"The Sex
Appeal of Tennis" - Aussie heartthrob Patrick Rafter looks far
better than Anna Kournikova - on the court.
by Curt Rush, 24 July 2000 The Toronto Star
When it comes to sex appeal on the pro tennis circuit, Anna Kournikova doesn't
have the market cornered.
Meet Australian hunk Patrick Rafter.
He's the matinee idol of the men's circuit. A hearthrob who doesn't make a bid
deal out of it. Kournikoa is Lolita, but Rafter is no Lothario.
Almost weekly we hear reports of who Anna is dating and her lissome figure is
seen everywhere, from the Internet to billboards to magazine covers. Rafter's
love life - he has a girlfriend - is pretty much a private affair.
This is not to say Rafter doesn't trade on his sexual appeal. He was voted one
of the top 10 sexiest men by People magazine in 1997 and, when the question is
put to him, Rafter admits the attention is all rather nice.
But unlike Kournikova, Rafter is much more than a pinup boy. He's got game, too.
While Kournikova is still waiting to win her first tournament title, Rafter is a
two-time U.S. Open champion.
If there's one bit of advice Rafter can give Kournikova, it's that you can win
on the court without compromising your sex appeal. You just have to get your
priorities straight.
As much as Rafter is admired for his swarthy good looks, he's all business when
it comes to tennis. He seems to care nothing for appearances when in the heat of
battle. He ties his long hair back in a ponytail and sometimes applies war paint
(zinc oxide) to his cheekbones to deflect the sun's rays.
Unlike Kournikova, who's always perfectly poised on court, aware of the crowd
and the television cameras, Rafter is expressive, not afraid to show anger and
disgust - usually with himself.
His Down Under appeal comes through loud and clear on court. Many times when his
serving toss goes awry, the crowd can often hear him apologize to his opponent
across the net in his charming Aussie accent - "Sorry, mate."
In interviews, he refers to male reporters as "mate," making you feel
as if you're a buddy, perhaps lucky enough to be asked to go out and toss back a
few ales with him.
It's that common touch that separates Rafter from Kournikova. Where Rafter is
one of the most popular players on tour, Kournikova is one of the most despised.
Much of it in Kournikova's case is jealousy. But it's her attitude, her
demeanour, too. She gives the impression she's the queen of the court. At press
interviews, she is cold and gives only short, snappy answers. In her defence,
however, she's bombarded daily with the same prying questions, the same crush of
reporters and interlopers. However, she's brought it upon herself and she
profits handsomely by it.
This is to to say Rafter is universally admired on the ATP circuit. He's had
well-known run-ins with fellow Aussie Mark Philippoussis, as recently as this
month, when he scolded Philippoussis publicly for lacking the desire to play for
his country in the Davis Cup.
Rafter and Pete Sampras had a minor feud that has since been smoothed over. When
Sampras was asked last year what the difference was between him and Rafter, he
sneered: "Ten Grand Slams."
All this is not headline material, though. It doesn't take away from the fact
that Rafter is courtly, a gentleman who has been known to award points to his
opponent. During a 1997 tournament in Adelaide, he reversed a line call in a
second set tiebreak against Andrei Cherkasov to virtually hand the match to his
opponent.
In addition, Rafter is generous with his money - very generous. Who ever heard
of donating your entire tournament winnings to a children's hospital? That's
what Rafter did on winning the 1997 U.S. Open and he repeated the gesture when
he successfully defended his title in 1998. Rafter's winnings of (close to
$300,000 Cdn. each year) (me... which I think was half his cheque, not the
entire thing... but still, WoW!) went to the Brisbane Mater Hospital,
specifically the hospital's Starlight Foundation Express Room for terminally ill
children.
He didn't stop there. The Patrick Rafter Cherish The Children Foundation was
officially launched in February, 1999, and his sister, Louise, runs the
organization.
Rafter is also distinguished by athletic grace. Watching him play his
serve-and-volley style, where he rushes the net to put away volleys with an
artist's touch, harks back to the days of John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg.
At Wimbledon, in the semifinals against Andre Agassi, Rafter took on the world's
best baseline player and who before losing to Sampras in the final.
Only a few months ago, the 27-year-old Rafter was on the verge of retirement,
having undergone surgery Oct 24 to repair a torn rotator cuff. The 6-foot-1, 190
pound right-hander spent much time at his home in Bermuda and talked about how
tennis isn't everything and that if he had to quit the game he could do so
without regret.
