Justine Henin-Hardenne on her way to beating Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 7-5 on Friday

Melbourne: Two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter’s doubles comeback is over, for the time being.

Asked if he would play a competitive match again, Rafter replied: “You never know, that was just fun, but probably not. I’m 99 per cent sure no, but you never know. Please don’t say I’m going to have a comeback.”

If Rafter is having difficulty deciding, Tennis Australia was taking no chances. Its president, Geoff Pollard, got on the stadium microphone after the match to thank Rafter for his contribution to Australian tennis.

Rafter, 31, hasn’t played since Australia’s Davis Cup final loss to France in December 2001 and formally announced his retirement a year ago. He and close mate Eagle, who also teamed up in a warm-up event at Adelaide, lost their first-round encounter on Thursday night to South Africans Jeff Coetzee and Chris Haggard.

Retired, not forgotten

Pete Sampras, who officially retired at last year’s US Open, won two of his record-breaking 14 Grand Slam singles titles at Melbourne Park, in 1994 and 1997. But he’s most remembered for his 1995 semi-final win over fellow-American Jim Courier, one of the most emotional matches ever played here.

Sampras had the sympathy of the late-night crowd as he forced himself to play through tears of grief after being told that his coach, Tim Gullikson, had cancer. Sampras is remembered in this year’s Australian Open tournament program — a full-page photo of him wiping away tears under the headline ‘Who can triumph over sorrow?’

Gullikson died in 1996 at the age of 44.

Picking up the pieces

Daniela Hantuchova’s 2004 so far has been less than remarkable, and last year wasn’t so hot either.

She lost to Lindsay Davenport in the Hopman Cup final three weeks ago that helped the United States defend the team title, then was defeated in the quarter finals in Sydney last week before losing in the second round of singles at the Australian Open and first round in doubles.

She was No. 5 in January of last year but her ranking dropped to 19 by December. In 2002, the 20-year-old Slovakian won her only Tour event in Indian Wells, advanced to the semi-finals at six other tournaments and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

Last year, her ranking dropped as she vainly tried to defend computer points she accrued in 2002. Adding to her problem was a late growth spurt that left her already slight frame looking gaunt, meaning she had to answer questions about her diet and fitness.

But things are looking up for Hantuchova — she’s teamed with Jonas Bjorkman in mixed doubles at the Australian Open. Bjorkman and Hantuchova, seeded seventh, won their first-round match against Andrew Kratzmann and Daniella Dominikovic on Thursday.

Hantuchova has won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles — 2002 Australian Open and 2001 Wimbledon.