Patrick Rafter

Born:: December 28, 1972
Place of Birth:: Mount Isa, Queensland
Australia
Citizenship:: Australia
Induction Category:: Recent Player
Year of Induction:: 2006
Highest Ranking: World Singles Ranking: 1

The consummate attacking player and a fan favorite everywhere he went, Patrick Rafter became the first Australian man in the Open Era to win back-to-back US Open titles in 1997 and 1998. At Wimbledon, he reached consecutive finals in 2000-2001, defeating Andre Agassi both years in epic five-set semi-final confrontations. Rafter’s rivals invariably described him as an unfailingly gracious competitor. After donating $600,000 of his 1997 and 1998 US Open earnings to the Brisbane Mater Hospital’s Foundation for Terminally Ill Children, Rafter received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award.