Rafter came so close to a first title

Rafter was gracious in defeat despite his second Wimbledon final defeat in two years.

"It was one of those matches which could have gone either way," he said.

"Someone has to lose and I'm the loser once again."

Ivanisevic had accelerated into the opening set, holding his serve with ease and then breaking a nervy Rafter at the first attempt.

The cacophonous reception provided by the partisan Australian crowd seemed to unsettle him, the pressure plus his own adrenaline forcing him to overhit his groundstrokes.

Ivanisevic, by contrast, looked focused and duly took the set with ease.

Rafter needed an immediate response and he provided it by breaking the Croatian in the second game of the second set.

Then it was his opponent's turn to tighten up.

Ivanisevic's usually lethal serve began to splutter, his first-serve percentage slipping to 50% - and the match was level with exactly an hour gone.

Ivanisevic called for the doctor, grimacing as his troublesome left shoulder stiffened up.

It was a misleading omen. After five games had gone with serve in the third, Ivanisevic broke Rafter brilliantly with two wonderful returns.

He held on for a two sets to one lead and looked set fair for the title that has eluded him three times in the 1990s - but comeback kid Rafter had other ideas.

Ivanisevic lost his cool in the fourth set

In the ninth game of the fourth, games going with serve, the Australian worked a break point.

Ivanisevic fired in an ace, only to be called for a foot-fault. Glowering, he hit what he thought was another on his second serve, only to hear it called out.

With that the volcano erupted. Dashing his racquet to the ground, he stormed to the net, gave it a kick and swore at the umpire.

Rafter duly took the set to level the match and the balance of power seemed to have shifted.

But Ivanisevic, who many thought would struggle to last three intense sets, let alone five, stayed strong.

He had been called a one-shot wonder before this final, but it was the accuracy and pace of his returns and the crispness of his volleys at the net that won him big points as much as the firecracker serve.