TENNIS
A Year That Defined Rafter’s Career
The Australian’s successful US Open defense in 1998 helped him capture his sixth title of the year, and improve to a 33–3 match record since winning the grass court tournament in Den Bosch.
Patrick Rafter was among the last generation of aggressive players, who have since become a dying breed, if not already dead. When on song, the Australian was a delight to watch. It did not matter on which surface he was playing.
It’s a matter of time before a player of his talent would win a Grand Slam tournament. He ended up winning two and was unfortunate to have not won either of his finals at the All England Club, where his attacking game merited a trophy.
That being said, Rafter’s career promised a lot but yielded little when put into perspective. A meager haul of two Grand Slam titles does little justice for someone of his talent though his career is still very good, considering how competitive the ATP tour has been for decades. Additionally, more than half of that total came in a year (1998), and the Australian comes across as a tremendous underachiever.
