Last August, on a rainy Sunday afternoon in the players' lounge in Cincinnati - where the ATP Championship was scheduled to begin the next day - a handful of players gathered around a television to watch Patrick Rafter play Richard Krajicek in the du Maurier Open final in Toronto. Rafter was having a week that players dream about: He straight-setted Mark Philippoussis, Joans Bjorkman and Tim Henman, and was in the process of doing the same to Krajicek.

By the end of the match, several players went to check the drawsheet for Rafter's unfortunate early round opponents in Cincinnati. They must have smelled blood in the water, because two days later Rafter won 16 of the first 17 points of his match against Guillaume Raoux. He went on to capture his sencond straight Mercedes Super 9, beating Pete Sampras in the final and entering the US Open on an 18-2 run.

But Rafter didn't merely gain momentum during 1998; he built an aura around himself. He played better than anyone else against Top 10 opponents (posting a heady 7-0 mark), won six ATP titles and successfully defended his US Open crown, toppling Sampras in the semifinals - for the second time in two 1998 meetings - and rolling through Mark Philippoussis in a four-set final, during which he committed just five unforced errors.

Rafter - unlike Sampras - also played Davis Cup with pride. He fought through an illness during an April loss to Zimbabwe, then shipped the $4.25 million Compaq Grand Slam Cup in the fall to lead Australia to a relegation-round victory over Uzbekistan. And his affinity for doubles (a 27-12 record in 1998) is a rare, welcome development for a top male singles player these days.

For all these reasons Rafter is TENNIS' Male Player of the Year. Though Sampras won his fifth Wimbledon and finished No.1 on the computer for a record sixth straight time, it wasn't a typical Pete year. Whereas he won 16 titles and posted a 26-6 record against Top 10 foes in 1996 and 97' combined, he won only four events and was just 6-3 against fellow Top 10 members in 98'. And while Marcelo Rios finished No.2, he played erratically for much of 1998 and has yet to win a Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, Rafter's stature and reputation grew. "When he won the US Open in 1998, Rafter played way better than he did when he won it the year before," says Patrick McEnroe. "He grew in confidence and stature as a player, and he acted like he was supposed to be there."

Even Rafter admits he "belongs" on the same court with the top players now. "I don't know if it has to do iwth my attitude or what it is," Rafter says. "All the negative thoughts that used to creep up into my mind - I just put them aside. I figure guys are going to have to beat me on that day, because I'm playing well enough to be with them."

Actually, he's being to modest. Patrick Rafter has reached another level entirely.