Diving into the Australian Open with Pat Rafter

Pat Rafter is one of the country’s most renowned professional tennis players, and while he retired due to injury in 2003, the racquet has remained a core part of his life.

In addition to various commentating gigs over the years, today Pat devotes much of his time to the growing padel sport. He’s Padel Australia ambassador, has represented the Aussie Crocs padel team abroad, and is also Co-Founder of the Byron Bay-based Rallee, a functional clothing brand designed for tennis, padel and pickleball players.

With the Australian Open launching today, we caught up with Pat to get his take on this year’s tournament – including players to watch and how he’s getting involved, chat about his esteemed career journey and personal highlights, and find out what’s on the cards for the year ahead.

You’re one of Australia’s most celebrated tennis players, what was it that inspired this career path?

That is a question which requires an in depth response but you won’t get it. Fate or whatever you want to call it is the answer. So many sliding door moments have to happen for life to work out as it does for all of us and I loved sports, I was super competitive and I had a huge drive to succeed.

What have the highlights on this journey been?

The two US Open wins. The two Wimbledon finals were amazing, and playing the Davis Cup and representing Australia were huge accomplishments for me.

How can we catch you at the 2026 Australian Open?

Watching me at the Aussie Open in 2026 should not be a priority for anyone. I will be involved with the opening ceremony on the 17th of January, I will then go on to play some veterans tennis ​​– that’s what I call it – from the middle to early second week of the event. That’s a lot of fun and we are still competitive in a fun way. It’s a different viewing spectacle from the real tennis that is happening all around us.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s tournament?

The Australian Open gets better and better every year. It’s a bloody amazing event, and I am interested in the new and amazing side show to the event. The tennis is outstanding as well so it’s a great combination of all the entertainment happening around us.

Who would you say are the “ones to watch” in the tennis world currently?

It’s Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s. Look out for João Fonseca, he is a name that will keep popping up, and obviously Alex De Minaur is the Aussie to watch.

Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s is so strong and I’m always interested in how Coco Gauff performs. She can be a bit hit and miss but has a big game when she is on. Aussie Maya Joint is who I’ll be barracking for.

In what ways does tennis remain woven throughout your life?

I know it so I can talk about it, it’s an easy conversation for me. I am involved in the Laver Cup with Andre Agassi and that is super fun, so I am a sneaky watcher of the sport. I am not obsessed with tennis anymore, but I am a happy watcher.

What would your key piece/s of advice for budding tennis players and sportspeople be?

Enjoy the sport first and if you become obsessed then hopefully you have a supportive family around you that will help you pursue your chosen sport. Play fair but play tough and always keep learning, keep your mind thinking and analysing the game. And always work harder than your competitor.

How would you describe a typical day while competing professionally, and how has that evolved since?

If you’re winning then it is easy – you wake up and do all the preparations necessary – eat a good breakfast, stretch, warm up, then mentally prepare for your match and hope you find a way to win.

If you’re losing, then it’s different. Court time is tough because everyone wants to train but they aren’t willing to train at 7am, but myself and coach Tony Roche would be up and ready to go with two hours on the practice court and then gym and rehab later in the day.

What’s coming up in Pat’s world this year, and beyond?

Beyond is far too loaded a question for me. This year I will be playing lots and lots of padel tennis, will pop up at a few tennis events, and then at the Laver Cup in September. I enjoy playing sports, staying healthy and training in the gym for fun and exercise.

Get in the Australian Open spirit

See Pat and fellow tennis greats at the opening ceremony
Secure your AO26 tickets, then why not pop by Beverly pre- or post-match – we’re an approx. 10 minute drive from Melbourne Park
Up your court game with the Rallee range

*Image via the Rallee website