Story ProgressBack to home
Rafter calls it a day
Former No. 1 Pat Rafter announced his retirement, ending 12 months of indecision during an extended break from tennis.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 08:48 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Sydney:
Former No. 1 Pat Rafter announced his retirement, ending 12 months of indecision during an extended break from tennis. Rafter, a two-time US Open champion and twice losing finalist at Wimbledon, announced his retirement in an open letter to the Australian media, the release coinciding with the draw for the Australian Open. "I know it's been a while coming, but I am announcing my official retirement from professional tennis," Rafter wrote in the letter. "As you can probably understand, it has been a very difficult decision for me to make, which is why it took me some time to be sure I was making the right decision". Rafter said he didn't have the motivation to compete on tour after taking several months off in late 2001 to recover from arm injuries. "If I couldn't commit to giving 100 per cent to the game, then there would be no point in returning. By the end of 2002, the motivation just wasn't there and my decision was made," he said. "I will have regrets that the Wimbledon and Davis Cup trophies are not in my cupboard, but that's sport, you win some and you lose some,'' Rafter reflected. He was sidelined with injury during Australia's Davis Cup win over France in 1999 and then lost finals in 2000 in Barcelona and 2001 in Melbourne. "I will certainly miss some aspects of the game in my retirement, but for now, I need to stay home and focus on the new developments in my life," said Rafter, who had a son in August with long-time partner Lara Feltham. His last official match was Australia's 3-2 loss to France in the Davis Cup final in December, 2001. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis
Get the Latest IPL 2024 Updates, check out IPL 2024 schedules and IPL points table at NDTV Sports.Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more sports updates. You can also download the NDTV Cricket app for Android or iOS.