He was an early-round casualty at his first Grand Slam this year, the French
Open, raising more doubts about his ability to return to form. But suddenly when
the scene shifted to the Wimbledon tuneup events, Rafter started rediscovering
his serve and his rhythm, chalking up a title in the Netherlands.
Two years ago in Toronto, Rafter won the tournament, beating Richard Krajicek of
the Netherlands in the final. Last year in Montreal, he lost in the
quarter-finals to Nicolas Kiefer of Germany.
This year, coming off an impressive Wimbledon final, he's healthy and on a roll.
As for players who have to face the resurgent Rafter in Toronto: "Sorry,
mates."
There's no place like home - Rafter turns it on for the Brisbane fans 15 July 2000 by Paul Malone The Courier Mail
PAT Rafter displayed his greatness to his adoring home fans yesterday when he effectively
terminated Australia's ANZ Stadium Davis Cup semi-final against Brazil in little over an hour.
A player so often disarmed by the pressures of performing before his fans in Australia,
Rafter measured off scintillating grasscourt aggression without spending one excess joule of
energy or a second of emotion in overwhelming Brazilian mainstay Gustavo Kuerten 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
In six sets of tennis leading to Australia's crushing 2-0 overnight lead, Rafter and second-
rubber winner Lleyton Hewitt had their serve broken once between them. Rafter, the red-hot Queens
lander, conceded only 19 points in 13 service games to mess with the mind of the normally tiger-
ish Kuerten - a player sitting atop the ATP champions race rankings who won the French Open a
little over a month ago. A deflated Kuerten later revealed he did not expect to play on the
last two days of the tie because of the strained groin he has carried for much of the week,
shredding the Brazilian game plan that he would play in all three sessions and deliver his
country their first Davis Cup final appearance. A crowd of 10,850 would have relished a more
compelling session than the one which wrapped up at 1.21pm after less than four hours, in-
cluding a 20-minute intermission between the two singles routs. A high-quality net game from
Rafter and the sheer sense of occasion surrounding his first match in his home city in more than
seven years would have sent most of them home happy, even if they only saw 81 minutes of him on
court. But there was a curious lack of emotion surrounding the day, as if the crowd were tak-
ing their cue from Rafter's deliberate pace between points and few visible displays of emotion
at the end of such a draining and complicated week.
Even Hewitt, the excitable teen of the men's top 10, kept his fist-pumping and exhortations
under control as he wore down Brazil's plucky grasscourt novice Fernando Meligeni 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
"I was quite nervous at the beginning," said Rafter who made light of queries over his sharpness
following his run to the Wimbledon final and flight to Brisbane. "There was a very large crowd
in and I really wanted to perform and just show that I can actually play the game instead of
(them) seeing me on TV all the time. "It was very satisfying to look up and give them the fist
and the thumbs up (after winning match point)." The Davis Cup final on December 1-3 against
Spain or the United States now beckons Rafter, who was restricted to barracking and advising his
team-mates in the last two ties of the 1999 championship campaign because of a shoulder injury
which left him considering retirement only two months ago. Australian captain John Newcombe, who
said getting Rafter's name engraved on the Davis Cup was his main motivation about the 2000
Australian challenge, said the 27-year-old had come to understand the urgency of this campaign.
"As you get older, you realise time is not for eternity. There will probably be that feeling
that it's so tough to get to a Davis Cup final, that if we do get to a final, maybe it's the last
time he is there," New- combe said. "Maybe he has two more years left after this one. Who knows,
with his shoulder the thought may be in the back of his mind that 'Okay, things are going well
now, but who knows?'." Australia's advance to the final is likely to be confirmed today with
Kuerten saying he did not think he could play in the doubles, splitting up Brazil's successful
Davis Cup doubles pair of Kuerten and Jaime Oncins. "It was the toughest day for me in my life
to lose a match in the way I lose," Kuerten said. "If I'm not fit, we have other players that
can play better than me."
Newk
and Roche tip Rafter to scale new heights 11 July 2000 by
Trevor Marshallsea SportsToday
LONDON, July 11 AAP - Australia's Davis Cup mentors, John Newcombe and Tony
Roche, believe Pat Rafter is set to scale even greater heights in the next 12
months after his Wimbledon breakthrough.
