Andre's looking to heaven but Pat wants rock 'n' roll

13 April 2012

Pat Rafter and Andre Agassi have different memories of their last Australian Open clash in Melbourne.

Home favourite Rafter's main memory is of a rock concert atmosphere but Agassi can only recall the heavenly tennis he produced.

Six years on from that fourth-round meeting, which Agassi won 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 en route to the title, they face each other again tomorrow in a semi-final.

Rafter is hoping he can reproduce the form which gave him a five-set victory at the same stage at Wimbledon last year but defending champion Agassi will be favourite.

"Grass would be the last surface I would want to play Pat on," said the American. "On this surface, I'll have a few more looks at the returns and the ground game.

"He relies on his athleticism and his fighting spirit and his ability to put pressure on you on big points. I'm going to have to step up my game. The match is going to boil down to who's doing their job better.

"I think it's great for the game that I'm playing him here. I just kind of wish he had already retired and I wouldn't have to think about him. He has a way of making it a lot tougher to win these tournaments and if this is his last Australian Open he's certainly going out giving it his best shot."

On their 1995 clash, Agassi added: "It was just one of those nights when I went to heaven. I hit three unforced errors and 33 winners. I couldn't miss a shot."

Rafter has spoken of retiring at the end of the year to focus on charity work. His every move has been cheered since the start of the championship. He said: "It's great. Timmy (Henman) might get this in London, Andre obviously gets it in New York and the French boys get it in Paris, but I don't get this anywhere else.

"I can remember the rock concert atmosphere of the last time I played Andre here. I'm sure they are going to pump it up again and the crowd get very fired up."

Sebastien Grosjean showed no sign of nerves today on his first appearance in a Grand Slam quarter-final.

Grosjean crushed Spaniard Carlos Moya 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and on Friday will meet fellow-Frenchman Arnaud Clement, third-round conqueror of Greg Rusedski. Clement beat fifth seed and former champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 in their quarter-final today.

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