Pat Rafter may be future Davis Cup head
Pat Rafter never achieved a Davis Cup as a player but he now might land one as captain after creating a fortunate and successful first appearance in charge of Australia’s junior team.
Rafter hasn’t dominated out following in the well-known footsteps of Harry Hopman, Neale Fraser and John Newcombe after leading the national under 16 boys’ team to the world finals of the Junior Davis Cup.
Rafter told AAP, “Six days of that, mate three matches each day for six days. It was intense and pretty exhausting by the end, that’s for confident. I have never made this before so it was an excellent learning experience for me knowing what I should express and what I shouldn’t say and when I should keep calm and when I should some kind of acquire a bit stroppy with them.”
It is asked that if he was eager to one day captain the senior Davis Cup team, one of the most prominent positions in Australian sport, Rafter said “never say never, mate”.
He said, “This was in fact my initial jump into anything like this. I will return and see if positive and certain chances present themselves and see if Tennis Australia wants me. And if I have gained the true time to do those things then, yeah, I might attempt and do something like that again as well.”
The reality is, the perfectly credentialed Rafter is obviously being groomed by TA as probable Cup captain of the future perhaps even as successor to the long serving Fitzgerald. Leading and captaining the Davis Cup team would give the former Australian of the Year the opportunity to fulfill his splendid CV after he was harshly deprived of having his name etched onto the most coveted trophy in teams’ tennis.
Boasting a desirable 21-11 Cup record, Rafter was wounded and injured when Australia won the 1999 final against France and then he misplaced finals against Spain and France the following two years. Sorrowfully, Rafter’s recent professional match was his critical doubles defeat partnering Hewitt against Fabrice Santoro and Cedric Pioline in the Melbourne Park final loss in 2001.
With the bind then protected at two rubbers apiece, Rafter was not able to play the deciding singles match because of an arm injury that eventually broken his career.
Alicia Molik too prepared a victorious opening to the captaincy ranks at Mildura, serving the Australian Junior Fed Cup team of Viktorija Rajicic, Molly Polak and Alexandra Nancarrow to the world finals.
Molik said, “It was my opportunity and I think Pat’s chance to return back a little bit”. We have been lucky to have had big careers so it’s enormous that we can still be part of it.”