The pair say Rafter is back on track to fulfill his enormous potential after
making the final against Pete Sampras, overcoming the doubts caused by his
shoulder injury and long lay-off following surgery.
Newcombe and Roach said they had long believed the promise Rafter showed in
1993 - when he was voted ATP Tour newcomer of the year - would not bear its
richest fruit until his late 20s.
Now, at 27, they feel he will improve even more and that could mean more
grand slam glory for the two-time US Open champion.
``Until the shoulder went, the plan was that he was going to be playing his
best tennis at the end of year '99 and then hold that for two years,''
Newcombe said. That got put back 10 months.
``Now that he's done this he's just going to zoom to where he should've been
last year.
``If the shoulder holds as well as it has, I think the next six months are
going to be terrific for him.''
Roche, the closest thing Rafter has to a full-time coach, said he was
convinced after his five-set semi-final win over Andre Agassi on Friday that
the Queenslander had regained the form and confidence that won him two US
Opens.
``After that match I'd say he'd be pretty close to his best,'' Roche said.
``He's a complete player now.
``I think Pat's the type of guy that's matured later in life. He's got better
with each year.
``John and I are on record saying he should be at his peak at 27,
28. If he hadn't had that injury, and his wrist injuries a couple of years
ago...
``It just takes certain players a certain amount of time.''
Rafter will have another, unexpected, chance to prove his comeback by playing
singles, and probably doubles, in the Davis Cup semi-final tie against Brazil
starting on Friday in Brisbane.
The substantial workload has been thrust upon him in the wake of Mark
Philippoussis' controversial withdrawal, which has sparked a verbal feud
between the Rafter and Philippoussis camps.
Preparing to dash to Brisbane after his gallant loss to Sampras in four sets
in Sunday's Wimbledon final, Rafter said if anyone deserved more credit than
anyone else for inspiring his comeback, it was Roche.
But Roche saw it differently, saying Rafter himself had turned around a
frustrating and slow comeback by applying himself to a rigid exercise and
training program about a month ago.
``I haven't done anything,'' said the low-key Roche, Rafter's mentor for a
handful of tournaments on the circuit.
``It's just getting back playing matches and putting the hard work in, both
on the practice court and his off court training.
``There's no secret to get him to where he is, just hard work.''
Rafter had been advised that he had only a finite amount of serves left in
his shoulder after surgery to repair torn cartilage.
But he explained during Wimbledon that he had had to ignore those concerns if
he was to be successful.
``I think Pat realised that he was trying to save his shoulder and wasn't
doing a lot of serving, wasn't probably doing enough work,'' Roche said.
``He was playing his matches and not winning. I think he decided then he was
going to go for it.''
END
Pat Rafter gallant in defeat. 11 July 2000 editorial The Courier Mail
UNFORTUNATELY this was not to be Pat Rafter's year to win Wimbledon. It was an extraordinary
effort by him to make it to the final only to be beaten by Pete Sampras, the man who now holds a
record number of grand slam titles (13) and has taken the championships at Wimbledon seven
times. Rafter had to settle for second, but that was a real achievement. To get into the final
he defeated second seed Andre Agassi in one of the best matches at Wimbledon in years. Just two
months ago Rafter was on the verge of retirement. Although surgery on his badly damaged shoulder
had been successful, he was not certain he would be able to see through an extended campaign.
According to his brother- manager Peter, he was in "a lot of trouble". However he decided to
try to make one last effort to make a comeback. He went into Wimbledon with just two tournaments
under his belt. Few paid him much attention: the best chance of an Australian victory was
thought to rest with Lleyton Hewitt, who did not survive the first round, or Mark Philippoussis,
who smashed his way into the quarter-finals but was then beaten by Agassi. Philippoussis
exited from London claiming fatigue and an inflamed knee. Rumours abounded after he dropped out
of contention that he would withdraw from the Davis Cup semi-final against Brazil in Brisbane on
Friday. It was not until the eve of the Wimbledon final the rumours could be confirmed. That
meant Rafter would have to hurry home to play in the first singles rubber.
