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Is Pat Rafter the right man to take tennis forward?

Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt after Australia won their way back into the Davis Cup World Group. Photo: Getty

Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt after Australia won their way back into the Davis Cup World Group. Photo: Getty

Pat Rafter made a career putting himself in uncomfortable positions.

Against a rising tide of dominant baseliners (Jim Courier and Andre Agassi the best of them), Rafter rose to the top of men’s tennis as one of the last great serve and volleyers.

If you don’t feel a little uncomfortable standing at the net against the kind of firepower those men could produce, then you’re not human.

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Now he’s chosen to put himself in uncomfortable surrounds yet again – as Tennis Australia’s new Director of Performance (given our form in recent years, credit to TA for leaving the word ‘high’ off that job title).

Rafter is one of those rare sports people who is universally admired, but whether he is made of the kind of stuff this role demands remains to be seen.

Certainly, there is nothing immediately apparent in his demeanour to suggest this is the type of position he would relish.

Even Tennis Australia’s press release to announce the appointment was a little concerning.

Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt after Australia won their way back into the Davis Cup World Group. Photo: Getty

Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt after Australia won their way back into the Davis Cup World Group. Photo: Getty

Rafter doesn’t begin in his new job until February 1, but that didn’t stop Tennis CEO Craig Tiley – the man Rafter will report to – asking “the public to give the new Performance Director time to settle into the role”.

“It is a high-pressure role, which is why we have taken a long time to get it right,” he said.

“While pressure is certainly something Pat is used to and handles well, I would urge our wonderful tennis-loving public to give him time and room to get into this role and do it his way. Because he has shown that his way works.”

Rafter’s credentials for this type of position seem to be largely based on getting Australia back in the Davis Cup World Group.

He did so at his third attempt, putting us in the big league for the first time since 2007.

But being a Davis Cup captain is one thing, being a ‘Director of Performance’ seems something else entirely.

Without knowing the precise nature of the position, it’s difficult to speculate on Rafter’s suitability for it.

But it sounds like the kind of gig that requires ‘board meetings’, with ‘stakeholders’. The kind of role where you need a clipboard and meet with consultants.

Of course, I could be way off base.

It could be the kind of job where Rafter can turn up in shorts and a t-shirt, say “hit it to his backhand and get to the net, mate” and we’ll see Australia’s tennis fortunes on an upswing.

“I think there comes a time where you have to put yourself in a position where you are not entirely comfortable,” Rafter said on Wednesday.

He’s right, and good luck to him for accepting the challenge.

Certainly I’ve been wrong about his ability before.

After watching Agassi obliterate a 22-year-old Rafter at the 1995 Australian Open, I remember wondering what all the fuss was about.

Two-and-a-half years later and he was a US Open champion, and my (and Australia’s) favourite tennis player.

From breathtaking Wimbledon semi-finals against Agassi, to his heartbreaking final losses to Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic, Rafter captured the imagination.

So let’s hope his new venture doesn’t sully those warm (and painful) memories of Australia’s favourite underwear model.

And should the next generation give Rafter any grief, they can get a look at his disciplinary methods below:

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