Pat Rafter and John Fitzgerald not only share a birthday, now they can both write Davis Cup captain on their resumes.
Tennis Australia director of tennis Craig Tiley announced Rafter as the new captain yesterday, with Tony Roche as his assistant, to take over from Fitzgerald, who was in the role for 10 years.
Rafter, who was on a flight to China at the time of the announcement, congratulated "Fitzy" in a statement for his time at the helm, which included a 2003 Davis Cup win.
"I am really looking forward to working with the team and helping lift Australian men's tennis on the world stage," he said. "We've got a lot of young players that have a great opportunity to play for Australia. My standards and expectations are extremely high. This is a great opportunity to be part of something that means a lot to me."
Rafter retired from playing in 2002, with US Open wins in 1997 and '98 the highlights of his singles career.
Fitzgerald said Australia's failure to make the world group this year played no part in his decision to stand aside.
"I'd been speaking to Pat throughout the year ... he certainly showed more interest as the year went on," Fitzgerald said. "I'm just delighted that he would want to step into the Davis Cup shoes because our sport needs guys like Pat. He brings a lot to the table and I was ready [to retire]. I was pushing the agenda."
He said Rafter, sometimes referred to as the 'Mr Nice Guy' of the tour, was the perfect role model.
"Pat's ready to go, he's the right person for the job now and I wish him well," Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said with a new player development program in place it was the perfect time for a fresh start.
"Pat will do it his way, as he should," he said. "He's a man who knows where he wants to go."
The retiring captain, who was a member of Australia's 1983 and '86 Davis Cup-winning teams, will take time out with his family before deciding on his next challenge.
Roche will bring invaluable experience for Rafter to draw on.
His proteges include former world No1s Ivan Lendl, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt, with the new captain also part of the elite list. The 1966 French Open winner won a trifecta of Davis Cups as a player from 1965-67, and joined with John Newcombe to captain the team to victory in 1999.
Tennis Australia head of men's tennis Todd Woodbridge said Rafter's arrival would help return Australia to its former glory.
"It's all part of the rebuilding process. We went so close to getting back into the world group [this year]," he said. "That's our goal ...
but it's a goal to develop the future of Australian tennis too, and that's where Pat will be crucial too to pass on some of that knowledge."
Rafter helped the Davis Cup team in September. He has also worked with promising players at the AIS.
"It's not like he's just walking in all of a sudden," Woodbridge said.
"He's tasted it, he's felt a part of it, he believes in the process that we're building."
