Patrick Rafter was born in Mount Isa, Queensland, on 28 December 1972 and turned professional in 1991. A right-hander with a one-handed backhand, he was known for his serve-and-volley game.
His rise came in 1997. He reached the French Open semifinals, was named the ATP's Most Improved Player and, at the US Open, won his first major, beating Greg Rusedski 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 in the final. In 1998 he won the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters back to back and then defended his US Open title, beating his fellow Australian Mark Philippoussis 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 6–0. In 1999 he won the Australian Open doubles with Jonas Björkman, and on 26 July 1999 he became world No. 1, a position he held for one week.
Wimbledon brought two painful finals. In 2000 he won the first set against Pete Sampras in a 12–10 tiebreak but lost in four sets. In 2001 he lost to the wild card Goran Ivanišević 9–7 in the fifth set. He also played in the Australian teams that lost the Davis Cup finals of 2000 and 2001, and that year he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Rafter played his last match in November 2001 and announced his retirement in January 2003. He won 11 singles titles and 10 doubles titles, with a 358–191 singles record and a 76–33 record at the majors, He was named Australian of the Year for 2002, and Brisbane's 5,500-seat Pat Rafter Arena carries his name. From October 2010 to January 2015 he was Australia's Davis Cup captain, succeeded by Wally Masur. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2006, and into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008.