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WIMBLEDON, DAY 8, FOURTH ROUND
The Scud finally demolishes his target
By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc. |
FROM WIMBLEDON – Back in 2000 when Mark Philippoussis was named when the one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive, he might have been competing with Nicole Kidman for the number of red carpets he was striding down on the party circuit. But he was, by no means, a serious threat to win the Wimbledon title.
Three years later, that’s all changed for the man they call the Scud, who fired a tournament record 46 aces in his a 6-3, 2-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 upset of Andre Agassi in the fourth round Monday.
Philippoussis played a gutsy, heady and lethal contest, seizing nearly every opportunity that Agassi gave him and playing the big points like veteran with a long and impressive Grand Slam resume. The funny thing is, Philippoussis doesn’t own such an A-list resume because he had spent much of his career wasting his awesome talent.
In 1998 at the age of 21, he banged his way to the US Open final, but then was schooled by his more popular countryman, Patrick Rafter. In 1999, it looked like the Greek-Aussie with the Adonis build was going to take the Wimbledon crown, but he ripped his knee up during his quarterfinal against Sampras. His body hasn’t been the same since. It seemed like every time he try to come back toward the top, one knee injury or another would undercut him.
"It’s not easy," he said. "There were times, especially after the third surgery when they said I couldn't play, I was in a wheelchair. I was saying, ‘Is it worth coming back? Is it going to happen again if I come back?’ Not only does it take a toll on you physically, it's a mental battle more than anything."
But Philippoussis moved from the bright lights and swanky clubs of Miami to San Diego in the off-season and hired a new trainer, armed with the knowledge that the clock was rapidly ticking on his career. He lives in the kicked-back beach community of Cardiff-by-the-Sea and does a lot of surfing, but many of his days there are spent in high intensity workouts where he attempts to strengthen his legs.
"I did some crazy drills that nearly made me cry," he said. "Stuff on the staircases, really long staircases, going down with my hands and knees."
Philippoussis DIGS IN
But when Philippoussis got down two sets to one against Agassi, he was pleased that he laid down face first in the sand.
"I said, ‘Think about what you’ve done to get here. Stay strong. All that work was forthis.’ "
Philippoussis has a tremendous all-around game, but inconsistency has plagued him over the years. Agassi had beaten him six of the last seven times they played, including the last six and a straight-set spanking delivered here in the '00 quarterfinals. But in the fifth set, when Agassi held break points, the Scud let loose on both his first and second serves. On Agassi service games, he matched him stroke for stroke form the baseline and drew him into a key error to break to 4-3. He then coolly and cruelly closed the match out. At age 26, he seems to have a much better understanding as to how to win matches.
"The great thing about the serve is you’ve got the ball in your hands," Philippoussis said. "You can take your time, no one can rush you. Today I had great rhythm out there. Against a guy like Andre, you can’t kick a ball in and expect to run in and serve and volley. He’s one of the best returners of the world and you have to takes some chances. I did and it paid off."
Philippoussis has always been a controversial sort, on and off the Davis Cup team, in and out of the different cities where has lived and through numerous coaches. He’s back with his strong-willed father, Nick, as his coach, who he taught him how to play and who understands his game better than anyone. Unlike his former coach, Peter McNamara, Nick tells Mark to cut loose.
'I play with instinct'
"I’m the kind of guy who goes for risks," he said. "That’s my game. I am the kind of guy who goes for risks. I'm not the kind of guy who’s going to think about, 'Kick it here, make him run.' I play with instinct."
This is the first time since when most of leading men boycotted the tournament in 1973 that no former champion has reached the quarters. Philippoussis has a great chance to reach the final. He’ll play 6-foot-7-inch German Alexander Popp in the quarters, but Philippoussis has a stronger all-around game and should be able to hop on Popp.
The semis could bring Tim Henman, Sebastien Grosjean or Juan Carlos Ferrero, but although all three of them have had played at a higher level than Philippoussis the past three years, none of them is capable of racking of 46 aces. While they are all just as hungry as he is for the title, they may not be feeling the same urgency that Philippoussis is to show that he’s an elite player.
"I've never doubted my ability," he said. I've always said if I'm healthy, I'm dangerous. There's no doubt about that. I’m just proving to myself, not anyone, that I can do it. That's all I want."
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