It would not have helped Rafter's mental preparation for his match against Sampras, which was
always going to be difficult. Afterwards Rafter gave a hint of his feelings when he said it was
up to Philippoussis to decide whether he wanted to play for Australia in Davis Cup or not, but
he should not say he was going to play and just pull out. "I've had enough of it," Rafter said,
a sentiment that is undoubtedly widely shared in Australian tennis circles. Wimbledon proved to
be yet another triumph for one of Australia's most successful doubles teams, Mark Woodforde and
Todd Woodbridge. It was the sixth time the Woodies had won the Wimbledon trophy and their 11th
major. They have a chance to equal the record of John Newcombe and Tony Roche when they contest
the US Open in September. Their prospects do not seem to have been dimmed by Woodforde's determin
ation to retire at the end of the year. Jelena Dokic stirred Australian interest in the women's
side of the competition for the first tinie in many years. The off-court antics of her father
(now also her coach) helped wind up the publicity, but probably did not assist her game.
It remains to be seen whether her obvious talent will let her take the next step to champion status
status.
This Wimbledon will be remembered, however, as the year Patrick Rafter almost made it back to the
top, despite the odds. Rafter is a great achiever whose modest manner, superb skills and spirited
determination have won the admiration of all tennis fans.
Attack of butterflies wrecks Rafter's big moment 11 July 2000 by Leo Schlink The Courier Mail
If Pat Rafter could have one shot from the Wimbledon final all over again, it would be a short
forehand midway through the crucial second set tiebreak. With the tiebreak score at 4-3 - after
Rafter had blown a 4-1 lead with a snatched forehand volley into the net and a ter minal double
fault - he was offered a chance to go 5-3 up when he closed in on a regulation forehand. To
his horror, the Queenslander put the ball into the tape. The match, which until then was in
Rafter's grasp, was suddenly back in Pete Sampras's control. "After I missed that I knew I was
screwed," Rafter said. "Then I just thought 'Oh, God, this is really going downhill'. "I was
really going to find it hard to deal with the nerves more than anything. That was sort of a
mental blow more than anything. "I did get a little bit tight. It was an opportunity for me to
go up two sets to love. From there, it's a very tough position, as Pete knows, to come back from
that "But that's what happens when you get tight." As valiantly as Rafter attempted to
retrieve the situation, he was shot. Sampras knew it, and so did the Australian. Confronted
with the imperial serving of a man desperate to break Rafter's fellow Queenslander Roy
Emerson's record of 12 singles majors, the dual US Open winner and former world No 1 was simply
cut down by heavier firepower. Resourceful, brave and tactically impressive in the heat of a
Wimbledon final, Rafter could not penetrate Sampras's serve as the American gambled time and
again on a delivery which has no equal in the sport. "That's one hell of a serve, awesome,,,
Rafter marvelled. "(You) can't read it, can't pick it. When you serve as well as that, you take
a lot of pressure off the return." The most relevant statistics out of a match which took more
than six hours to complete because of rain were these: Rafter got a look at just two break
points as Sampras hit 27 aces and 69 unreturnable serves in 24 unbroken service games. The
Queenslander, by contrast, totalled 12 aces with 66 service winners - impressive enough -
but allowed Sampras 14 break-point opportunities. Inevitably, the graceful Californian pounced.
Cut deeply by the loss, Rafter's equilibrium was such post- match that he was able to look
forward to the Davis Cup semi- final tie against Brazil in Brisbane starting on Friday and
the US hardcourt circuit. Cheered by a few consoling ales yesterday, Rafter believes his game
has reached a new plane after the hardships of recovering from shoulder surgery. "Now I'm
going to go in every tournament knowing I've got a chance of winning again-" Rafter said.
"Whereas before I've really gone into each tournament thinking 'Am I going to win
my first match, get through to the second round?' "When I come up against guys ranked 20 or
30 In the world, I feel like I should be beating them. It's a good feeling to have again because
there was a time when I was coming back not knowing exactly how it would go against a guy and
feeling like I never had a chance of winning the tournament." Rafter had won 11 matches in
succession before falling to Sampras in four sets. Back on good terms with Sampras, Rafter said
the American needed to win the French Open to seal his status as the greatest player in
history. "I think that's Pete's last big' challenge," Rafter said. "We all know he can play on
clay. He's a potential winner and he's got to get himself very fit to win it. "But, like all
great champions, you have got to win on all surfaces in majors. But Pete, in my eyes, still
goes down as the greatest player ever."
PAT Rafter was brutally honest. He had just been destroyed on the red clay of
the Foro Italico by tennis journeyman Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic in
the first round of the Italian Open.
