One Less Tennis Hottie -- Patrick Rafter Retires Options

[charliecstl]

Well, cutie-pie Patrick Rafter has finally ended his period of indecision and announced he will not be playing competitive tennis moving forward. I always enjoyed watching him play. He brought some excellent old-school tennis to the game, and he was exceptionally gracious for the most part. Tennis needs more players of his mold.Patrick Rafter Retires

[WhiteSoxFan]

A sad day in tennis indeed (not that we couldn't see it coming). Rafter is a great player and a real class act. I, for one, will really miss seeing him play, but I also wish him the best in the rest of his life. Oh, and by the way, I think he's really really really hot too.

[tennisballs]

rafter is in a class all by himself, he will be missed terribly. aside from his awesome good looks (made all the better by his generous and sportsman spirit), he is a thing of beauty to behold on the court. man, i miss the days of athletes gliding across the space and creating a little art...adios pat! we'll miss you...

[NoLongerHere]

Wanted to add my two cents, too...

Watching Rafter play was like watching high stakes tennis: I thought he was CRAZY storming the net the way he did sometimes. But that's what made him so exciting to watch. It's a damn shame he didn't win Wimbledon. He would have been a much more gracious winner...but I shouldn't tear another player down to build one up. PATRICK RAFTER was a fiesty competitor and a friendly mentor to younger players on the tour. I'm bummed that he's retired, but hope he picks up coaching sometime in the future.