In the eyes of the English public, Tim Henman was always regarded as the favourite over Greg Rusedski. Perhaps that is because he was born on their shores, whereas Rusedski had represented the country of his birth, Canada, up until 1995 before he changed his allegiance to Great Britain.
What's more, many believe that Henman had the better career of the two. However, Rusedski edged the number of singles titles won by 15-11, while Henman never got beyond the semi-finals of a Grand Slam - Montreal-born Rusedski did.
It was a feat that he achieved during the 1997 instalment of the US Open, winning every match on the way to the last eight without dropping a set.
That was when he developed a throat infection, but it still did not stop him from dispatching Richard Krajicek in three sets, before overcoming Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman in a five-set encounter to book his place in the final, which took place 16 years ago today.
Rusedski was still suffering from his illness and it showed during the opening two sets of the showpiece event, which he lost 6-3 6-2 to Pat Rafter.
The Brit rallied in the third, winning 6-4, but despite leading at one point in the fourth set, he was unable to prevent Rafter from sealing the title thanks to a 7-5 success.
Although he had been visibly hampered by his chest problems, after the contest Rusedski refused to make any excuses: "When you step on the court, there's no excuses. Pat played a great match. I went out there, my doctor took care of me well. I don't think that had too much to do with it at all today.
"I think the difference today was I missed a few easy volleys and a few balls by an inch, and Pat made the balls that he had to make on key points."
It also meant that the nation's wait for a first Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936 would continue.
Liam Apicella