The date was May 9. Rafter, hollow-eyed and aching, looked at the gathered media
corps. "I don't know how long I can go on with this," he said.
On that warm Rome day, Rafter talked not of future glories but of "flogging
a dead horse around the clay courts of Europe".
At that stage it seemed retirement was much closer than today's encounter with
Pete Sampras in the Wimbledon final. "It's not fun when you can't play your
best any more," he confessed sadly.
A year-long fight to recover from a shoulder operation looked like ending in
failure, with Rafter, once the world No1, reduced to an also-ran. It hurt, and
it was showing.
But on the Centre Court at Wimbledon on Friday, Rafter produced one of the
greatest displays in championship history against Andre Agassi. The demons had
been banished.
Lining up against Sampras at Wimbledon seems such an unlikely scenario after a
recent run in which victory in the Heineken Cup in the tennis backwater of
Rosmalen, in southern Holland, shone like a beacon from the gloom.
Even that win in the week before Wimbledon hardly set the pulses racing. All the
hype was centred on another Australian, Lleyton Hewitt, who had just beaten
Sampras at the Queen's Club tournament.
Even though the Wimbledon seeding committee had faith in Rafter -- in fact, by
ranking him 12th, they sparked a protest that led to a boycott by leading
Spanish players -- it was not shared elsewhere.
Not a word was wasted on Rafter in the build-up. In The Australian, John McEnroe
did not even bother mentioning him in the list of Australian contenders.
But there was unshakable belief in the Rafter camp, which had seen a glimmer of
hope in Holland. His family was rock-solid throughout his year-long ordeal and
they were with him yesterday on the greatest day of his career.
Brother Peter confessed that after seeing Rafter's spirits touch bottom:
"No one expected this to happen, especially not Pat."
The crisis in the Queenslander's career started as a small irritation in his
right shoulder. But as the 27-year-old battled to hold his No1 ranking in world
tennis, the irritation rapidly became a suffocating pain.
He won four titles in seven weeks on the punishing North American summer circuit
in Toronto, Cincinnati, Long Island and then the US Open. They were all played
on the sort of unforgiving surfaces that tear at a player's body.
Match after match became a battle against two foes. There was the opponent on
the other side of the net and the searing pain in his right shoulder. It was a
staggering effort that often left Rafter looking as though he had been playing
in a sauna.
"I don't know how he does it," the other players muttered. No one
knew. It was a measure of the mental strength of the man known more for his
easygoing charm than his bloody-minded determination.
And to cap it all, Rafter took his first grand slam at Flushing Meadows in 1998.
Nothing could be better in his world, it seemed.
He was a hero not only in Australia but throughout the sport - a status enhanced
by his decision to donate $500,000 of his prize money to the Starlight
Foundation, which cares for terminally ill
children.
But with the gain came more pain. While John Newcombe was talking of Rafter
dominating the men's game "by 2000", by last July the player knew
something was badly wrong.
The pain levels were rising, and although he reached the Wimbledon semifinals,
where Agassi beat him in straight sets, time was running out.
The contrast with the previous year could not have been more stark. Although he
won in Cincinnati again, he was beaten in Montreal and then was forced to pull
out of the Indianapolis event.
But the greatest indignity came at Flushing Meadows. A year before he had been
the champion, now he was booed off the main court.
Ranked fourth in the event, Rafter had surrendered a two-set lead and was
trailing 1-0 in the fifth when he withdrew. The unsympathetic New York crowd
felt he had ducked the fight and he departed to howls of derision. The greatest
battle of his career was about to begin.
His right shoulder rotator cuff - which provides the power for the kicking
serves that finally demolished Agassi in Friday's semifinals - was so frayed
surgery was inevitable.
This meant he not only missed the Davis Cup triumph against the French in Nice
last December, but on his return was shunted out of events by a growing list of
nobodies.
It was time for action. Rafter had been, in his words, "a good
patient" in the weeks after his operation. "I did everything that was
asked of me in my recovery time. The rehab wasn't something I enjoyed."
It was the traveling that got to him. He did not want to live in Melbourne,
where the operation was performed, so he was a regular commuter on flights from
Brisbane and Sydney.
"I was traveling twice a week and that was getting me down," he
admitted - and it was on those journeys his thoughts turned to retirement. Worse
still, Rafter discovered he was not missing the sport.
