Mark Philippoussis

Flexing Up His Muscles

By Andrea Leand

Issued on "Tennis Match" Magazine, June 1999

The first thing that Mark Philippoussis wants you to know about him is that he has a hearty sited tattoo of Alexander the Great on his upper right arm. It’s the same tattooo that was seen in People last fall when Philippoussis was included as one of the magazine’s sexiest people of the year.

As he flexes his muscles, forcing the face of his greek hero to bulge, Philippoussis can barely contain himself. He smiles with both a twinge of pride and naughtiness at his new badge of honor like a little boy who has gotten away with eating a whole pie. Fellow players love to remind Philippoussis that Alexander the Great was in fact gay – a tidbit the strapping, heterosexual hunk learned only AFTER getting his tattoo.

"I wanted a tattoo of Alexander the Great because of his greek blood", says Philippoussis, proud of his national heritage, as he gazes down at the body art covering his upper arm. "Alexander the Great was a conqueror. He was a great fighter. No matter what odds were against him, he always kept fighting. That’s what I’m trying to do now".

Over the last year, Philippoussis had faced many obstacles, some self-imposed, some not. In fact, Philippoussis’ career so far has not been your typical fairy tale of tennis. Since he first turned pro in 1994, his results have been a wild rollercoaster ride. He earned accolades as a rookie after rocketing from No. 304 to 32 in the rankings by the end of 1995. His stunning upset over Pete Sampras in the 1996 Australian Open pushed him into the Top 20 and into the international spotlight as the heir apparent to the reigning world No 1.

By the end of 1997, Philippoussis had notched three ATP tour titles and a career-high ranking of 13. With his explosive serve, clocked at 143 mph, and another tour victory in Mephis at the beginning of 1998, Philippoussis looked well on way to braking into the Top 10.

"Mark has the weapons to beat anyone on a given day", Sampras says. "It’s all about consistency for him, being able to do it day in day out. When Mark is on, he is tough to beat. But sometimes he’s up, sometimes he’s down. He’s got to be more consistent (emotionally) if he wants to get to the top".

Philippoussis’ attachment to his tattoo reflects such typical teenage adventure and angst. Like many young men his age, the 22-year-old Australian thinks the Greek hero tattoo makes him look cool. He takes off his shirt at any opportunity to display it, along with his imposing, sculptured frame.

But his tattoo has other significances to the youngster. It’s also Philippoussis’ way of thumbing his nose at his adopted homeland and his traditionally clean-cut Australian Davis Cup teammates. For the last year, Philippoussis has caused a national commotion by refusing to participate in the Davis Cup competitions. The snub did not sit well with the country’s loyal Davis Cup fans, not to mentions his teammates. After all, he was thumbing his nose at one of the most glorious legacies in all of tennis.

His subsequent public spats with revered coach Tony Roache cost him hometown fans and media support. ‘Silippoussis’ they called him when he arrived by private jetto watch his country’s injury-plagued Davis Cup team fall to Zimbabwe in a first-round upset last year.

His teammates, most prominently Patrick Rafter, criticized his presence at the tie and his lack of commitment to the team. Rafter, formely Mark’s best friend on the tour, ditched him as a doubles partner and distanced himself from his mate. Philippoussis took the slight seriously. His game and confidence soon eroded. "I feel closer to my Greek heritage", says Philippoussis, who moved with his family to Australia as a toddler but failed to assimilate well into the new culture, "I grew up in a Greek home. We spoke Greek. In fact, I spoke Greek before I spoke English. My best friends were Greek. Our way of life in our house was more european. That’s where I’m most comfortable, with Greeks".

LEAVING HOME

Unable to smooth over his problems in Australia, Philippoussis left them behind and set up residence in Florida at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton. There, Philippoussis is at home with other supplanted foreigners searching for a nurturing environment. To this day, Philippoussis is genuinely bewildered by the controversy and stung by the criticism. His reaction is genuinely child-like. In fact, his strapping 6"4, 190-pound physique masks a simple, somewhat shy youngster. He loves impersonating his favourite comedian Jery Lewis and prefers watching the cartoons Johny Bravo and Doctor’s Laboratory. "I love to draw carttons", he says. "If I draw a cartoon of me, it would be of just a little kid with a big smile on his face and a big ice cream cone".

He blushes when girls call out his name or when he passionately describes his pipedream of becoming a movie star. "I’d love to get into the movies" says Philippoussis, who lists Point Blank and Bad Boys as his favourite movies. "I’ve joked a lot with (Hollywood producer) Amon Milchan about me being in a movie. No heavy dramas. I want to be in an action thriller where the guy has a big gun in his hands and rescues a beautifull girl".

Since Hollywood hasn’t called yet, Philippoussis is content to stay on the tennis scene for another "7 to 8 years", he says. However, his confidence and emotional compass fluctuate without any pattern or forewarning. One week the Australian is tearing through the competition. The next week he is a wreck on the court. Lately, he has stuck to his training routine, but he still jumps at any opportunity to go fishing in his new boat.

Having come from modest means, Philippoussis enjoys living in the fast lane. The GQ cover-boy (Australian edition) thrives on his new found wealth like many star rookies. With lucrative multi-million dollar endorsement contracts, he has equiped himself with expensive sports cars and fancy gadgets. He admits that if his house was burning down, the first possessions that he would grab would be his car keys and cell phone.

"The biggest misconception about me is that people think that because I have so many toys, that I’m this spoiled, rich kid", Philippoussis rationalizes. "But they don’t understand that my family was never rich. Everything that I’ve gotten, I’ve worked for. And if I want to reward myself for the hard work, then I should be able to because I’ve worked hard to get to where I am".

