Lending him support was his own "fan club", the entire Rafter family - Stephen, now 35, Theresa, 34, Geoffrey, 31, Maree, 30, Peter, 28, Louise, 27, Michael, 21, David, 18, Jim and, of course, mother Jocelyn.

There was no time for pubs or girlfriends. While his schoolmates headed for the dance floor, Pat worked up a sweat on the family's backyard tennis court with one of his brothers.

"He was sound asleep in bed by 7.30 most nights, ready for an early call at 6 am the next day," says Jocelyn. "His schedule was exhausting."

It all began to pay dividends when Pat, then 18, won a Masters tournament in Newcastle. Fittingly, he shared this moment of glory - and the 900km journey - with Jocelyn who was there as mum, driver, and tennis organiser.

"I loved it," says a proud Jocelyn. "It didn't matter if it was Pat or any other of the children. Jim and I have always told our kids to follow their dreams and we would be there to support them."

Sister Louise adds, "We all knew Pat was determined. He was training really, really hard at Coops Tennis Centre and with our brother Geoff."

"I remember I used to study to all hours in the night while my little broyther was sleeping like a baby."

"I used to think it was so unfair," laughs Louise.

In 1991, an excited Pat phoned home to say he had just beaten a player ranked 1012th in the world in the qualifying round for the Australian Open.

By 1994, he celebrated his first professional victory, winning the Manchester Open, and was ranked 21st in the world.

Pat defied all odds becoming the highest ranked Aussie in a quarter of a centry and everyone expected him to go on and be the best.

"Pat's dream was to represent Australia in the Davis Cup. It's one of the greatest sporting events," says Jocelyn. "I remember the family would always sit and listen to the Davis Cup matches on the radio.

"Pat saw playing for his country as the most important thing, much more than being the world's numer one."

In fact, he went on to achieve his Davis Cup dream in 1994 when he was selected as Australia's number one singles player against Russia.

But the road to glory wasn't easy. In 1995, a wrist injury reduced his ranking. It got worse when he stepped into a pothole in Brisbane, twisting his ankle, and was forced to lie sprawled in pain on the roadside, unable to move.

The injury cost Pat a chance to play in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, a chance to represent his country he would have dearly cherished.

Shortly after came one of the hardest decisions Pat had to make in his career.

Pat decided to tell his brother, coach and companion, Geoff, who had been with him from the start, that he wanted to travel alone.

Says Jocelyn, "Pat has always been his own person. He was having a rough patch and knew what was best for him."

"It was a business decision. Pat just felt he needed time on his own."

"Geoff was disappointed, and it hurt Pat just as much. Geoff was, and always will be, an integral part of Pat's life."

"When Pat was young, Geoff offered his life savings so his younger brother could fulfil his dream. He told Pat if it didn't work out, he owed him nothing."

Pat was grateful. Geoff says, "He would have done the same thing for me. Anyone would have done it for anyone else in the family."

By then Pat was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Bermuda, plotting how to win the 1997 US Open.

Although the locals were aware they had a star in their midst, they respected his privacy, leaving him in peace to surf and enjoy a quiet beer with his mates.

It was brother, Peter's turn to fly the family flag at the "'97 US Open. Peter says of the victory, "It was such a huge buzz, there were no real expectations of him winning.

"His second title was much more of a relief, he proved a lot of people wrong. There were the critics who thought Pat's first win was lucky. But he has proved himnself to be one of the great players of the modern era," says Peter.

"The pressure on Pat defending the US Open this year was incredible. I think after winning he really believed in himself and felt an inner peace."

What does the future hold? Jocelyn has no doubts. "I believe Pat will make a difference. And, as he gets older, and once his tennis career is over, I truly believe he will do things that are really meaningful," says Jocelyn, mentioning his recent gift of $300,000 to the Starlight Foundation to help sick kids.

"He believes if he can make one kid smile then it's all worth it."

"He really wants to live life. He feels life can end at any time and, despite his overwhelming success on the court, to Pat, it's not the be all and end all.

"He loves tennis, but knows there's more to life. He wants to do other things and lead as normal a life as possible."

In the meantime, Pat is gunning for the number-One spot and as many grand slam titles as possible.