"I was starting to enjoy the time off. I started wondering what I would do
when I wasn't playing any more," he recalls.
And when he returned to the tennis circuit, it did not seem so glamorous
anymore.
Sitting in the Miami sun in March, Rafter startled everyone when he told The
Australian: "I'm starting to have had enough of all this. To be honest, I'm
starting to become a little bored by it all."
The boredom grew during the summer until, in Rome, it looked as though the end
was nigh. But Neale Fraser, the 1960 Wimbledon champion, was convinced that when
Rafter got to grass surfaces, the mood would change.
"I've been telling him for years that grass should be his best
surface," Fraser said. But, until the past three weeks, Rafter could not be
convinced.
At the same time as arriving to play on grass, Rafter launched into a new
exercise program. His physiotherapist, Andrea Bisaz, who used to work with Ivan
Lendl, felt Rafter still did not trust his suspect shoulder.
The doctors had warned him "there were only so many serves" left in
the shoulder, but Bisaz decided it was time to push Rafter harder, using a new
exercise pattern.
It was with some embarrassment that Rafter revealed the program. "I do
band-work," he told the media this weekend. "I tie an elastic band to
the racquet and then attach it to the door and practise serving."
Bisaz reports: "He really started to stick with the exercises and started
to work on his shoulder a bit harder. It now seems to have settled down."
That was two weeks ago, before Rosmalen. It seems it was just in time.
END
Rafter rallies in style 9th July 2000 by Richard Evans The Sunday Times
the personable Australian now has the belief to fulfil his true potential.
The dead horse that Patrick Rafter was flogging around the clay-court circuit
has turned into a thoroughbred. After his tactically superb and athletically
awesome performance against Andre Agassi in the semi-final, the Australian's
credentials as a great grass-court player will never be questioned again.
"I have been telling him for years that grass should be his best
surface," said Neale Fraser, the 1960 Wimbledon champion, who preceded John
Newcombe as Australia's Davis Cup captain.
Others were saying the same thing, but Rafter couldn't get his mind round the
idea because his feet weren't secure. "I just don't feel I can push off for
volleys on grass the same way I can on hard courts where the traction is so much
better," he used to say.
Now take a look at him. Watch his match against Agassi again and you will see
him not only flying through the air to produce that breathtaking backhand
stop-volley but also, on numerous occasions, reaching full stretch on the
forehand to angle away winners.
All this after months of uncertainty and self-doubt over the state of his
shoulder. The rotator cuff had become so frayed that he succumbed to the
surgeon's knike at the end of last year and then spent wearying weeks commuting
between his home in Queensland and the clinic in Melbourne where he was being
rehabilitated.
"I think that was the worst part: flying up and down the coast working on
the shoulder when I wanted to be playing tennis or surfing or something,"
said the archetypal Aussie outdoors man. But when he did start playing again
-and not winning- the frustration set in. He was unable to serve at full power
and the losses started piling up. Losing to players such as Paul Goldstein at
Delray Beach and Bohdan Ulihrach in the first round in Rome led him to talk
about "flogging a dead horse".
"I don't know how long I can go on with this, mate, he would say. It's no
fun when you can't play your best."
The problems had started about a year ago and the pain grew as Rafter tried to
defend the mountain of ATP ranking points he had earned on the 1998 US summer
circuit. In a prolonged performance that would have crippled many athletes,
Rafter won four titles in seven weeks, at Toronto, Cincinnati, Long Island and
the US Open, serving and volleying his way through the suffocating summer heat
on Decoturf courts that may suit his game but which batter the body like no
other.
I remember watching him on a sauna-bath of a day out on Long Island, playing his
matches from the first point to the last as though he was standing under a
shower, soaked through from head to toe.
"Don't know how he does it, somebody muttered. Must have good grips on his
rackets."
Good grips on his rackets and a good grip on his mind, because you have to be
driven to force your way through that kind of discomfort, week in, week out, on
a circuit as competitive as the ATP tour. He had become so earnest only after
winning the US Open the year before. That opened the eyes of this wonderfully
easygoing charmer, for whom winning tennis matches, even today, comes down the
list after sportsmanship, good fellowship, caring for others and having a bloody
good time, mate.
After winning his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadow in 1998, he donated
$300,000 -over half his prize-money- to the Limelight Foundation in Australia,
which cares for terminally ill children.
