Background and career
Hicham Arazi (Arabic: هشام أرازي; born 19 October 1973) is a Moroccan former professional tennis player. He played professionally from 1993 to the end of 2007. The left-hander reached his career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 22 on November 5, 2001. During his career, Arazi captured one ATP Tour singles title, in Casablanca. "The Moroccan Magician" reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open twice and the French Open twice. Some tennis analysts also called him "The Moroccan McEnroe" due to his talent – he played with incredible touch, and often enjoyed the support of the crowd even when not at home. He led Patrick Rafter, winner of the US Open in 1997 and 1998, two sets to love during the first round of the latter tournament. In the fourth set he was upset with several line calls, telling umpire Norm Chryst to "get out of here", which sparked the beginning of Arazi's meltdown (and Rafter's comeback). During his career, he notably gained victories over former world No. 1s and major champions Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moyá and Jim Courier.
