2 Responses to ao95agassi_rafter

1. Voo de Mar says:

   January 10, 2025 at 6:05 pm

   Points won by each set: | 31-24, 27-21, 24-8 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   38 % Agassi – 24 of 63
   30 % Rafter – 22 of 72

   There was a big hype around that night session Rod Laver Arena meeting. # Rafter, along with a bit younger Berasategui and Kafelnikov, was a revelation of the 1994 season, a new Australian idol; people Down Under expected he’d be another major champion following Pat Cash – the same name, the same style of play, even the same racket brand (Prince). Just before the Aussie Open Rafter defeated Agassi 6-3, 6-2 in an exhibition event on the same surface, but the American [2] showed that exhibition matches often mean nothing, and he brutally exposed Rafter’s weakness from the back of the court in Melbourne. The Australian [21] began the match in a good style, he led 3:2* (deuce), but it was the only time he played a deuce-game as a receiver. In the 2nd set a tie-break seemed inevitable because they were both holding without any troubles for the first nine games, then at 5:4 for Agassi, Rafter played a poor game on serve, and lost the self-belief having in his legs two five-setters won from 1:2 in sets (Hlasek – 1R, Ondruska – 3R). Agassi’s backhand returns in the 3rd set were phenomenal, and after 86 minutes he could have enjoyed easier victory that anyone expected, perhaps apart from him & his coach Gilbert.

   Rafter did in 1997 what was anticipated from him in Australia already at the beginning of 1995, but in my opinion he didn’t improve technically within those two years at all. Simply he raised his level tactically, playing high-percentage tennis wisely coordinated with awesome physical preparation. When he met Agassi the next time in a Slam match, he took his revenge (US Open ’97) but it was a time when the American was struggling with his form due to personal problems.

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   January 10, 2025 at 7:37 pm

   # Comparison of their ranking leaps between the end of 1993 and 1994:
   (b. June ’73) Berasategui… 36 – 8
   (b. February ’74) Kafelnikov… 102 – 11
   (b. December ’72) Rafter… 66 – 20

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