DARK DAYS

When his father became ill, however, life was not all toys and games. Philippoussis had to wrestle with real issues. He worried when his father received treatment for Hodgkin’s disease –which is now in remission. Mark’s unrelenting tournament schedule last year distanced him from the family and friends that he so needed during this confusing time in his career.

"My father’s cancer was definately the toughest time that I’ve gone through", Philippoussis says. "He was the one who hed to do all the fighting, but I was right there watching him go through it. It was very hard. And then I’d have to go play all these tournaments or I wouldn’t fulfill my contracts and I couldn’t be with him. No one new what it felt like to have to play while my father was sick. I wanted to be with him. He’s doing better now, but that was a very hard time".

The low point was just prior to Wimbledon last year, when the 21-year-old fell in the first round at Queen’s Club for his eight early-round loss that year. The defeat on his favourite grass surface just days before the All England Championships sent Philippoussis into a panic-what the tabloids later termed "a mental meltdown". In his post-match press conference, he contemplated quitting the game for a while. He nearly flew home. Even Newcombe advised him to take off six months from the game.

Some say Nick Philippoussis was too controling and caused some of the problems in his son’s career. The senior Philippoussis kept a heavy head in his son’s affairs and did not like anyone poaching on his territory. The former soccer goalie knew little about the game of tennis and, in some people’s opinion, ill-advised his son on certain key issues. Such as choosing a coach. When Philippoussis ran through a string of coaches who dared to debate with his father, players joked about "the Philippoussis’ coach of the week" "My father has been the most important person in my life", Philippoussis declares. "My father gave me my first tennis racquet when I was six years old. He helped me get started. I’d drag him to a court to play. Then from the time I was 10 through 16, he’d drag me to a court to play. It went back and forth. But he’s always been there for me, no matter what".

Still, when problems arose with sponsors and managers, many felt his father had gone too far. In one case, Mr. Philippoussis allegedly threatened to sue Fila, his son’s long-time endorser, over an ad campaign. The ‘Filappoussis’ ads seemed quite clever at first, but when the press started calling the sulking star ‘Silippoussis’, minor skirmishes turned into legal issues that took months to resolve. "Somehow Mark wanted to hold the company responsible for the snide headlines about him", said one close friend. "It was ridiculus after what the company and (its president) Marty Mulligan did for Mark. It had to have come from his dad".

"But Mark needs his father", counters Philippoussis’ current coach, Gavin Hopper. "He gives Mark great support and security. He is a major fixture in Mark’s career and life. He has opinions about Mark’s tennis and makes decisions like other parents. But Mark definately needs and counts on his support. He likes it when his father is there".

Consequently, Nick flew to Wimbledon to console his son. Formen Wimbledon champion and fellow Australian Pat Cash also got behind Philippoussis. Cash, who struggled with the public and press during his career, was able to give the youngster support and advice him on how to handle the situation. "Pat has been there and knows what it’s all about", Philippoussis says. "He knows what I’m going through. He’s helped me deal with the pressures and high expectations. I realize now that it is all a part of the job". By the time Wimbledon began, Philippoussis had cut his hair shorter and had a new approach to the game. His first round victory over the seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov and his subsequent quarterfinal finish helped silence his critics and jump-start his comeback. "I could understand what Mark was going through because I went through the much same thing" Cash said. "I know what it’s like to be criticized or have injuries and have people take shots at you when you are down. I told Mark to keep his chin up, not to worry and that this could be a turning point for him".

NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE

Last summer, Philippoussis was still struggling in matches but continued to work with his new support team. Both Cash and Hopper traveled with him from tournament to tournament, encouraging him to train more. And to Mark’s credit, he made the sacrifices and put in the work. By the time the US Open rolled around, the four-year tour veteran was in the best shape of his career.

It showed in the US Open slam. During his run to the final, Philippoussis developed more maturity and confidence. When facing Tim Henman, Philippoussis never flinched after loosing the second set 6-0. Instead of folding, he came back ferociously to take the match in four sets. Facing match points against Thomas Johansson in the quarterfinals, Philippoussis never pouted or gave up when the match was on the line. He stoicaliy fought back to victory. In the semifinal, Philippoussis completely overwhelmed the French Open champion Carlos Moya.

In the final against his compatriot Patrick Rafter, however, Philippoussis withered. He was upset to see Roche sitting in Rafter’s box during the match. Philippoussis assumed that the Australian coach would remain neutral. But Roche felt allegiance to "the guys who had played Davis Cup", he said. And hence whatever wounds Philippoussis had through healed, re-opened that day.

"There had been hugs and kisses all this week betweem all of them, and then this happens", says Nick Philippoussis. "Mark thought he was getting closer and closer to resolving things. But Mark is very sensitive, and when he walked on the court and sat during the changeover he could not get the picture of Tony sitting in Pat’s box out of his mind".

But that did not stop Philippoussis from joining Rafter’s celebration later that night. Surrounded by adoring fans and supporters –not to mention a few gorgeous models too- a relaxed Philippoussis optimistically eyed his future. For once, he did not personalite the barbs about his expensive toys and commitment to the game. He did not freak out over the expectations and pressures.

He seemed more secure after proving himself at the US Open and finishing the year at No 14. He was no longer looking for excuses or others to blame for his own shortcomings. He was ready to take responsibilitz for himself.

A month later, Philippoussis finally found a way to resolve the rift over Davis Cup. He telephoned Australian Tennis president Geoff Pollard and committed to the team for 1999. He knew that it was time to put aside his differences and focus on more important matters.

"I’m ready to conquer" Philippoussis says. "I’m more positive now. I’m practically a baby still, but I’m growing up and making decisions on my own. I’ve matured a lot and I’m mentally stronger now. I’ve been working harder, putting in more hours on the court and training. And if I give 110% there is no reason why I can’t win Grand Slam titles. There is no reason why I can’t win any tournament I play".