Racquet’s See You In Court is a regular column in which Melissa Kenny, a famously mediocre lifelong player, opines on pro tennis. She also writes Hard Hitting, a Substack about the thrills and frustrations of recreational tennis.
Like some of you, surely, I love Andrea Petovic’s newsletter, Finite Jest. After reading her second Australian Open dispatch, beholding such (disparate) topics as Pat Rafter’s magnetic aura and Stan Wawrinka's gusto during this past—his last—AO ever, I was compelled to comment, In a room full of Rafters, I would still stan Stan. I bit (deleted) my tongue (comment) to avoid appearing cheap or contrarian. But with some more thought, I realized, actually, my instincts were fairly good.
Almost universally magnetic, Pat Rafter is something close to an age-agnostic head-turner. He has an easy disposition and a smile you don’t have to work for. Charm in swathes. A southern hemisphere tan, if you’re into that kind of thing (people usually are).