What happened to former tennis world No. 1 Pat Rafter?

Pat Rafter was once one of the best tennis players in the world, dominating the game in the late 1990s. He is still considered an icon in his native Australia, where his triumphs were always highly regarded. Join us for a look back at Rafter's career and his life after tennis.

Rafter was born in Lennox Head, New South Wales, on 28 December 1972. His full name is Patrick Michael Rafter.

He turned pro in 1991, but had to wait another year to make his Grand Slam debut.

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Rafter played his first match at a major at the 1992 Australian Open in front of his home crowd, losing in the first round. In 1993 and 1994 he would become a Grand Slam regular, with a fourth-round finish as his best result.

In 1994, he won his first singles title in Manchester.

This was Rafter's only ATP title until the magical 1997.

After losing in the first round of the Australian Open, Rafter reached the semifinals of the French Open, where he lost to Spaniard Sergi Bruguera.

This was the prelude to Rafter's first major triumph of his career, when he clinched the US Open title that same year, beating Greg Rusedski.

Rafter was on a roll in the late 1990s and managed to extend his US Open title in 1998, this time beating compatriot Mark Philippoussis.

At Wimbledon, he reached the semifinals in 1999 and the final the following two years, losing each time.

At the Australian Open, his best result was a semifinal finish in 2001.

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Rafter won a total of 11 singles titles in his career, to which he added 10 doubles titles.

His excellent performances in the late 1990s enabled him to reach world No. 1 in 1999. In doubles, he would reach world No. 6.

After not playing a single match in 2002, Rafter announced his retirement in 2003 due to a lack of motivation to continue playing at the highest level.

In 2006, Rafter was honoured for his merits in the sport of tennis and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was elected to the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.

In late 2010, Rafter became Australia's new Davis Cup captain, a role he would hold until the end of January 2015.

After his active playing career, Rafter made a brief reappearance alongside compatriot Lleyton Hewitt, playing doubles at the 2014 Australian Open.

Rafter also enjoyed playing on the ATP Champions Tour, facing legends such as Pat Cash, Goran Ivanišević and Stefan Edberg.

Rafter reportedly now lives in Byron Bay, where he built an impressive mansion with a swimming pool and tennis court.

He enjoys family life with his wife Lara Feltham and their two children, Joshua and India.

Although his career is now long behind him, Rafter has entered the history books and will always be remembered as a tennis icon.

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