US Open champion was voted 'sexiest athlete alive' but has now taken up another sport

One US Open champion who was previously voted the ‘sexiest athlete alive’ has taken up a new sport after retiring from tennis.

Pat Rafter won back-to-back US Open titles during the 1990s, with the Australian also a two-time Wimbledon finalist.

While he might’ve failed to crack any of the other major championships, Rafter did consistently reach the latter stages of Grand Slams and even spent a short period of time as world No.1.

But it was his long flowing locks that Rafter was best known for, with the Queensland-born star having been named the 'sexiest athlete alive’ by People Magazine in 1997 - the year of his first of two consecutive US Open titles.

Rafter had originally retired from tennis in 2002 but made a brief comeback to the game in 2008, before being named Australia’s Davis Cup captain in 2010 - a role he held for five years.

However, not one to be kept quiet for long, Rafter has taken up a new sport since giving up tennis for good… the increasingly popular padel.

Another racquet sport which is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a regulation tennis court, padel might look like the sport Rafter shot to fame in, but it definitely has its own unique variations.

Above all else, it is one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide, with talk it could even be included on the Olympic schedule in the future.

On his new-found love, Rafter told foxsports.com.au: “Sewelly [Brad Swell] was playing a lot and he just told me to come and play and eventually I did and I quite enjoyed it.

“It took me a while to get the hang of it and I was a bit silly on the court in terms of my shot selection and things, because you think it is tennis and it is actually not, because there is a lot of squash about it as well.”

“Just in the last year I really got into it and I am at the stage now where I am actually playing a couple of tournaments and realising … there are things I really need to work on.

“But I really enjoy it because there is so much to learn about it and that part of it was captivating to me.”

Having struggled with injury at time during his career, Rafter admitted padel has taken much less of a toll on his body.

He continued: “Padel has more of an interest for me, because I actually found squash pretty hard physically and I didn't need that at my age.

“The shoulder, I was always a bit protective of it, but probably now less so. That is the great thing about Padel. You don't have to serve overarm, but there is a lot of smashing. But a lot of your smashing is done quite softly.”