WIMBLEDON
Date: 2000-06-29

WIMBLEDON

June 29, 2000

Mark Philippoussis
WIMBLEDON
MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, Mark Philippoussis. First question.

Question You seem to get better with each set. What took you so long to warm up?
Mark Philippoussis Yeah, it's kind of tough. You play a third match after a 2:00 start. Kind of dragged on. The thing is, I'm staying pretty close, maybe 150-meter walk from here, sitting in a lounge room, waiting around the whole day, lying down, gave me a bit of a slow start. That game at 3-All in the second where I served like five double-faults and still got out of the game, that got my adrenaline pumping. Especially in that tiebreak, 7-Love, that got me rolling.

Question Were you worried at all early on?
Mark Philippoussis I wouldn't say worried. I was just going for a bit too much on my serve instead of relaxing, waiting for my rhythm. Like I said, as the match progressed, my timing got better on the serve. I think I relaxed a lot more.

Question Do you like your form?
Mark Philippoussis I do. I'm happy. I'm pleased with the way I played. I thought I returned, you know, okay today, hit my groundstrokes good, kept the pressure on. He's a tough player. I said that he'll come out, he looks very slappy with his shots, but he's very talented. A lot of times he's got so much work on the ball, it seems like they're going to go out, end up dropping in. He played some solid tennis for a set and a half. I felt like even though it got to a tiebreaker in the second set, I felt like I was on top of his service games towards the end of the second.

Question Pat said before he didn't feel Lleyton held the expectations here this year. Are you keeping your head down, trying to keep a lid on it all?
Mark Philippoussis Like I said, I feel very relaxed. The thing is, I've worked extremely hard. I've given myself the best opportunity possible to do well at this tournament. I'm expecting a lot from myself. I'm working for it.

Question Has there been any benefit yet from the new coaching arrangement there with Mike?
Mark Philippoussis Definitely.

Question In a match like today, was there anything that you talked about or did that helped you get through a day like today?
Mark Philippoussis Sure. Like I said, we've been hitting for over an hour and a half in the morning and in the afternoon, plus twice fitness, on every single part of my game possible, from cross-courts, running side to side, volleys, returns, drop volleys, serves, passing shots, lobs, you name it, we do it every single day. Doing that every day, I think my serves -- obviously the serve is very important. It works for me most of the time. We just worked on a lot of things that if it doesn't work, you know, take your time, relax, take a step back, just take some pace off to get the serve back. Especially the returns, I think I'm returning a lot. I think it's a big part of a grass court match, returning. I'm returning much better than I have in the past.

Question Who are you hitting with in your workouts?
Mark Philippoussis Mike.

Question His back is okay?
Mark Philippoussis Yeah, his back is fine.

Question So much of grass court tennis is instinct. Do you feel sharper mentally as well?
Mark Philippoussis Definitely. It's not like I've played a hell of a lot of matches for me to be mentally or physically fatigued. Like I said, I've prepared well for it. Mike said to me even during Queen's, he said, "Everything's preparing for Wimbledon right now. These matches, even if you don't win this match, it doesn't matter. This is going to be part of your preparation for Wimbledon." Like I've said, we've done everything right.

Question How aware are you of all the seeds that seem to be falling from various parts of the draw? Are you thinking, "This could be the opportunity I've been wanting"?
Mark Philippoussis I think the thing is, for anyone, just worry about yourself, concentrate on your match. Men's tennis is so tough. The depth is so great that there's always upsets. As long as you concentrate on yourself, things are going to happen. Grand Slams, obviously people play better the second week. That's when they say the tournament starts, the second week. I think the biggest thing for Grand Slams is draws tend to open up for people the second week a lot.

Question What do you need to do specifically in your next match with regard to your opponent?
Mark Philippoussis I think concentrate. I think that's what I did well today. I fought well. I was hungry out there and positive.

