THE STELLA ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Date: 2005-06-07

THE STELLA ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 7, 2005

Mark Philippoussis
LONDON, ENGLAND
The Moderator Questions, please.

Question What was the key for you today?
Mark Philippoussis It was the first match back after a while. I think the key was just, you know, come in there with just a positive mind and, you know, try and have a good start, keep on my toes. I just wanted to go out there and, you know, with confidence, jumping around, and, you know, just -- I mean, I'm eager. Obviously, I haven't played for a while, so I was just eager to be out there.

Question The second set, was that a surprise for you, the way that unfolded?
Mark Philippoussis I didn't think it was going to be that easy, definitely. But, you know, got that first break, which was great. Then I think he was up 40-15. Got the second one, and it just rolled from there. All I wanted to do was concentrate on my serves. That was the most important thing. It's easy to lose concentration after getting a break, and relaxing a little bit. So I just wanted to stay on top of that, so...

Question How are you feeling physically? You've had a bit of bad luck over the last few months with injuries and stuff. Are you feeling pretty fresh?
Mark Philippoussis Yeah, I'm feeling good. I've done everything I possibly can in my control to get as fit as I can in the time I've had off. So, you know, I'm feeling good.

Question Do you still have to have the injections in the knee?
Mark Philippoussis I haven't had that for a couple of years. So I haven't had that for a while.

Question So they just grew naturally again, did they?
Mark Philippoussis I don't think they've grown naturally. They'll never grow again, you know -- that injection's just, you know -- it's just synthetic cartilage that's there for like -- it lasts normally, you know, six months to a year. They're not really sure if it works, whether or not, on the athlete, if he doesn't have that much pain. But, you know, thankfully, I haven't had one for a while, but I haven't had to -- you know, I've worked on my strengthening for my legs and my muscles around my knee. Tried to get that as strong as I can. So that's what I've been doing.

Question Does your confidence rise when you come to Wimbledon or start on the grass?
Mark Philippoussis Obviously, I love the start of the grass. I get excited, you know, around this time of the year and pumped. All that time back in Florida I was actually hitting on Fisher Island every day on grass. They have two grass courts there on Fisher Island in Miami. So I've been hitting on grass for the last, you know, month.

Question Who with, Mark?
Mark Philippoussis With my dad and Andrew Florent. I've brought him over to -- you know, as a friend, also a hitting partner, just to help me out there.

Question Can you speak about his influence at all?
Mark Philippoussis Well, I've known Florent since I was 13 years old. From Victoria, grew up in Melbourne. Like I said, I've -- we've stayed close friends throughout his time on the tour. I thought it would be a good idea - as my dad - you know, to get someone that I'm comfortable with and friends with just to, you know, get me back on track, to enjoy myself out there. It's not easy finding guys out there to hit with every day, day in and day out, in Miami. So it was great having him there, not having to worry about that part.

Question Do you feel as good as you have in the last year, given all the injuries?
Mark Philippoussis I mean, any time I'm on the court I'm feeling good. You know, all I want is a chance to play, you know, pretty much, without something happening. So, like I said, I've done everything in my power to get as strong as I can in the time that I've had time off instead of just lounging around. I've been working hard and, you know, I'm feeling good. So we'll see what happens.

Question What do you think you can achieve in the next few weeks?
Mark Philippoussis You know, who knows? Like I said, the great thing is I'm in a positive frame of mind - on the court and off the court. I'm very happy in my life. And just try and take the right steps in preparing myself well, you know, for these next coming weeks.

Question I think I might be wrong, but you still need to get a wildcard for Wimbledon. Have you heard anything about that?
Mark Philippoussis No, no.

Question Do you think you'll arrive at Wimbledon physically in the shape you want to be in?
Mark Philippoussis Physically, I know, you know -- I mean, I had a really unlucky -- over a week ago I just went up and hit a serve and I twinged a nerve in my rib cage, (near the adductor?). It's an unlikely thing to happen. I was hitting against Greg, and every time I would put my arms up above my head or go to breathe, my lungs would expand and it would hurt. I just had this huge pain, as if someone just punched me in the rib cage. That's why I couldn't play for like two or three days. But besides that, you know, knock on wood. My legs, like I said, I've been working hard in the gym. You know, an hour and a half in the gym every day, over three hours on the court every day. Like I said, I've done everything in my power to be in as good a shape as I possibly can with the time I've had.

Question Is Miami the base again now rather than Cardiff in California?
Mark Philippoussis Yes, yes.

Question Why is that, because of training facilities?
Mark Philippoussis Training facilities, exactly. And I've always had my house in -- my home in Delray Beach. I never actually bought a house in California. I was renting. I was looking around, but I decided not to. I'm just a little more comfortable with the weather, there's also a lot more guys in the area to practice with.

Question Waves aren't as big, though, are they?
Mark Philippoussis Yeah, I actually made a deal with myself. I put the boards away, so, for a while...

Question Why? Was that a hard thing to do, because you loved it?
Mark Philippoussis Well, I mean, you know, you got to make these decisions in life. I thought, What's more important? If I do what I have to do the next, you know, four, five years, and win the tournaments, win the things that I want to win, I can surf for the rest of my life. So I've got plenty of time to look forward to that. The time now is to play tennis and get on the court.

Question You said your surfing was good because it helped you to relax.
Mark Philippoussis It gave me the edge to relax off the court. The great thing is now I don't need that, I have it without surfing. I have peace, you know, peace of mind now to relax. I'm happy off the court, whereas before I sort of needed that to help me. I don't need that anymore.

Question When was the last time you had a wave?
Mark Philippoussis Nearly two, two and a half months ago.

