Pat Rafter, the former world No. 1 and two-time US Open champion, recently took a trip down memory lane, sharing his early impressions of a young Roger Federer. Reflecting on their first encounter at Roland Garros in 1999, Rafter revealed that, back then, Federer lacked the grit he would later become famous for, describing him as “a little soft.”
Rafter and Federer clashed three times in total, with the Australian coming out on top in all their meetings. Their first face-off was particularly notable—not just because it marked Federer’s Grand Slam debut, but also because it hinted at the raw, unrefined potential of a legend in the making.
“Roger Federer came on the scene in ’99, and I got to play him; he got a Wild Card I think,” Rafter said in an ATP Tour feature. “He came on, and he beat me the first set 7-5. I was like, ‘You punk!’”
As Rafter recounts, Federer showed flashes of brilliance early on but lacked the composure to sustain it. “I was trying to work out how I was going to get through to him as well, and I got off in the second set, and then he might have done a double [fault] or I won a big point and I just got in his face and went ‘Come on!’ He sort of melted a little bit. He was a little soft at that stage.”
Rafter rebounded to take the match 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2. He would go on to defeat Federer again in 2001—first in straight sets at the Miami Masters and then in a tighter three-set battle in Halle. These contests all came before Federer’s iconic breakthrough moment: a five-set thriller over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001 that marked the turning point of his career.
With a chuckle, Rafter admitted that Federer’s growth as a player made him feel that his own retirement had come at just the right moment. “You know, once he sorted that part of his game out, oh my god, it was such a good time [for me] to leave the game,” he confessed. “He wanted me to stay so he could start beating me, and I was just trying to get out of the game as quickly as I could.”
Federer himself reflected on their first match during an interview at Roland Garros in 2019. He recalled how excited he was to play against someone with Rafter’s reputation and sportsmanship: “I was really happy to play against Rafter, who was one of the most popular players on the tour. He had this aura of being nice and fair play, so it was great being able to play him on Suzanne Lenglen Court rather than on Court 23. So I played a good match. I wanted to play on a big court. It didn’t happen, but nevertheless it was a great experience for me.”
Aside from Federer, Rafter also touched on his long-standing struggle against another compatriot: Lleyton Hewitt. Despite the age gap—Rafter was nine years Hewitt’s senior—the younger Aussie quickly proved to be a thorn in his side.
“I was nine years older than Lleyton [Hewitt] as well, I mean, he was this baby that came along on tour,” Rafter said. “I remember he came to Davis Cup at 15, and when playing points with him, he’s chopping me. I’m going, ‘This is not right, he’s a little kid, he can hardly serve,’ but by god he just knew how to play the game.”
It wasn’t just Hewitt’s scrappy game that annoyed Rafter—it was his relentless competitiveness. “He kept pushing you to be better,” Rafter admitted. “When he was on tour, I didn’t want to see him anywhere near my draw, and when I did, I was hoping he wouldn’t get through because I didn’t want to play him.”
Though Rafter had the experience and pedigree, the head-to-head tilted in Hewitt’s favor, with the younger Aussie winning three of their four matches. For Rafter, Hewitt wasn’t just a tough opponent—he was a constant mental challenge, the kind of player who could unravel even a seasoned pro with sheer tenacity.
Both Federer and Hewitt, in very different ways, left their marks on Rafter’s career. One reminded him of the new generation’s rise, while the other served as a warning that even a “baby” on tour could punch well above his weight.