DEN BOSCH, Netherlands -- Having endured Australia's dominance of the cricket and rugby world, it could be assumed the last thing most Britons would want to see is an Australian strolling out of the All England Club with yet another title.

	Patrick Rafter just couldn't hang on after a good start in last year's Wimbledon final.

But, with the possible exception of local hero Tim Henman, it is doubtful there could be a more popular Wimbledon champion crowned at the end of the next fortnight than Patrick Rafter.

Unlike Henman, Rafter's popularity extends well beyond the cosy confines of SW19, and having hinted that this might be his last visit to the All England Club, fan sentiment is sure to be on the Queenslander's side when play begins on Monday.

Women, who would not know a volley from a Volkswagen, have surrendered to his more obvious charms, Rafter having been recognized as one of the world's sexiest men by several top selling magazines.

But the hard-working Australian, a losing finalist to Pete Sampras last year, is all too aware that Wimbledon is not a popularity contest.

If he is to add the grass-court Grand Slam to his collection, his attacking serve and volley game need to be on target.

While the athleticism that helped him to back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 1997 and 1998 has been blunted by injury this season, Rafter arrives at Wimbledon convinced that he has what it takes to lift the trophy.

"I just feel like I have more of a chance now," said Rafter, who will be seeded third for Wimbledon behind Sampras and Andre Agassi.

"The last couple of years I've played well there and sort of believe I'm one of the contenders at Wimbledon and that's different from 1994 and 1995.

"I give myself really high expectations and I want to see just how far I can go in the tournament.

"Now I really want to see if I can win it. Second place is nice, but it's nothing like a win."

While Rafter, 28, failed to distinguish himself in his first three Wimbledon appearances, he has steadily improved his grass-court credentials reaching at least the fourth round on his past five visits.

Last year, he came tantalisingly close to realizing his dream as he stormed through the draw dropping only one set in his first five matches.

In the final, he won the first set in a tiebreak and led 4-1 in the second set breaker before Sampras rallied to cement his place in tennis history books by claiming a record 13th Grand Slam.

"I've got more of an opportunity to win at Wimbledon than maybe any other surface," Rafter said.

"It is a specialized surface and there are only a certain number of players who are capable of winning on it and I consider myself one of those guys.

"Whenever you have a chance to win a Grand Slam it's a good feeling."

For the first time in four years, Rafter heads to London on an unfamiliar losing note after stumbling out of the Heineken Trophy in the opening round.

Having claimed a hat-trick of titles, the Dutch grass-court tournament had developed into a key component of Rafter's Wimbledon buildup the past three years.

But after absorbing his first loss in 16 matches at the event, Rafter has been forced to overhaul his final preparations, shifting his focus from competition to practice.

"I took a lot of confidence into Wimbledon and that was the main thing," Rafter said.

"When you take confidence in you see the ball very big and you're very aggressive.

"It's hard to say what my confidence level will be until I get there.

"Once you get through the first round you feel like you're part of the tournament and feel better and confident.

"So I need to get through my first match at Wimbledon to get some confidence and then I'll be OK."