Question During the time you were off the tour, what did you miss most?
Mark Philippoussis You know, I watched -- I would watch matches sometimes on TV, when it was on TV. I missed that competitive side of tennis, being here every day, you know, seeing the guys in the locker room, going out there, playing those big matches, the crowds' reactions. You know, I just missed it. You know, I had a lot of time off, especially the last few years, to think about what I wanted in my life, what I enjoyed. You know, I wasn't as happy, you know, the last few months as I can be. As I said, I just missed being out there. I do love the game, and I just want to be out on the court again.

Question Was there one particular tournament or one particular match that you watched and it sort of...
Mark Philippoussis No, no, there wasn't any specific moment. Just, I mean, I know inside how much I love the game. It's opened up a lot of doors in my career. It's given me a lot. So I have a good five years, you know, I feel like, four to five years of - I said it before, but I think - my best tennis ahead of me. It's not going to be easy, but, you know, I'm definitely looking forward to just doing whatever I can to try to make that happen.

Question What changed your mind this time that made you feel you wanted or missed it more than some of the other periods when you were off the tour because of injuries for lengthy times?
Mark Philippoussis I'm going to say it's nothing in particular that changed my mind this time. It's not like I keep changing my mind, like I feel like playing tennis and then I don't feel like playing tennis. You know, all honesty, I've been a little unlucky with my injuries on the court. Simple as that. I've always enjoyed the game. Just now the thing is, like I've said, the most important thing is I'm happy off the court. My mind is at peace and at ease. I'm very happy. I'm engaged. I found the right person in my life to make me happy. It's made me a better person, made me stronger. The only thing that's missing is -- the thing is now I just want to be out on the court.

Question You said about two or three years ago that your diet had improved considerably since you discovered a yogurt ice-cream.
Mark Philippoussis Oh, TCBY?

Question Yeah.
Mark Philippoussis I wouldn't lie to you, that's something --

Question I looked for that yogurt ice-cream in London, and I couldn't find it.
Mark Philippoussis No, you know, I'm not a chocolate person, I'm not a cake person, but I am an ice-cream guy. I've actually -- I just treat myself on Sundays now with TCBY instead of every day like I used to.

Question On what?
Mark Philippoussis I said I only treat myself on Sundays with that yogurt in America, unlike every day when I used to.

Question What's it called?
Mark Philippoussis TCBY, yeah.

Question Is that another one of those sacrifices you're talking about that you've got to make?
Mark Philippoussis Oh, just an easy one. It's an easy one, yeah.

Question Speaking of sacrifices, you say you've got four, five years left. Do you think you're running short on time now to achieve what you want to achieve?
Mark Philippoussis No. If I work hard and if I -- if I'm in as physical as good a shape as I can be -- the thing is, when I'm physically feeling good and I'm in great shape, I'm playing good tennis. If I'm there -- you know, I'm always hitting the ball well. But if you're not there to hit the ball, doesn't matter how well you hit the ball, you're not going to do anything. The matches and the tournaments that I've won, I've always been moving well. I've been there in position to hit the right shots. I mean, if you're not in position, you're not going to hit the right shot; you're going to go for a winner because you know you don't have time to recover. So you're going to have to go for a winner, hopefully go in. But if you're moving well, just get the ball back and recover, and you know you're going to be back in the point and confident and moving well. So, like I said, I'm just working on every part of my game on the court, but off the court I'm working on my fitness. If I have any chance of, you know, winning Grand Slams, winning big tournaments, it's to be as strong as possible, you know, and in as strong a shape as possible. That's what I'm trying to achieve.

Question How does the fitness compare at the moment to the year you reached the Wimbledon final?
Mark Philippoussis There's no doubt I worked a lot harder now than what I did when I reached the final.

Question Really? In terms of just physical hours in the gym?
Mark Philippoussis Physical hours in the gym. I'm twice as much on the court, you know.

Question Presumably, you watched the French. Do you think Nadal can do anything at Wimbledon?
Mark Philippoussis It's going to be tough for him. I'm sure he's going to, as the years go on, he's going to mature and get a lot more comfortable on the grass. But this year it's going to be asking a lot, a little too much for him. You never know. I mean, obviously --

Question He has been to the third round already, so...
Mark Philippoussis Like I said, the guy's talented enough that on any surface it's going to be tough, even grass. So he's definitely not going to be an easy guy to play. He's so quick around the court. I don't quite know if he can move as well on the grass. It's not as easy moving well on the grass, you know, to slide and recover.

Question Going back to the things you've given up, surfing, ice cream, whatever, was that your own decision, or did you take advice from someone?
Mark Philippoussis I mean, if I don't do this for myself, then you're not going to win. I'm not doing it for anyone else.

Question Did you take advice from anyone?
Mark Philippoussis No. It was just myself. I've always -- you know, everyone in life matures differently. I'm my own person. I don't look at anyone else. Obviously, I respect a lot of people and how they've done it. You know, with Andre and what he's done, Pete and what he's done, you know, Lance Armstrong, you know. You read books, and you admire these athletes. But everyone's different in their own way, and they have to do things in their own way and find their way to do it, you know.

Question I know the draw's not out yet and there's still a little bit of a way to go before the first ball is hit at Wimbledon, but do you think you can win it this year?
Mark Philippoussis I'm not looking -- there's no way I'm looking that far. The only thing I'm worried about now is tomorrow's match. I'm right here at Queen's. This is what I'm concentrating on. I'm not concentrating on Wimbledon. It's a long way away. I'm not looking at this as a warm-up tournament; I'm looking at this as a big tournament with a lot of great guys out here, top players. My mind, I'm right here now, so...

Question I see you've got the Fila back on. I seem to recall last year this time you were marketing your own gear, weren't you?
Mark Philippoussis I just had some stuff made, but, you know, I wasn't with anyone last year.

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