Post-Tour, Patrick Rafter’s Life Is ‘Like Groundhog Day’

Two-time U.S. Open champion Patrick Rafter, who plays a few weeks of senior-tour tennis every year, has lately been putting more emphasis on his spiritual side than on his game.

Last month in Delray Beach, Fla., Rafter defeated John McEnroe, 7-6, 7-6, in a scintillating final, to win an ATP Champions Tour event.

Like most of his senior-tour brethren, Rafter finds playing these events more fun than regular ATP matches once were. “Here you feel a little pressure, because you’re competing to win. But if you don’t win, it doesn’t matter,” the 1997 and 1998 U.S. Open champion, now 37, says.