Marcia5
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Scud goes down fighting / Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
While Val's at work, I'm posting these:
Scud goes down fighting
From Doug Walton in New York
August 31, 2006 MARK Philippoussis gave his fans a glimmer of hope before succumbing to the class of world No.2 Rafael Nadal in the first round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows today (AEST).
In a high-quality encounter befitting its centre-court status, Nadal was made to work hard for his 2hr 2min, 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory.
Philippoussis's exit leaves 15th seed Lleyton Hewitt as the lone Australian in the men's singles draw at the season's final grand slam tournament, but there was plenty to like about Philippoussis's performance against one of the sport's genuine heavyweights.
So often hit and miss, he produced one of his best efforts since spiralling out of the world's top 10 two-and-a-half years ago to his current ranking of No.113.
The enigmatic 29-year-old lost just three of 48 points on his first serve against one of the game's finest returners, and more than offset his three double-faults with 19 aces.
The Australian wildcard - a finalist here in 1998 - also hit 46 winners to counter 35 unforced errors.
The trouble was, apart from one game in the third set, the Scud, for all his efforts, was unable to make any real inroads on Nadal's serve.
While Philippoussis boasted a 94 percent strike rate when he landed his first serve, the Spaniard was only marginally less successful at 87 percent.
The two telling statistics were Nadal's meagre count of 10 unforced errors and Philippoussis's first-serves-in dropping to 55 percent by the end of the match.
While one service break in each set was enough for Nadal to advance to a second-round meeting with Peru's Louis Horna, the two-time French Open champion paid tribute to Philippoussis.
"He served unbelievable, especially the first serve," said Nadal. "Sometimes three aces in one game, two aces.
"But I was beginning very, very good. I play an unbelievable first game. That's important for the rest, for the confidence. I have one set.
"And after, I play two points, I make two mistakes from Mark at 4-4 in the second. But Mark was playing good. He has a very good forehand, too.
"I play very good match. If I was playing a bad match, I was losing."
"With the tennis that Mark's playing, he could have beaten a lot of people in the draw," said former Australia Davis Cup coach Wally Masur.
"It's a little unfortunate he ran into the No.2 seed."
The trouble was, apart from one game in the third set, Philippoussis, for all his efforts, was unable to make any real inroads on Nadal's serve.
While Philippoussis boasted a 94 percent strike rate when he landed his first serve, the Spaniard was only marginally less successful at 87 percent.
The two telling statistics were Nadal's meagre count of 10 unforced errors and Philippoussis's first-serves-in dropping to 55 percent by the end of the match.
One service break in each set was enough for Nadal to advance to the second round.
Philippoussis must have rued playing his weakest service game in the opening game of the match, allowing the two-time French Open champion to break to love for a 1-0 lead.
The second set was tight and went with serve until Philippoussis coughed up his only double-fault of the set on break point in the crucial ninth game.
Nadal comfortably held to take a two-set stranglehold on the match.
He broke Philippoussis's first service game in the third set as the Aussie began to show signs of fatigue.
Despite continuing to push hard, Philippoussis was unable to capitalise on four break-point opportunities in the fourth game of the set, Nadal eventually fist-pumping his way to a second-round meeting with Peru's Luis Horna.
AAP
* * *
Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
August 31, 2006 12:00am
Herald Sun
A GALLANT Mark Philippoussis gave his fans a glimmer of hope before succumbing to the class of world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the first round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows today.
In a high-quality encounter befitting its centre-court status, Nadal was made to work hard for his 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory in two hours and two minutes.
Philippoussis's exit left 15th seed Lleyton Hewitt as the lone Australian in the men's singles draw at the season's final grand slam tournament.
But there was plenty to like about Philippoussis's performance against one of the sport's genuine heavyweights.
So often hit and miss, Philippoussis produced one of his best efforts since spiralling out of the world's top 10 two-and-a-half years ago to his current ranking of No. 113.
The enigmatic 29-year-old lost just three of 48 points on his first serve against one of the game's finest returners and more than offset his three double-faults with 19 aces.
The Australian wildcard - a finalist in New York in 1998 - also struck 46 winners to counter 35 unforced errors.
":With the tennis that Mark's playing, he could have beaten a lot of people in the draw,'' noted former Australian Davis Cup coach Wally Masur.
"It's a little unfortunate he ran into the No.2 seed.''
The trouble was that Philippoussis, for all his efforts, was unable to make any real inroads on Nadal's serve.
While Philippoussis boasted a 94 per cent strike rate when he landed his first serve, the Spaniard was only marginally less successful at 87 per cent.
