Unlikeliest Wimbledon finalist dated TV star and came back from three surgeries
However good the best comeback story of 2023 feels to you, it has nothing on Mark Philippoussis' SW19 run some 20 years ago.
Big-serving Aussie Philippoussis was just 21 when he made his first Grand Slam final, losing to compatriot Pat Rafter at the 1998 US Open. Around the turn of the century, though, knee issues left him needing not one, not two, but three surgeries.
After three straight quarter-final runs, the Melbourne pro sat out Wimbledon altogether in 2001 - in fact, he sat out all four slams. He was still unseeded when he travelled to South-West London in 2003, but that was no obstacle to the most unlikely of runs.
Philippoussis' first Wimbledon run after his Flushing Meadows final brought the start of his knee problems. After beating home favourite Greg Rusedski to reach the quarter-finals, dropping just three sets across the first four rounds of the tournament, he became the first player to take a set off top seed Pete Sampras before disaster struck.
"I felt like I landed OK, but I heard a click and I grabbed [my knee], and I thought nothing of it until he hit a serve," the Australian said. "Then, when I sort of jumped forward to split-step, my knee just gave way and I heard a huge click"
Roger Federer 'in talks' to join BBC's Wimbledon coverage in emotional return
Philippoussis' game was over, freeing up Sampras to go on and win the title thanks to further victories over Tim Henman and Andre Agassi. The American told his opponent he was "kicking my a**," but that will have been scant consolation to someone playing well enough to have a real shot at glory.
Where does Mark Philippoussis' run rank amongst Wimbledon's best comebacks? Have your say in the comments section
Mark Philippousis made two Grand Slam finals in his career (Press Association)Later in his career, Philippoussis attracted as much attention for what happened off the court. He famously dated 'Neighbours' star and singer Delta Goodrem and 'Crash' actress Jennifer Esposito, and in between those relationships he starred on American reality show 'Age of Love'.
In his early twenties, though, there were few in the world better at what he did. An serving machine, he held the record for most aces in a three-set match for 20 years, hitting 44 against Byron Black in a 1995 meeting, but there was more to his game than just big serves.
The strain put on his body was also clear, though. It wasn't just the 1999 Sampras incident which took its toll, and a string of surgeries led him to spend two months in a wheelchair amid worries his career was over before the age of 25.
"When doctors say you won't play again it makes you realise things," Philippoussis said in 2001. "It makes you realise this is your life, that this is a god-given gift and I have been wasting it all these years, driving fast cars and going out.
"I have got that stuff out of my system. I really want it now. I have been doing everything in my power to change myself and my lifestyle.
"People told me this was what I should have been doing but, if you don't want to hear it, you won't do it. But now I do."
Mark Philippoussis would later date TV star Delta Goodrem (Regis Martin/Getty Images)After six months on the sidelines in 2001, Philippoussis worked his way back slowly. He reached an ATP final in Adelaide and fell to Rusedski in the second round of the Australian Open, but suffered a number of early exits in a pared down schedule in which a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon was a relative high point.
Roger Federer needs "something special" to accept BBC Wimbledon role
His season came to an early end in August, when another knee injury prompted him to retire against Sjeng Schalken and go in for an MRI scan. After that many injuries, each new setback needs to be taken seriously, and four more months passed before Philippoussis returned to the court.
By the summer of 2003, though, things were looking up. There was some consistency, with another final in Scottsdale and a couple of other deep runs, though his Queen's appearance ended early at the hands of Richard Krajicek, his conqueror at Wimbledon the year before.
Injury cut short the Australian's Wimbledon run in 1999 (Getty Images)Philippoussis had needed a wildcard to secure a place in the 2002 draw. This time he was there in merit, but his lack of seeding meant a tough draw with number two seed Andre Agassi looming large in the fourth round.
He got the first part of the job done, overcoming Mariano Zabaleta, Cyril Saulnier and future quarter-finalist Radek Stepanek to set up a meeting with Agassi. The American had shown he could be got at in the earlier rounds, dropping sets to Jamie Delgado and Younes El-Aynaoui, but remained the overwhelming favourite.
It was a true Wimbledon epic, with a run-time to rival fellow 2003 showpiece The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Eventually, though, Philippoussis came out on top after five sets and more than three hours.
With the hard work out of the way, 'The Scud' almost put it to waste in the next round against Alexander Popp. The German was seen off in another five-setter, though, and victory over Sebastien Grosjean in the semis set up a final against a 21-year-old up-and-comer by the name of... Roger Federer.
Philippoussis took on a young Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final (Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)“Walking into that match, I felt like I was the favourite," Philippoussis would later admit. "We were playing on grass. I don’t care who the person is or what he’s ranked.
"A couple months earlier I’d actually beaten him in Hamburg where he was defending champion on clay. I felt confident. I was living my dream.”
Federer would, of course, go on to dominate at Wimbledon during a decorated career. In 2003, though, the Swiss was in a grand slam final for the very first time in his career.
There was little to choose between the pair in the opening set. Philippoussis, who had hit a record-equalling 46 aces against Agassi earlier in the tournament, took Federer to a tie-break but lost it 7-5.
Fourth seed Federer took the second a little more easily, but his opponent was back on form in the third. Had Philippoussis won that tie-break to make it 2-1, a comeback might have materialised, but instead it was a straight sets victory and the first of five Wimbledon singles titles for the future world number one.
Philippoussis came up short in the final (Professional Sport/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)The Wimbledon final might have looked like the start of a new chapter, but Philippoussis couldn't keep the momentum going. He added another title towards the end of the year, but would never get beyond the fourth round of another grand slam.
Considering what came before, getting that far at all feels like a phenomenal achievement. Even if he has struggled to see it that way.
“I’m not going to lie, it hurt,” Philippoussis reflected in a 2020 interview. “I got to the final. No one remembers the runners-up.
"Of course you don’t want to go all that way and lose. It was my second Grand Slam final loss and it hurt, especially this one.
"This one really, really hurt. I came back from some surgeries, they said my tennis career was over. I worked very hard. It was a beautiful two weeks, but I fell short.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
