Pat Rafter is an Australian former World No.1 tennis player. He won back-to-back Grand Slams at the US Open and was part of the Australian team that lifted the Davis Cup trophy the year after. He also reached the Wimbledon final in consecutive years and won a doubles Grand Slam in his home country with partner Jonas Björkman.

Pat turned pro in 1991 and began to make his mark on the ATP tour in 1993 and ’94 after victories over Pete Sampras, a fourth-round appearance at the French Open and a first career title in Manchester. But it wasn’t long before injury started to take it toll and in late ’95 he had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his wrist.

He had earlier recorded his best result on home soil with a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open. Injury again plagued Pat in 1996 when he was forced to sit out more than three months of the circuit with recurring wrist and ankle problems. His defining moment came in the final of the ’98 US Tennis Open where he downed Greg Rusedski to take his first Grand Slam title. 

With many pundits, including John McEnroe, predicting it was a one-off career highlight, Pat proved his champion qualities to repeat the performance the following year, this time beating compatriot Mark Philippoussis.

Searching for his third consecutive US Open title in 1999 Pat withdrew from his first round match against Cedric Pioline after suffering severe tendonitis in his right shoulder. He later had surgery on the rotator cuff in his right shoulder which ruled him out of the Davis Cup final and he didn’t play for the rest of the year. But Pat will remember 1999 not just for the injury but for the three weeks he held the number one position on world rankings.

Pat was awarded the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award and the Queensland Young Achiever Award and was also awarded the Honorary Ambassador for Queensland and was presented with keys to the City of Brisbane. Pat Received the Australian People’s choice Award for Male Sports Star two years in a row for 1998 and 1999.