US OPEN

August 27, 2003

Mark Philippoussis

THE MODERATOR: First question for Mark.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah. The first one is always the toughest. You know, a lot of nerves. So I haven't played too many matches this summer. This is a good one to start off with, you know.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It was tough. It's always tough playing someone that you've never played before. You know, obviously he's got nothing to lose. You know, you don't know where he likes to go on his big serve. You don't know what his weaknesses or his strengths are. For me, I just had to hang in there and play my game. I lost a bit of concentration during that second and third set. If there's ever a time to do it, I guess it's now. Next time I have to try to cut those out, try to stay focused for the whole match.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, I think I'm like that. I'm not the sort of guy that comes out blasting into the first match. I do like to build into it. I do feel each match I played, my rhythm gets a little better, whether it be on the serve or the groundstrokes, more confidence on the groundstrokes.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I've always loved the US Open. I love the atmosphere. There's a lot more electricity in the air compared to other Grand Slams. I think the New York crowd has a lot to do with it. They're very vocal, very loud. I enjoy playing in front of that.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah. I would have liked to have not dropped my serve, to be quite honest. In a way, it's good to know when I was down a break, I fought back and won the set. On the other hand, it's also a lot nicer when you're cruising and holding on to your serve, keeping the pressure on his serve. As I said, I think it's something to think about, you know, for the practice tomorrow, you know, to take on to the next match.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, I would have preferred to play on Tuesday. That's the cards I've been dealt. Other players, it happens the same thing. You know, at the end of the two weeks, you know, if I'm too tired after seven matches, that's a good thing, I guess, because I'm there. So it's nothing to complain about. You know, you still get a break after every match if you go through. You play every second day. You know, it's happened before.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Definitely, I think I am. I think people overlook the grass also. They think it's kind of easy playing on the grass. But actually it's very hard on the body. It's not that same pounding as you get on the hard court, but because you're serve and volleying constantly, you're always coming to the net, you're having to bend and stretch. I feel like it has more of an impact on your body, to be quite honest. So I'd have to say I feel like I'm capable of playing seven matches if I have to.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: You know, I wouldn't have anything against it. I think the guys come out a few days early for the Grand Slam. They're prepared to play, if they have to, on Sunday. It's tough. I guess you can look at it different ways.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I definitely felt a little tired because I think I had that long quarterfinal, 7-6 in the fifth. Then I played Moya. You know, got a lot of adrenaline going into the matches. I guess it's just been a tradition for so long. I don't know if it's going to be tough to change.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know to be quite honest. Never gave it much thought.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: You know, I stopped thinking about and calling out my career long ago, especially after three surgeries. I don't know what tomorrow's got for me. I'll take it a day at a time.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I spent my time in San Diego. I was just surfing, doing fitness every day. I did have a chance to relax. It was really nice.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, I have a second round to play. That's what I'm focusing on. There's no way I'm looking anywhere past that. Men's tennis is too tough to look past the next round.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, because guys are working harder. Guys are doing gym now, they're getting stronger. I don't think they were doing that in the past. No matter what racquet you're going to give them, guys are going to hit the ball hard. It's like telling Lleyton Hewitt to stop running fast. If that's his weapon, that's his weapon. Nothing you can do about that. Guys work hard. I've worked hard since I was 14 years old to have a big serve. All of a sudden because of all those years of work, you're going to take that away from me, give me a wooden racquet or a wooden ball? That's where it's unfair. I feel like you spend the time, you work something, have a strength, that's what the whole point is.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. I mean, I use a racquet they stopped making six years ago. I feel like I'm hitting the ball pretty hard with that.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Put off, no.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I was just showing that I've got some tricks, too (smiling).

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: To be quite honest, only for a split second going into the surgeries. Not the second, probably the third one more than anything, because it was so big, being in the wheelchair. It's impossible not to have some negative thoughts running through your mind when you're sitting in the wheelchair. You do have some negative thoughts and you do have your doubts. But I pushed them out of my mind pretty quick.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't think it has, to be quite honest. If anything, I just felt maybe it's made me more professional, it's made me step up and realize I've got -- I just got to step up and be ready for the expectations now and things that are going to be dealt with me - whether it's extra stuff, sponsors, expectations on the court. I feel like I'm ready to try, you know, back myself up. If anything's changed, I would say mentally I feel a lot stronger, tougher.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah. I think the difference is now I'm ready for it, whereas before I don't think I was mature enough to accept all those responsibilities.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know. Maybe. Maybe.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Why not just build a grass court, too (smiling)?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know about that. Lleyton and I get on really well. I invited him to my house for five days. We trained really hard. We played golf, relaxed. I think guys perform differently under different circumstances. Maybe Lleyton is a guy who needs something happening to pump himself up for his matches. For myself, if I'm happy off the court, I play great tennis on the court. You know, if that's the case, maybe I could walk past him and give him a quick elbow in the head, pump him up (smiling).

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I am. You know, there's nothing to be upset about. You know, my family's healthy, I'm healthy. That's the most important thing for me.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I kind of knew they were going to put me on that court again. If I had that same shot, I would try that same thing.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, I just make sure I warm it up properly. I definitely do not want to go on the court cold, whether it be the practice court or the match court. You know, do my warming up on my bike, do my stretching, you know, just go out warm. I think that's the most important thing.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Just cool down, stretch, take my time, try to do the right thing. Ice the knee. Nothing's hurting, but just for precautionary reasons, things like that.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I felt like it's always been me, I just haven't discovered that. I've always loved the water as a kid. Everything I've liked, this has kind of put everything together that I've loved. It just makes so much sense when I'm in the water, I just feel so relaxed. I think there's definitely some stress in tennis on and off the court. Surfing is something where I will just go in the water, just come out of the water, feel so relaxed, feel just like a different person, so energized. For me, that's very important to do.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Hasn't really been a big swell when I've been there. There's been days where it's just been beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. The water's blue. Not big waves, just three or four foot, clean. Some of the things you see, dolphins swims underneath you, around you. Things like that make it so beautiful.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: The difference is there's no waves in Florida.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Oh, there's waves every day. A bad day is probably two-foot. A good day is two-foot in Florida because you get blocked by the Bahamas.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I was just talking about it the other day. I could definitely see it. When I have kids one day, I'm definitely going to get them to surf. I think it's going to be great.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'm not going to stick a tennis racquet in their hand, no way. They're doing something else.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: They're so relaxed. They're not into the material side of life. It's so easy to get stuck into that, which I did. Obviously, you love your cars, you love your houses. It just shows what the important things in life are. They take a backpack, they take a surf board, they go out and they travel. They share like a little house, four of them, wake up, go and surf. They're the happiest people in the world. I went on a surf trip Mexico three days prior to when I left. I was sharing a room with a pro surfer. "Are we sharing?" "I'm sorry." I was excited, because I've never shared a room with somebody. Guy is looking at me like I'm crazy because I'm happy about sharing a room. Simple things make life a lot easier, I think.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Brett Stephens, Pete's trainer. I went up to LA and did some stuff with them and he was into surfing. Ended up buying a surfboard. I remember going out, first wave I got, I stood up, I was just hooked. Doing things like I did, I ended up buying 15 surfboards thinking that's going to make me surf better.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yes.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think that's pretty cool.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. I mean, an hour away we have beautiful beaches. You have Bell's Beach, one of the best waves in the world, an hour away. I always went to the beach, but for some reason I never thought about surfing. I loved to fish, be in the water, but I never thought about grabbing a surfboard.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, that's it. Life's good.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Thanks.