I’m a little disappointed with a recent comment/announcement coming from the greatest tennis player that never was, Mark Philippoussis. A while back, I had the opportunity to sit down with the “flipper” and talk about his probable return to the big leagues of the ATP tour. Now, however; he’s telling a completely different story.
In a recent interview with the Boston Herald, Philippoussis said “I don’t really have any interest in returning to ATP.” Um, that’s pretty opposite of what you told me and what you were planning on. I totally get that people change their minds and what not, however; when you publicly say you are going to do something, most people expect to see you follow through. It’s not like a personal favor to me for him to play on the ATP, though he probably should have been a little more tight lipped about playing the tour events.
I did hear, from an inside source, that Philippoussis was given quite a few wildcards for entry to some of the ATP 1000, 500, and 250 tournaments, however; he would have had to gone through the qualifying rounds to get a spot on in the main draw. Apparently that didn’t sit well with Mark, so he decided to not enter those tournaments at all – I’d say that’s being a little on the on the primadonna side of tennis; not to mention burning some pretty serious bridges with the ATP/ITF. I mean, you can’t not play on the ATP for 7 years, then all the sudden “comeback” and expect the organization to give you direct entry to the main draws. You gotta put in the work like you used to.
Apparently Philippoussis is content playing the Champions Tour, I’m sure he’s comfortable; winning is easy there – especially when he’s up against players who are 15 years his senior. It’s like taking candy from a baby…not very hard. I’m sure it’s easy money, yet, what is he getting out of it? I can’t imagine much other than his pad in Southern California where can do what he’s really passionate about, surfing and flying a helicopter (yeah, that sounds like a really wise investment of your money).
He’s also been playing on the World Team Tennis circuit lately, which he apparently likes the format. There’s just something about the Flipper’s actions that leave me a little concerned. Is he just out trying to make a buck? Is he really into playing more tennis at a high level? What’s the deal pal?
Look, I get where he’s at, he’s gotten older and he simply can’t hang with the younger guys on the tour, that’s perfectly understandable and acceptable. Just don’t tell the world that you’re planning a major comeback to get back in the ATP rankings. It’s like he’s trying to let his fans down…again.
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I don’t understand why the author is so bitter about this? Mark has made similar comments for the past 6 years about returning to the ATP. He has always ‘hoped’ it would happen but then the reality of it strikes and it doesn’t. This is no surprise – if it was going to happened he would’ve been playing events at the start of the year. He did appear to have honest intentions when you interviewed him – he’d lost a lot of weight but maybe something happened and he changed his mind? Maybe someone advised him otherwise, or he pulled up sore from a Champions event and knew it wouldn’t be physically possible?? You haven’t actually asked Mark why the change of heart so it’s a bit harsh to make assumptions based on a ‘source’.
Also to make light of his success on the Champions tour is digging a bit deep. A couple of years ago Mark could barely move on a tennis court so regardless of his age he’s had to work hard to get back his mobility after 6 knee operations. And now there’s just as many players from his era (Moya, Ivanisevic, Enquist, Rios, Rafter, Henman, Safin ect) who are regulars on the tour and not 15 years his senior.
He’s been upfront about his money problems in recent years so I think he’s made the smart decision to play on the Champions tour/WTT where he can earn a decent living and manage the physical demand on his body.
Also why question his hobbies? Lots of people would love the opportunity to get a pilots licence (not exactly an easy thing to do either). I don’t see that a such a waste of money and who knows if it turns into a different career path later on??
His long time fans support him no matter which path he takes, or how many twists and turns occur along the way. I actually appreciated the interview you did with Mark is was refreshing to read someone with a genuine interest… it’s just a shame you would be so quick to judge without getting his side of things first.
Now I don’t know why you are (the person who commented “flipper fan”) being so overly protective of Philippoussis. Yes, he was a great player in his day, but with the coverage that social media is getting, anything anybody says, people expect follow up.
He always had money problems, and I don’t imagine that has changed any now – helicopter lessons are really expensive (my brother took lessons for a while and the career market is thin).
On another topic, the article on this site is great and shows more personality than most other tennis related websites – not to mention there are hundreds of other tennis sites that are much harsher than this one. The author really put it from a tennis fan perspective, not a Philippoussis fan perspective. Hence the site is obviously dedicated to all aspects of tennis, not just one particular player.
I think this article is spot on and I really enjoyed reading this as well as the other Philippoussis articles.
Thank you Rita for the very kind words about your feeling of Tennisthis.com. I put a lot of work and passion into this site, because I simply love tennis and everything that happens in the sport.
I can’t make everybody happy, though I’m very glad you are happy about what I’m doing here.
Thank you again.
G.O.A.T
Hi Flipper fan, I appreciate what you’ve said in your above comment. Now, you are entitled to your opinion just as much as I am – I’ve said my piece and I’ve also said that Philippoussis “doesn’t owe it to me” in my post. I was merely sharing my opinion on my thoughts from the previous articles I have written. And quite frankly, I don’t feel that I have explain my reasons for writing what I wrote, after all, it’s just a blog; you don’t have to read it if you don’t want. Furthermore, to question my sources, that is harsh, you’ve no idea where I get my information, regardless if it could be someone within the USTA/ITF organization, a person close to him, or Philippoussis himself, that is not for you to question.
Like I said before, I do appreciate you reading my post about Mark Philippoussis and how I feel about his recent comments, if you would like to continue to visit my site please do, if not, that is entirely up to you.
Happy hitting,
G.O.A.T