He defeated Richard Krajicek in the Canadian final to take his first AMS title, and then in Cincinnati he beat Guillaume Raoux, Todd Martin, Petr Korda, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Pete Sampras to win there. (Only Andre Agassi, in 1995, and Andy Roddick, in 2003, have done the same.) In 1998, he won back-to-back singles titles at the ATP Masters Series events in Canada and Cincinnati, a rare feat. Later in the year at the US Open, he reached the final against Greg Rusedski (beating Andre Agassi and Michael Chang, among others, along the way) and won in four sets, 6-3 6-2 4-6 7-5, to claim his first Grand Slam title. Known amongst his mates as “Skunky”, Rafter’s breakthorugh on the tennis scene came in 1997, beginning at the French Open, where he reached the semi-finals, falling in four sets to the eventual runner-up, Sergi Bruguera.
Patrick rafter professional#
Pat turned professional in 1991 and eventually won his first career singles title in Manchester in 1994, displaying his now famous serve and volley style of tennis. Eventually, Geoff noticed that Pat had a real flair for the game and stopped playing to coach his brother for a while. He and his older brother Geoff were so keen on their tennis that after Pat finished high school, they traveled all over Europe to compete in tournaments. The third youngest in a family of nine children, Rafter began playing tennis at the age of five with his father and three older brothers, eventually reaching the heights of international tennis in 19 when he won the US Open. Patrick Rafter was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2006 as an Athlete Member for his contribution to the sport of tennis.
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