of playing in a Davis Cup final.

The Australian tennis star, who now calls Bermuda home, is targeting two ATP tournaments early in November as he sets his sights on the final against France a month later.

Rafter, who dropped out of the US Open after four sets of his opening round contest against Cedric Pioline with a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, has been undergoing intensive treatment in Brisbane, where Wayne Arthurs and teenager Lleyton Hewitt -- replacments for Rafter and the also injured Mark Phillipoussis -- beat their Russian counterparts at the weekend to secure Australia's place.

Rafter, whose inactivity has seen him slip to 13th in the rankings, told an Australian newspaper: "Winning the Davis Cup was my main goal for the season and now Wayne and Lleyton have given me the opportunity.

"I'm going to be doing all the hard work here in Brisbane and I will try to speed up the recovery process.

"If we had lost the semi-final, I would not have been worried. But this is too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Mark Waters, the Australian Davis Cup trainer, will stay in Brisbane and help me get ready. I want to play Paris and Stockholm in the first two weeks of November and then I will probably stay in Europe for three weeks and train on clay wherever we can organise.

"I've never played in a Davis Cup final and I think we have a great chance.'' Rafter first suffered pain in his shoulder at the French Open but it was in Indianapolis, two weeks prior to the US Open, that the injury got so bad that it forced him out of competition.

He rested for a little over a week in Bermuda before declaring himself fit to challenge for a third successive title at Flushing Meadow. However, in his first round match there against eventual semi-finalist Cedric Pioline -- a player he is, ironically, likely to meet in the Davis Cup final -- he succumbed once more to the pain.

It was after his retirement, which drew unmerited boos from the New York crowd, that the tear was discovered during a scan.

His rehabilitation in Brisbane, under the watchful eyes of Waters and Melbourne chiropractor Andrea Bisaz, has included generalised exercises to work the muscles around the shoulder and more specific work on the injured muscle itself, as well as daily massages.

Bisaz said: "We're trying to stimulate the healing process of the injured tissues as well as contain any inflammation that is still there, and that's coming along really well now.

"By the time the Davis Cup final comes around I think he'll be in good enough condition to play without taking any risks.'' And he added that Rafter had been tackling his recovery with typical professionalism.

"I've been very impressed with how Pat is approaching his rehab,'' he said.

"A lot of athletes in situations like this get a bit slack, but Pat's been doing everything to get back to full fitness.''