Pat Rafter with wife Lara
At the height of the grass tennis season, it is impossible not to think back to the greats of serve and volleyball, a magnificent style of play that has unfortunately been lost with the changes the sport has undergone, including hi-tech materials, balls and surfaces that have revolutionized the game and made it strong dominant pressure from the baseline. One of the last actors of the serve and volley was Pat RafterAustralian twice champion at the US Open and twice finalist at Wimbledon, defeated by Sampras in 2000 and by Ivanisevic in 2001, in what we could define as the last “real” final of the Championships on classic grass and between two attackers, given that since 2002 conditions have changed and S&V has gradually disappeared.
Rafter has been a bit lost as far as tennis is concerned: he hasn’t been active on the tour for years, after a period as Davis’ captain for Australia. He is passionate about Padel, so much so that he plays regularly in his country with some stops in various circuits, such as his presence at the senior world championships in Spain (in the men’s 50-54 category).
Pat was interviewed by the national media News Corp, not to recall his sporting past or for an opinion on tennis current affairs, but for… ecological reasons. Indeed the Queensland champion on his estate in the Byron Bay hinterland is very busy rebuilding the natural habitat of that area, hit like many others by the devastating fires of the torrid Australian summers. For this reason, over the years Rafter, together with the support of his family, has planted around 7,500 native plants and trees to green up his 26 hectare property, and has also planted over 10,000 eucalyptus trees in an attempt to create a corridor and small sanctuary for koalas , a species that has unfortunately entered those at risk of extinction.
“I love working the land and this activity now takes up most of my time,” says Pat. “It’s very important to us to bring the property back to what it once was, and we’re doing that in segments. Seeing animals like echidnas, bandicoots and swamp wallabies return is wonderful.”
Constant work, together with his wife Lara and the help of his children – Joshua, 21, and India, 18 – who no longer live with their parents but willingly return when they can to make their contribution. We can only applaud Rafter’s initiative, well done!
Marco Mazzoni