This was the Rafter the game had taken to its heart. But people such as Newcombe
and the Davis Cup coach, Tony Roche, knew there was more to him than that. They
knew he had it in him to become a great champion, and when he beat Greg Rusedski
in New York he started to realise it, too. Suddenly he was N° 2 in the world.
"In the year 2000, Pat will be able to dominate the men's game, said
Newcombe before the shoulder started to go. He has the game to do it and now he
has the mind as well."
A win today would certainly set him up for a return to the highest levels of the
game. But so much depends on that shoulder. Doctors have told him that he only
has so many serves left in a joint that takes the full strain of one of the
game's best high-kickers, the second serve that is spun out wide, rising with
the kind of ferocity that would make Curtly Ambrose smile.
The serve undoubtedly was the root cause of the original damage but,
interestingly and perhaps ominously for today's encounter, it was the heaviness
of Pete Sampras's serve in Cincinnati last summer, when he beat Rafter 7/6-6/3
in the final, that compounded the problem.
"The most unbelievable thing happened, said the former doubles player, Luke
Jensen who witnessed it. One of Pete's serves caught Rafter's racket on the
strings but high up near the throat where the strings are weaker. And the ball
exploded right through them. It was the damnedest thing. Never seen anything
like it.
The serve was clocked at 126mph, not the fastest by some standards, but Pete
hits such a heavy ball that it just went right through. Pat was receiving
treatment at change-overs for his shoulder in that match and I believe it was
the jarring on the racket from the Sampras serve, as much as his own serving,
that made the whole thing worse."
Ironically, Sampras may be the wounded one today and, if the damaged shin does
cause pain, then Rafter's task will be made easier. But he has four victories
over Sampras -against nine defeats- to remind him how he has overcome the
American maestro in the past. And even though this will be their first
grass-court meeting, the fates may have made the Centre Court a more even
playing field as far as Rafter is concerned.
To extract maximum purchase out of that deadly second serve, he needs a hard
surface. Head groundsman Eddie Seaward has been changing the soil over the past
few years to help the quality of the grass. It is now harder. And, despite the
glowering clouds, it hasn't rained much over the past two weeks. The Centre
Court always changes character as the fortnight progresses but now it is as near
as it could be to the kind of hard court on which Rafter thrives.
So can he deprive Sampras of a 13th Grans Slam title, which would eclipse the
record the American shares with Roy Emerson ? It is a definite possibility and,
typically, Rafter will not be motivated solely by self-interest. Naturally, he
wants to win it for himself and his huge family -he is the third youngest of
nine brothers and sisters- and, in particular, for his parents, who are flying
across the world to see him play this one match. But, unsurprisingly for anybody
who understands the history and closeness of the Australian tennis community, he
was also thinking of the guy known as "Emmo".
"Yeah, I'll be trying to stop Pete beating Roy Emerson's record," he
told an interviewer minutes after walking off court on Friday. If he succeeds it
will simply add to his feeling of satisfaction. They play for one another, the
Aussies, and there is possibly no greater support group in the sporting world.
That was typified last Sunday when John Feaver organised the annual Australia vs
South Africa cricket match, at Roehampton. Not only did Rafter show up, but he
played, like everybody else, with an intensity that amazed the umpire. And he
was there for the warm-up, too, a little matter of 45 minutes playing Aussie
Rules football.
All this in the middle of trying to win Wimbledon. He would not have felt right
pulling out and not supporting his mates. Which is why he will make a lot of
people happy if he wins Wimbledon today.
Can
Pat knock off Pete - consider your verdict 7 July 2000 by Kim
Trengrove oncourt.com
Today, Patrick Rafter faces one of the greatest challenges of his life. Can
he defeat Pete Sampras to win his first Wimbledon crown, and his third grand
slam title to go with the US Opens he won in 1997 and 1998?
While Sampras is regarded as the best grasscourt player of all time, the
'King of Wimbledon' and the holder of six singles titles at the All England
Club, there is no under-estimating Rafter. He might have only beaten Pete
four times in 13 meetings, but three of the last four encounters have gone
Pat's way.
Sampras, 28, may have won 12 grand slam titles but he is beatable, more so
than at any time over the past six years. He hasn't won a major since last
year's Wimbledon and he is constantly dogged by injury. For the past
fortnight he has been playing with a sore foot, although some players have
questioned just how serious the injury is when they see Sampras leaping about
the court as athletically as ever.
