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By Richard Hinds in London
July 2 2003
There have been times when Mark Philippoussis has had the right to feel
isolated and unloved. Now, as he attempts to convert the greatest chance
of his career into, at the very least, a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals,
everyone wants a piece of him.
After Philippoussis had achieved what everyone but he seemed to think was
the finest victory of his career, a tough and thrilling 6-3, 2-6, 6-7 (4-7),
6-3, 6-4 win over Andre Agassi, he was asked by an American reporter if he
felt like a southern Californian because he has a house near San Diego.
The answer was comforting for those who now have the whiff of back-to-back
Australian victories at Wimbledon in their nostrils. "I'm an Australian all
the way through," he said. "But I do love living in San Diego."
Strangely, given he almost single-handedly delivered Australia's last Davis
Cup victory, Philippoussis has not always been given due credit for
displaying the type of fighting characteristics Australians like to
celebrate. Maybe that is because he has quite a few more vowels in his
surname than Pat Rafter and a tattoo of Alexander the Great on his shoulder
instead of a boxing kangaroo.
However, credit Philippoussis now not only with coming back from a knee
injury that could have ended the careers of less stout-hearted performers
but also with having had the nerve to triumph in one of the hardest fought
and most entertaining matches played at Wimbledon in recent memory.
History might well boil down the Australian's triumph to a single statistic,
the Wimbledon record-equalling 46 aces he blasted past Agassi. But that would
downplay the brilliance of the groundstrokes with which he repeatedly milked
break points and the courage it took to fight his way from two sets to one
down despite the unrelenting accuracy of the veteran American.
Inevitably, when the world No.1 and second seed is eliminated, the question
is asked whether the favourite lost the match or whether he was beaten.
Agassi was unequivocal in his response. "I mean, you know, I had my looks
there today," he said. "So little can decide each set that it's pretty
frustrating at times. But he was definitely the better player today at the
right time."
Perhaps the most vital moment in a match that had many came in Agassi's
opening service game of the fourth set when, at the sixth opportunity,
Philippoussis achieved a break that changed the momentum of the match.
Another came when the Australian survived two break points serving at 2-3
in the final set, then broke Agassi in the next game.
While he has now been to the Wimbledon quarter-finals four times in the past
five years, this was Philippoussis's most important match since he reached
the US Open final in 1998. Some might still argue that his upset win over
Pete Sampras at the 1996 Australian Open ranks higher. But in the purity of
its execution, the opportunity it creates and the adversity he has overcome,
it is hard to say this was not his finest hour.
As always seems the case with Philippoussis, victory was achieved with a note
of defiance. With his ranking having plummeted to 48, and his game seemingly
in disarray after first-round defeats at the French Open and the Queen's
Club, many criticised his decision to replace coach Peter McNamara with his
father.
What Nick Philippoussis thinks of that remains a mystery. "I don't talk to
anyone," Nick said after the match. "I never talk to anyone. But I love you
all."
But Mark Philippoussis was willing to defend the family honour. "I honestly
don't listen to that because that's just so silly," he said. "I've been
with my dad [as coach] since I was six years old. He's the one who taught me
to play tennis. It's just a lot of negative stuff that I don't listen to.
"Just like Lleyton [Hewitt], you know. The guy's number one in the world for
two years in a row, he loses a match, everyone is on his case like he should
drop his parents. . . Everyone loves you when you're winning, you lose a
match and no one jumps on the bandwagon."
Before Wimbledon, the Philippoussis bandwagon seemed in need of repair. Now
you will have to line up to get on board. With serve-volleying German
Alexander Popp up next, and the possibility of a clash with Englishman Tim
Henman in the semis, he has become a warm favourite to make the final.
Which was making it difficult for Philippoussis to keep damping down
expectations, although he did his best. "There's nothing to get too excited
about," he said. "It's quarter-finals. I have a match to concentrate on.
That match is behind me now."
Of course, Philippoussis has been on the cusp of fulfilling his vast
potential before. This time he seems to be benefiting from the influence of
those around him.
A friendship forged with Hewitt by Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald and
coach Wally Masur now includes regular golf games and occasional doubles
matches. Philippoussis acknowledges his younger teammate has helped his own
game. "His work ethic, he's great on the court," he said of Hewitt. "His
intensity is awesome. We have fun on the doubles court, practice court.
Definitely a lot of things you can take away from him."
And, while the tennis world has been cynical, Philippoussis insists his
father is also bringing good things to his game. "We went back to basics,
as simple as that. When things aren't going your way, you're struggling,
I think the best thing to do is go back to basics. That's the way I've been
training. . . Just think about what I used to do when I was younger."
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/01/1056825399409.html
馬克贏了阿格西後，各媒體的報導超誇張，可能有破兩百篇，看到眼睛痛。
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