Former Australian world number one tennis star Pat Rafter has looked back on the highlights of his career, including his two US Open victories, his heartbreak at Wimbledon and the rivalry he shared with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
The now 43-year-old began his professional tennis career in 1991, winning his first singles title three years later. However the year he won his first US Open title in 1997 was the year he considers to be his true breakthrough season.
The victory against British player Greg Rusedski in four sets however saw criticism come Rafter’s way, with John McEnroe calling him a ‘one-slam wonder’, comments that fellow American great Pete Sampras agreed with.
However Rafter says that he couldn’t have cared less at the time, and says that he had already achieved all his career goals the day he won his first slam.
“I was so excited. I couldn’t care less if it was one slam or if I won ten slams…I felt like I had achieved all my goals and dreams all there at once,” he said on This is Your Sporting Life.
Rafter eventually went on to repeat his success at Flushing Meadows a year later, this time against fellow Aussie Mark Philippoussis, who he also defeated in four sets.
Rafter says that he was much more comfortable the second time around, and that by knowing Philippoussis’ game well, he had no fear.
This showed throughout the tournament, with Rafter winning a number of matches while keeping his unforced errors total inside single figures, including a remarkable five-error match in the final.
“I played a couple of matches there where I only made three or four errors. It was a perfect two weeks for me,” he said.
“I remember playing Mark in the final and I felt like I had been there. I knew Mark’s game well. I wasn’t afraid of him.
“I was very nervous against Rusedski but against Mark I was incredibly relaxed and it had a lot to do within winning the year before.”
Rafter shared a fierce rivalry with Sampras, and despite proving him wrong by winning a second slam, their rivalry culminated in Rafter’s first Wimbledon final in 2000.
Rafter continues to hold this game as his greatest choke, having lost the championship having been a set and 4-1 up in the second set tiebreak against a rarely vulnerable Sampras.
Rafter recalled the moment the match turned in the American’s favour.
“I had two serves to come so theoretically I should be going up 6-1. Two sets to love up, he wasn’t going to come back from there, I wasn’t going to lose from there. I knew that and I choked unfortunately,” he said.
“What I realised at 4-1 was that I’ve got him. As soon as I said that to myself, my heartrate probably went up to about 220 beats per minute. I couldn’t control it.
“I put in a first serve that went at about 160 kilometres and hour just to get the thing in and I made an average volley, he passed me. 4-2. I did a double fault, I was unbelievably nervous.
“At 4-3, he did a big serve out wide and I got a racquet to it and I made an unbelievable return to his feet, I don’t know how. He pops up to the middle of the court and my forehand hits the bottom of the net.
“I just knew I was in all sorts of trouble, the nerves had gotten the better of me. What happened is that adrenaline spike had peaked so high, I was unbelievably wired and unbelievably fired up that I had this big letdown after that, I had no energy and I couldn’t play.
“I had never quite felt anything like it and the letdown was so flat and deflating that it felt what a drug would feel like.”
However, the matches at the All-Englad Tennis Club Rafter most fondly remembers were against fellow rival Andre Agassi, who he played in three consecutive Wimbledon semi-finals between 1999 and 2001.
“Andre, I really enjoy playing. It was a really good entertaining match for everyone. I thought that is what sport is about, it is about entertainment and people come to watch you to be entertained,” he said.
“I was a serve-volleyer, Andre was a counter-puncher. I felt like we matched up pretty well.
“I always felt against Andre that if I didn’t play my best, I was going to be in a lot of trouble and that made me play even better and made me a lot more precise about where I served, where I hit my shot.
“He had a serve that I could get into, I could come to the net, he could pass me, we could do all sorts of things and I really enjoyed the matchups every time I played him.”