Rafter has also had to grapple with a debilitating shoulder injury that
required surgery last October. Only in the past four weeks, since winning his
third Heineken Trophy, has he found the form and confidence which took him to
the No.1 ranking 12 months ago.
Observed world No.2 Andre Agassi after being out-classed by Rafter in the
men's semi-finals, "Pat's gone through a tough stage here with his injury.
He's been through, you know, some disappointing times over the last year. But
he looks like he's found his game. I mean, I thought he was playing well. I
mean, maybe he missed a few shots that normally he can keep in play another,
you know, four or six shots. Sometimes he just missed one, which I wasn't
expecting him to do. But I thought at the crucial times of the match, he was
the same player, he was playing tough.
"I mean, the guy is one match away from winning this title. That's a pretty
good effort. It certainly says to me he's doing something right out there. I
always thought Rafter was a good enough athlete to win on any surface. His
game is a factor on clay. If he's playing well, his ball is jumping, he's
forcing a lot of guys to return and pass on the surface that they don't
normally have to do that. On grass courts, needless to say, he can really
keep the pressure on. I mean, it's like I always say, if he's healthy, he's
been playing some matches, he's right up there with the best of them."
As Rafter himself has pointed out, the final won't be pretty. Both players
will hoping to serve at their maximum capacity, searching for the crucial
break and finishing points off quickly. Both players want to win the title
badly – Pete because it would mean breaking Roy Emerson's 12 grand slam title
record and Patrick because he has always dreamed of winning Wimbledon.
"This
is the Wimbledon finals," Rafter said. "He's going for his record. I'm
just
trying to find one here."
On the eight occasions Sampras and Agassi have reached the semi-finals of a
grand slam tournament, one of them has gone on to win the title. This time
around, Sampras hasn't been able to practice because of his foot problem and
says he is playing at around 80 percent of his capacity. "It's definitely
been a struggle," said Sampras, "I'm very happy I've gotten to this
point. I
worked hard to get here and would love to win the title. I go out and compete
as hard as I can. That's the attitude I've had -- be positive. At this stage
of my career, that's what I'm playing for. It means a lot to me."
Being the last match of the tournament, Sampras said he would throw
everything he had into winning. "I know this is my last match," he
said.
"Mentally that feels good. You just let it all hang out, go out there and
not
think about it. The adrenaline and the occasion can really get you through a
lot of tough situations on court. Sunday I'm sure that will be the case.
"Against Rafter, I'm going to need to be on top of my game from the first
point on. You can't afford to play any loose games because he's obviously
playing at a very high level. So we'll see. I need to return his serve
consistently, you know, get a second serve, get it down, make him hit
volleys, take care of my serve. It really comes down to the return of serve
and who puts more pressure on the service games. I saw a lot of his match
today against Andre. He's playing great. He's a great athlete. Volleys well.
Covers the net as well as anyone in the world. He's coming in on his first
final I'm sure very pumped up. I'm sure we'll both walk out there a little
bit nervous. It should be exciting. But it really comes down to how well I
return against him."
Rafter has been relaxed and confident in all of his matches so far, including
the high-pressure stoush with Agassi. He says no player ever wants to face
Sampras, least of all at Wimbledon where he has been so dominant. "You've
got
to try to get his serve back somehow, and he's going to be serve-volleying.
You've really got to take your chances. There will be no baseline rallies. I
won't be able to chip-charge," he said.
"We've had some battles, and he's won most of them. But I have had my
couple
of wins over him. This is a Grand Slam final. He's been here many times
before. It's my first one here at Wimbledon. I've just got to try to go out
there with the same attitude I went out on the court today - be relaxed - and
hopefully I can serve like I did in the fifth set today. That's what I'm
going to need to do."
As for Agassi, he's not writing the Australian off. "Only a few guys have
beaten Pete here at Wimbledon," he said. "I'm not going out on a limb
to say
I think Pete's going to win. I think Pete's going to have to do everything
well. I mean, Pat is a great athlete, and the guy can go out there and hold
serve with the best of them when he's playing his game, and he's fast enough
to make a few things happen on the return game. You know, it's certainly
going to be a straightforward match and blow down to who executes, and
hopefully Pat will be playing his best tennis so you could see how it's all
going to match up."
END