Monday, August 16, 1999
Rafter upbeat about game despite shoulder tendinitis
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Patrick Rafter lunges with a forehand.
(Saed Hindash photo)
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MASON — Patrick Rafter's shoulder ached. His heart did not.
“This is the best tennis I've played this year,” Rafter said.
Rafter wasn't disconsolate Sunday about his unsuccessful defense of the Great American Insurance ATP title. With top-ranked Pete Sampras at the top of his game in the 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 triumph, Rafter made do fairly well for a guy with tendinitis flaring up in his right shoulder.
When that happened, in the first-set tiebreaker, Rafter turned mortal. Having won all 41 of his service games in the tournament to that point — 83 percent of his service points — he would win only 10 of 20 service points in the second set and be broken twice.
“I could tell he lost a little bit of pace (on the serve),” Sampras said. “Put in the (Rafter) double (fault) on break point and a couple of good passing shots, and that was really the difference.”
Rafter had double-faulted only three times in the tournament before Sunday but lost his serve when he committed that error at 0-1 in the second set. He had made 77 percent of his first serves in his Saturday semifinal against Yevgeny Kafelnikov but landed just 54 percent of those serves Sunday.
“The injury pretty well only affected me serving,” Rafter said. “You can hit it flat, but you lose the kick on it.”
Rafter is scheduled to play in Indianapolis this week and Long Island next week; the U.S. Open begins the following week. He said he might consider sitting out this week or next to rest his shoulder.
After starting the year 7-8, Rafter has gone 29-7. Andre Agassi said Rafter, a two-time defending Open champ, is again the player to beat in New York.
Said Rafter: “Pete is probably the No. 1 player to beat. ... But I'm definitely looking forward to it.”
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