Caroline Bailey UK TV guide
accompanying picture
Patrick Rafter`s natural talents are highly rewarding for him and
others.
Constant squinting into the sun has carved a deep cleft on the bridge of
Pat Rafters nose,leaving him with an air of gentle bewilderment.Relaxing
on the terrace of his Bermuda home, its an apt expression for a man whose
career over the past three years has charted the highs of successive
US
Open wins and the low of a career threatening shoulder injury.
Not that Rafter, 27, complains despite this enforced lay-off. In common
with the rest of the tennis elite and with key sponsors such as Reebok (
which supplies his kit) behind him, he earns a fortune, with 1999 earnings
estimated at £3.75 million.
According to his agent Rafter fled to the Atlantic island paradise to
escape the attentions of the legions of women who have pursued him since
the American magazine People voted him one of the ten sexiest men alive.
Rafter plays down talk of infatuated fans with his trademark Australian
self-deprecation.
Jeez, I wish it was true," he laughs. Mind you, my girlfriend would
probably have been out there with a gun or something."
Now back in full training Rafter must be considered a good outside bet
for Wimbledon with his booming serve and all action style, despite
having slipped down the ATP rankings since his breakdown in the US Open
last August."I really enjoy playing in London," he admits
"especially when theres
been a lot of rain and we have to play on the middle sunday.They let a
really fun group of people in and they understand tennis."
At first glance Rafter`s game could have been made for Wimbledon`s
grass, he favours deep serves and urgent sorties to the net. But despite
reaching the last year`s semi- final in which he lost to an in- form Andre
Agassi, he
claims not to feel comfortable on grass.
"Wimbledon has always treated me OK," he says "But movement is
one of my
strengths and it gets cancelled out on grass where it gets slippery."
His compatriot Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, believes Rafter`s
chances of success will depend on how well he serves.
"There are only a handful of good volleyers in the world but Pats one of
them. But he may have trouble beating the top players because of his
lack of match practice."
Whatever the outcome of Wimbledon, Rafter`s popularity, sex appeal and
nice-guy image ( he is the founder of the Cherish the Children) are
unlikely to be dented. And as long as the fans like him, so will the sponsors;
the
future looks bright indeed. END
Krajicek's 17 aces help beat Rafter
The Associated Press 14 June 2000
HALLE, Germany (AP) - Dutchman Richard Krajicek blasted 17 aces Wednesday in
winning a battle of big servers at the Gerry Weber Open against Patrick
Rafter, 6-7(4), 7-6 (5), 6-2.
The second-round loss at the $1 million grass court event was another setback
for Rafter, the two-time U.S. Open champion struggling to come back from a
serious shoulder injury.
But Rafter, who has lost more matches than he has won since returning in
February, was still pleased with his performance against the hard-serving
1996 Wimbledon champion.
``Krajicek played even better than me, especially in the third set,'' Rafter
said. ``But I'm very satisfied .
Rafter never earned a break chance against the serve of Krajicek, who
improved his career record to 7-2 against the one-time top-ranked Australian.
Rafter, who spent nearly five months recovering from a torn rotator cuff, has
won only eight of 17 matches since his return.
Krajicek said his most anxious moment during the match wasn't caused by
Rafter.
When a slight drizzle fell, the roof over center court was closed in the
middle of the first set tiebreaker that Krajicek lost.
As the roof whirred shut, breaking both player's concentration, the Dutchmen
served an ace for a 3-2 lead, then followed with a double fault and another
point loss to fall behind in the tiebreaker.
END
Hungry For Victories
Halle, June 13 by Arndt Wienböker
After exactly ninety minutes of hard work on Center Court he clenched his fist
and was congratulated on his win by Sjeng Schalken. Then Patrick Rafter once
more waved to the crowd and disappeared into the catacombs of the Gerry Weber
Stadium, to arrive a little later with only a towel covering his shoulders and
with a happy face in the press conference. "I'm very happy. It was a hard
and close match." said the twenty seven-year-old.
And it was, for both Rafter and Schalken served almost flawlessly and didn't
allow any breakpoints. So in both sets the decision was made in a tiebreak,
where the number eight seed in Halle each time held his nerves in the decisive
moments and gained the upper hand with 7-6(5) and 7-6(4) A victory that should
propel the US Open winner of both 97 and 98 for the tasks ahead. "It's
important to gather experience on grass. That's why I'm very happy to win this
match. I need a lot of matches after my injury. I'm hungry for victories."
The most important realization for the heartthrob with the ponytail was the fact
that the shoulder, that he was operated upon last winter, stayed firm. "I
played my best ever services since the injury. I haven't felt any pain for
ten days now. (italics mine - joes) I have a good feeling on grass, so I can
call on my best performance."
A little less ecstatic is the crowd pleaser with his draw in Halle, for after
strong Schalken, today the next Dutchman awaits him. And he is quite another
grass calibre higher, then we're talking about Wimbledon champion 96 Richard
Krajicek. "I got myself the thunderbolt of the field here. Richard is one
of the best grass court players in the world. One of the guys you don't want to
meet."
But one he still wants to beat, for after his second round exit last year, the
first time he played the Gerry Weber Open, Rafter wants to reach at least the
quarterfinals this time, more if possible. "Before Wimbledon I need as many
matches as I can get." And Patrick Rafter wants to get them at the main
draw in the Gerry Weber Open. "The tournament here is super, really. I felt
very good here last year as well." To feel good, "Sunny Boy"
needs to get off court sometimes. He doesn't need much peace from his mostly
female fans. "I'm not afraid to touch the fans. Besides, the security men
are very good here as well," chuckles Rafter.
Translation - thank you joes