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Australia`s new hero gives due credit to crowd support
Melbourne, Dec 01: Mark Philippoussis, the former bad boy of Australian tennis, became a national hero when he clinched the Davis Cup for his country yesterday.
Melbourne, Dec 01: Mark Philippoussis, the former bad boy of Australian tennis, became a national hero when he clinched the Davis Cup for his country yesterday.
Philippoussis, playing on a specially-laid grasscourt at the Rod Laver Arena in his hometown of Melbourne, sealed the tie with a 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0 victory over world number three Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first of the reverse singles.
After the Australian, who had relinquished a two-set lead and battled with a chest injury, smashed a weak return from Ferrero to take the match and seal the tie, he collapsed to the court as the crowd burst into a cacophony of cheering.
His father Nick burst into tears courtside as Philippoussis embraced coach John Fitzgerald before the rest of the Australian team of Wayne Arthurs, Lleyton Hewitt and Todd Woodbridge ran on to court to join in the celebrations.
''This beats nice,'' Philippoussis told reporters in reference to his victory over France's Nicolas Escude in 1999 to seal the title for the Australians.
''This is what Davis Cup is all about, playing at home,'' he added of the raucous crowd that cheered him through the fifth set while he was battling with the injury.
''The crowd were just so loud and so awesome. I said that I wouldn't have been able to make it without them.
''They not only get you up, but they also get your opponent down.''
It was an amazing turnaround for the 27-year-old, who was chosen to lead Australia more than five years after he threatened to abandon the Davis Cup altogether after falling out with the team's coaching staff John Newcombe and Tony Roche in 1998.
On Friday, Philippoussis was shocked when he was beaten by claycourt specialist Carlos Moya 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-7.
The defeat left a despondent Philippoussis uncommunicative after the match, though he vowed to battle back and play better in the reverse singles.
Philippoussis began intensely, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the injury seemed to affect his serve and Ferrero seized the opportunity to battle back and force a deciding set.
However, Philippoussis then received treatment on his chest, which seemed to allow him to regroup and he produced some of his best tennis to smash the smaller Spaniard off the court.
''It was pretty sore, but there was no way I was giving in,'' said Philippoussis of the way the injury was affecting him during the third and fourth sets.
''Fitzy (coach John Fitzgerald) told me to take it just one point at a time,'' he added of the fifth set.
''It's Davis Cup. You leave it all out there.''
Bureau Report
Philippoussis, playing on a specially-laid grasscourt at the Rod Laver Arena in his hometown of Melbourne, sealed the tie with a 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0 victory over world number three Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first of the reverse singles.
After the Australian, who had relinquished a two-set lead and battled with a chest injury, smashed a weak return from Ferrero to take the match and seal the tie, he collapsed to the court as the crowd burst into a cacophony of cheering.
His father Nick burst into tears courtside as Philippoussis embraced coach John Fitzgerald before the rest of the Australian team of Wayne Arthurs, Lleyton Hewitt and Todd Woodbridge ran on to court to join in the celebrations.
''This beats nice,'' Philippoussis told reporters in reference to his victory over France's Nicolas Escude in 1999 to seal the title for the Australians.
''This is what Davis Cup is all about, playing at home,'' he added of the raucous crowd that cheered him through the fifth set while he was battling with the injury.
''The crowd were just so loud and so awesome. I said that I wouldn't have been able to make it without them.
''They not only get you up, but they also get your opponent down.''
It was an amazing turnaround for the 27-year-old, who was chosen to lead Australia more than five years after he threatened to abandon the Davis Cup altogether after falling out with the team's coaching staff John Newcombe and Tony Roche in 1998.
On Friday, Philippoussis was shocked when he was beaten by claycourt specialist Carlos Moya 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-7.
The defeat left a despondent Philippoussis uncommunicative after the match, though he vowed to battle back and play better in the reverse singles.
Philippoussis began intensely, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the injury seemed to affect his serve and Ferrero seized the opportunity to battle back and force a deciding set.
However, Philippoussis then received treatment on his chest, which seemed to allow him to regroup and he produced some of his best tennis to smash the smaller Spaniard off the court.
''It was pretty sore, but there was no way I was giving in,'' said Philippoussis of the way the injury was affecting him during the third and fourth sets.
''Fitzy (coach John Fitzgerald) told me to take it just one point at a time,'' he added of the fifth set.
''It's Davis Cup. You leave it all out there.''
Bureau Report