TMS - CINCINNATI

August 10, 2000

Mark Philippoussis

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Mark.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I just felt like I was playing ordinary today. The only thing kept me in it, I was serving decent and, you know, volleying okay. But I didn't make him play at all on each serve. There was no pressure on him pretty much. I got a break in the first set, I had -- I think it was 4-all breakpoint, I was just pushing the ball back. He ran around his backhand, dictated the points to his forehand. You know, 4-1 in a tiebreaker, I shouldn't let that slip from me. I just wanted to go and hit a forehand. I didn't want to hit it that hard. It just flew off my racquet, and I just didn't make it, plain and simple. 4-1, I should have at least chipped and charge, do something to make him play, at least hit a shot. Since 4-1, I hardly made him play. 4-3, I had a good serve. He hit a great return, he ran around, he hit a forehand. That was a good point. Double-faulted and two points after that, it just went so fast.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. I felt good out there. I felt good. I wasn't hitting the ball well. I just didn't -- you know, I tried doing something. I tried mixing it up, I tried coming in. I just -- you know, was -- you know that would have been a good one to sneak out because I didn't play well. Those are kind of the ones you do want to try and get out of somehow but it just wasn't there today.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I mean I shouldn't have let that get away from me. It's not like it's my first year on the Tour, second year on the Tour. I was 4-1 up. I shouldn't lose -- 4-1, two second serves. I shouldn't let them get away from me. There's no excuse at all.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, it was hot, the balls are bouncing high. No, not at all. I think it wasn't as humid as yesterday. I was trying to think, it was nice out there.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Definitely. Definitely. I saw the draw a little this morning, and, you know, obviously, you know, I could have deep tournaments. It's so tough, anything can happen. You're concentrating on matches but the draw could open up. It was a good opportunity to go, definitely.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, he's just consistent. He hits the baul well. He moves well. I think that's the biggest thing - he moves well. He likes to dictate points with his forehand.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's pretty much relatively sort of the same game, the same style. Obviously they're similar. They all move well. They got good forehands. You know, he plays pretty good on hard court. I think he's a tough player. There's no easy matches out there.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: That might be sometimes the case where he's -- maybe he's not expecting too much from himself on hard courts and he goes out swinging, where I'm expecting something from myself and maybe got a little uptight. But, you know, these things happen.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I've been thinking about it nonstop. I'm pretty hard on myself and I'm very disappointed, like I said, especially being 4-1 up in the second -- third set tiebreaker. And, you know, not, you know, coming -- I should have chip and charged that point instead of hitting the backhand. I should have chip and charged, but he passed me too good. I'm very upset, I didn't make him play. I'm very upset. I can't let these opportunities go. There's no excuse at all.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, I mean, yeah, obviously when anyone loses, they're disappointed. But it's a little more disappointing where, you know, if you felt like you had that match. It obviously is a long way away from finishing, 4-1, and anything can happen. But, you know, just, you know, like I said, I shouldn't have let that go. I'm disappointed.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I mean every tiebreaker is important, you know. A tiebreaker is the same as the third, if I won that, I'm in the locker room instead of playing third set.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Like I said, you know, I'm the kind of player that goes for my shots. I've got a power game, I'm going to go for it. But there are times when you don't go for it. It's very simple. And 4-1, you know, I just should have hit it and come in. Be aggressive, but come in and be aggressive and make him pass me. It's easy to say now when I'm finished. But I've got to do these things on the court.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Sure, a good thing about myself, what I've improved, on the big tournaments I'm stepping up a lot better. Like I said, I had a poor clay court season until the French, I stepped up and played some good tennis. Obviously I'm looking forward to the US Open. At the same time you want to do well. You want to win these tournaments. These are big tournaments, great tournaments to do well in. But I'm out of this one now, and I have to concentrate on Washington, but my main focus is the US Open.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yes.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. No I never like to play well. I mean -- sorry, that came out well. (Laughter.) I never like to play a week before a Grand Slam. I always like a week off.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, every Slam is important. You know, Australian Open is great, and it's important especially because I'm from Melbourne, my family and friends are there. So that's important for me. You know, French is great. It's a different feeling, Roland Garros, it's a great atmosphere. Then you've got Wimbledon, just the history behind that's incredible I think. I've always thought it's the most prestigious of all the Grand Slams. Then the US Open, it's I think definitely just a close second behind Wimbledon and the Americans make it so big and so important, it's like -- I mean people love their tennis, but until the US Open where people stop and watch TV and realize what's happening at that tournament, it's very big. It's exciting to be at, a great atmosphere. I think because it's in New York, the crowd from New York, they're very loud, and that's what I like. It's a lot of fun out there, a good atmosphere.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Sure. Yeah, I mean like I said, it's people, you know, the tennis fans are going to follow tennis. But the US Open is just definitely a couple steps above.