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Despite all odds, Scud comes full circle
Melbourne, Dec 02: It is not much more than two years ago that Mark Philippoussis was stuck in a wheelchair, wondering whether his tennis career was over at the age of 24. A series of crippling injuries to his left knee led to three operations and a warning that he may never play again.
Melbourne, Dec 02: It is not much more than two years ago that Mark Philippoussis was stuck in a wheelchair, wondering whether his tennis career was over at the age of 24. A series of crippling injuries to his left knee led to three operations and a warning that he may never play again.
It was a long tortuous road back, and along the way he chose not to play Davis Cup as he tried to rehabilitate himself. Despite having been the hero when Australia won the 1999 final, Philippoussis' decision was not popular back home.
But all that has been forgotten - team captain John Fitzgerald described Philippoussis as a "national hero" after his battling win over Juan Carlos Ferrero clinched the Davis Cup.
The Scud seemed down and out after suffering a pectoral injury that saw him drop a two-set lead over Ferrero, but he somehow found the reserves to claim a fifth set win.
It was a performance that stood as an apt metaphor for Philippoussis' brave struggle against the odds.
"Today's win was definitely the most important win of my tennis career, without a doubt," he said. "There was no way I was going to pull out. I just kept telling myself take one point at a time, that's all I could do.
"I mean, this is Davis Cup, you leave your heart out there."
How Philippoussis raised himself only he knows. But a bathroom break and then some on-court treatment clearly changed the rhythm of the match.
"After the third and fourth [sets] it was all happening so quickly and I didn't want it to keep on going like that in the fifth.
"I wanted to change things up.
"I went to the bathroom and the guys were saying 'one more set, one more set'.
"I was just thinking I don't care how bad your pec is, just put everything into this last set."
Philippoussis said that this win was more "emotional" than the 1999 victory in France. But it is hard to believe that a Grand Slam victory would not cap both of them for Philippoussis.
When he lost in the 1998 US Open final to fellow Aussie Pat Rafter, it looked like it would just be a matter of time before Philippoussis joined the ranks of Grand Slam winners. But when the injuries hit it seemed more likely that Philippoussis would never fulfil his enormous potential.
That was why his defeat in this year's Wimbledon final against an inspired Roger Federer was so hard to take. Philippoussis promised he would be back and vowed: "I'm definitely going to hold that trophy up before I retire."
Now he can go into 2004 with the conviction that it could be the year.
Bureau Report
It was a long tortuous road back, and along the way he chose not to play Davis Cup as he tried to rehabilitate himself. Despite having been the hero when Australia won the 1999 final, Philippoussis' decision was not popular back home.
But all that has been forgotten - team captain John Fitzgerald described Philippoussis as a "national hero" after his battling win over Juan Carlos Ferrero clinched the Davis Cup.
The Scud seemed down and out after suffering a pectoral injury that saw him drop a two-set lead over Ferrero, but he somehow found the reserves to claim a fifth set win.
It was a performance that stood as an apt metaphor for Philippoussis' brave struggle against the odds.
"Today's win was definitely the most important win of my tennis career, without a doubt," he said. "There was no way I was going to pull out. I just kept telling myself take one point at a time, that's all I could do.
"I mean, this is Davis Cup, you leave your heart out there."
How Philippoussis raised himself only he knows. But a bathroom break and then some on-court treatment clearly changed the rhythm of the match.
"After the third and fourth [sets] it was all happening so quickly and I didn't want it to keep on going like that in the fifth.
"I wanted to change things up.
"I went to the bathroom and the guys were saying 'one more set, one more set'.
"I was just thinking I don't care how bad your pec is, just put everything into this last set."
Philippoussis said that this win was more "emotional" than the 1999 victory in France. But it is hard to believe that a Grand Slam victory would not cap both of them for Philippoussis.
When he lost in the 1998 US Open final to fellow Aussie Pat Rafter, it looked like it would just be a matter of time before Philippoussis joined the ranks of Grand Slam winners. But when the injuries hit it seemed more likely that Philippoussis would never fulfil his enormous potential.
That was why his defeat in this year's Wimbledon final against an inspired Roger Federer was so hard to take. Philippoussis promised he would be back and vowed: "I'm definitely going to hold that trophy up before I retire."
Now he can go into 2004 with the conviction that it could be the year.
Bureau Report