Question Was this the kind of match, you sit around a long time, the guy wins the first set, if you don't have it all together in terms of where you're going, is this the kind of match that a guy can lose because of the conditions, let it get away from him?
Mark Philippoussis Every match is going to be tough. Especially, like I said, you wait around all day, end up getting on the court, step on the court just before 6:00, lose the first set, easy to put your head down. There's no sun out there. You can hardly see pretty much. You just get used to the scenery out there. It looks dull, just looks a bit empty out there, sort of feels like it's 9:00. It was only 6:00. That's when you just have to settle down and take it point by point. Like I said, getting past that game where I was like four breakpoints down, that gave me some momentum, got me, you know, fighting back in the match. After the tiebreaker, I was just on a roll after that.

Question How much of a relief is it to finish tonight?
Mark Philippoussis Very. I was hardly spending any time on the change of ends. I was just running side-to-side. I was looking over at the referee, just about to tell him, "Give me a couple more games. Let me serve for it." Last thing I want to do is come back the next day. Anything can happen. It's a new day. Just want to try and finish it off and get out of there.

Question If both of you win your next match --?
Mark Philippoussis Don't tell me who I play.

Question -- You could end up facing Tim Henman.
Mark Philippoussis I don't want to answer the question now.

Question Are you excited by the fact, like Mike said, there's so much improvement for you, you're learning different things, fine tuning things, are you excited about the fact that you can get so much better?
Mark Philippoussis Sure. It's very positive and very exciting for someone to tell me, like Boris, he doesn't think I've reached 40% of my potential. Obviously that gets me thinking. Also gets me a little bit worried, too. Makes me wonder, What have I been doing all this time? It's like I'm young, but I feel like I'm old at the same time. You know, I'm 23. If I can win these tournaments now, why not now? Why wait? That's the kind of feeling -- what I've sort of been telling myself. I'm starting to work a lot harder, trying to get myself in the right direction.

Question How do the courts feel?
Mark Philippoussis Courts feel good. Obviously it's a little damp still. It's a little slippery. The courts are really nice.

Question Pat also said that the Rafter children used to get up sort of 2:00 AM and watch Wimbledon on TV. What is your first or best memory of Wimbledon from a distance?
Mark Philippoussis My best memory, quite honestly, watching when Boris won it at 17 years old, won his first Wimbledon, then repeated that at 18. I think that's my first memory.

Question You stayed up late, got up, what happened?
Mark Philippoussis Yeah, I was watching with my dad.

Question Do you know who you're going to play next? When will you actually make an effort?
Mark Philippoussis I play Schalken. They told me after the match.

Question What is your record like, as well?
Mark Philippoussis I'm not sure. I definitely lost to him once. Last time I played him was Indian Wells this year, where I beat him. Yeah, he's definitely a good player. Very clean hitter of the ball. He's got good groundstrokes, backhand, good forehand. I think he pretty much does it all well. It's going to be a very tough match. Just like any other match, I've just got to concentrate on my own game and just be positive.

Question How close are you to the form? You limped off here last year, unfinished business. How close are you to the form you had at that point? Do you still have a ways to go to get that point?
Mark Philippoussis I feel like definitely, things last year, each match I got better, got more confidence. This year, I feel like I'm fitter. I feel like I'm stronger, moving better. I feel like I'm returning better than last year. I feel definitely like a different player than last year. Every year I'm improving on the grass. You know, it's a learning experience. I'm returning better every year, serve-and-volleying better, the movement is getting better.

Question Have you had any contact with Boris Becker since you started here at Wimbledon?
Mark Philippoussis No.

Question Do you think you're likely to be in touch with him?
Mark Philippoussis I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Like I say, I'm just concentrating on what I have to do.

Question Could you ever see a situation where if you thought you should be seeded at an event and you weren't, you would say, "I don't want to play"?
Mark Philippoussis No. I think the positive thing is, if you're not seeded and you think you should be seeded, go out there and prove to them, win those matches and prove that, "See, I should have been seeded." Next year they will seed you. I think it will be negative sort of thing by leaving if you're not getting seeded, getting upset. Like I say, I'd just stay here and prove myself.

Question After the rain you will find faster grass. Are you happier about it? Do you think you have more chances?
Mark Philippoussis Yeah. Obviously if it keeps on raining and the weather is like this, it's going to stay a little damp, the court is definitely going to be a lot greener. You know, the ball is going to stay down a lot more on the serve. It will be a little bit not as easy on the returns to pick up. I'm sure I'll feel comfortable.

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