He’s considered one of Australia’s most successful tennis stars.
And Pat Rafter delighted fans on Wednesday morning when he made a rare television appearance on Channel Seven‘s Sunrise.
The two-time US Open winner, 51, has hardly aged a day in two decades, but he has traded in his signature ponytail for short hair and now sports a salt-and-pepper beard.
He appeared on the breakfast program after it was announced he’d be the first to slide at the Big Freeze fundraiser at the MCG this year.
The Big Freeze is an annual event organised by FightMND, a non-profit organisation dedicated to finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Pat is trading his tennis racquet for the celebrity slide before the King’s Birthday public holiday AFL match between Collingwood and Melbourne kicks off on June 10.
During his TV appearance, Pat said he was thrilled to be taking part in the icy plunge next month.
‘Well, you know, it’s just supporting a great charity and a great cause and I know a few people who have been affected by MND and it’s a horrible, horrible disease,’ he told co-hosts Matt Shirvington and Natalie Barr.
‘So just want to jump on board and see what happens… It seemed like a great idea at the time,’ he joked.
Pat was once voted People’s Sexiest Athlete Alive, the same year he rose to stardom after his first US Open win in 1997.
The former world number one tennis player now opts for a quieter life out of the public eye with his family in Byron Bay.
Pat married his longtime partner Lara Rafter, a former model in 2004. The couple share son Joshua, who recently turned 21.
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The tennis star was a hugely popular sex symbol in the late nineties and he proved he had the ability to match it on the court.
Since retiring, Pat went on to become an underwear model for Bonds, a brand ambassador for the Mantra Group of hotels and a successful businessman.
He was named Australian of the Year in 2002 – three years after winning the Davis Cup for his country.
After an impressive career, Pat was inducted into the tennis hall of fame in 2006.
His greatest accomplishments came at the US Open, where he won back to back titles in 1997 and 1998, propelling him to world no. 1 status in 1999.