Pat Rafter is one of Australia’s most loved sports stars. A former World No. 1, he won 11 career singles titles including two U.S. Open titles and a Davis Cup. He also won 10 doubles titles, including the Australian Open, and earned over $12 million in total career prize money. Since retiring, he’s been named Australian of the Year, inducted into the International Tennis and Sport Australia halls of fame, coached Australia’s Davis Cup team and had centre court of the Queensland Tennis Centre named in his honor.
The team at The Thread—a 10-part documentary web series created by two Australian mates, Jack and Hugh, looking to share the thoughts and advice of Australians who have made a name for themselves—sat down with Rafter in Sydney to learn how to he rose to the top in tennis and won the hearts and minds of people around the world.