Pat Rafter
Pat is a former Grand Slam Champion and World Number One, as well as being one of the most popular and well-loved men ever to play the game. One of the last truly great serve and volley exponents, Pat's brilliance at the net took him to two Wimbledon finals, two US Open titles and the semifinals of the French Open. He can even boast a win over Thomas Muster, on clay.
His breakthrough year on Tour came in 1997, beginning at the French Open, where he reached the semifinals, falling in four sets to Sergi Bruguera. Later that year, he won his first Major title at the US Open, defeating Greg Rusedski in a four-set final. The following year was arguably even better. He won two ATP Masters Series titles in a row - Toronto and Cincinnati. Entering the US Open as the defending champion, he triumphed again, this time in four sets over fellow Australian Mark Philippoussis. Rafter reached the World Number One men's singles ranking for just one week in 1999, making him the shortest-reigning Number One in ATP Tour history.
In 2000, he reached the men's singles final at Wimbledon. In the semifinals, he defeated Andre Agassi in a match hailed as a classic. In the final, Rafter was beaten by Sampras, who won a record seventh title in near darkness on Centre Court. Rafter reached the Wimbledon final again a year later. For the third straight year, he faced Agassi in the semifinals and won yet another five-setter. Then, in a final that lasted almost four hours, Pat was downed in five sets by the unseeded tournament wildcard, Goran Ivanisevic. It was one of tennis' great moments, but heart-breaking for the Australian, who would never win Wimbledon.
That year proved to be Pat’s last on Tour, as persistent shoulder problems and a desire to spend more time with his family forced him into retirement. Since then, he has resided mainly in Bermuda with his wife and two children.