The two telling statistics were Nadal's meagre count of 10 unforced errors and Philippoussis's first-serves-in dropping to 55 per cent by the end of the match.
One service break in each set was enough for Nadal to advance to the second round.
Philippoussis must have rued playing his weakest service game in the opening game of the match, allowing the two-time French Open champion to break to love for a 1-0 lead.
The second set was tight and went with serve until Philippoussis coughed up his only double-fault of the set on break point in the crucial ninth game.
Nadal comfortably held to take a two-set stranglehold on the match.
He broke Philippoussis's first service game in the third set as the Australian began to show signs of fatigue.
Despite continuing to push hard, Philippoussis was unable to capitalise on four break-point opportunities in the fourth game of the set, Nadal eventually fist-pumping his way to a second-round meeting with Peruvian Luis Horna.
While one service break in each set was enough for Nadal to advance, the two-time French Open champion paid tribute to Philippoussis.
"He served unbelievable, especially the first serve,'' Nadal said.
"Sometimes three aces in one game,two aces.
"But I was beginning very, very good. I play an unbelievable first game. That's important for the rest, for the confidence. I have one set.
"And after, I play two points, I make two mistakes from Mark at 4-4 in the second. But Mark was playing good. He has a very good forehand, too.
"I play very good match. If I was playing a bad match, I was losing.''
- AAP
Last edited by flipfanatic, 31/Aug/06, 17:50
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31/Aug/06, 10:04
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Jill b
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Re: Good articles Val found
I didn't sack my dad, says Philippoussis
Email Print Normal font Large font August 31, 2006 - 2:39PM
Mark Philippoussis has denied reports he had fallen out with his father after deciding not to travel with him on the ATP tour.
Nick Philippoussis has served as the Australian tennis star's coach and mentor for much of his career but the former Wimbledon and US Open runner-up opted to go it alone before Wimbledon.
But Philippoussis said reports circulating before the start of the US Open that the pair was estranged were invasive and wrong.
"Let me tell you, that stuff's ridiculous," Philippoussis said after losing to world No.2 Rafael Nadal in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
"It's frustrating when I hear that stuff because I'm a tennis player and athlete. Someone wants to write about my tennis, great. It's unfortunate when I have to read things about my personal life and my family.
"My dad's my dad. He's been there from the start. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am. There's nothing at all that's happened with my dad. I just needed to spend some time on my own.
"My dad's still there. I talk to him every day, even before matches. Nothing's changed. I just needed to have some time on my own, simple as that."
Less than two months after going their separate ways, Philippoussis broke a three-year title drought with success in Newport, Rhode Island.
"I think it was probably healthy for me, looking back now," he said.
"I think everyone just needs to spend a little bit of time on their own sometimes. I did that and I just kind of found myself where I was just on my own and training on my own and going to the gym.
"It's been a while since I was on the practice court by myself and I was on the court by myself, in the gym, and the first few days were tough. And then all of a sudden it just clicked, you know? I don't know. I just enjoyed it."
Philippoussis said he unsuccessfully tried to reunite with former coach Peter McNamara, whose busy schedule prevented the two working together again.
Leading conditioner Brett Stephens is now assisting Philippoussis.
© 2006 AAP
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31/Aug/06, 16:12
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Jill b
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Re: Good articles Val found
some more comments:
Despite losing to Nadal, Philippoussis - now ranked 113th - produced his most impressive performance since spiralling out of the world's top 10 two-and-a-half years ago.
A lone service break in each set proved the difference, with Nadal forced to toil for more than two hours to conquer an opponent most thought would be a total mismatch for the world No.2.
Philippoussis said afterwards that, rather than fearing Nadal, he was pleased to have drawn the Spaniard in the opening round, believing he was on the way back after slipping outside the world's top 200 earlier this year.
"I was happy to play him," he said.
"It's a good thing just to see where you're at, to play the best guys. It definitely puts in perspective about where they're at, where you're at.
"It shows you how hard you have to work if you want to be as good as you can or you want to beat some of the best in the world.
"Next time I play him hopefully the outcome is a little different.
"If I just stay healthy, I've always said that I have no doubt my best tennis is ahead of me."
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31/Aug/06, 17:14
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flipfanatic
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articles
Thanks for posting for me Marcia and thanks Jill for the extra articles.
I'm glad that Mark spoke up, most likely in his post-match conference. I'm sick of all the stupid stuff lately in the magazines and papers from a so-called-source! Stupid gossip and stupid loose-lips from people that think they know and they know nothing!
It's still a shame about Mark hot being able to get together with McNamara due to scheduling conflicts as I they make a good team.
Overall, I'm very happy with Mark's progress and it was all positive. I hope we see lots more positive stuff from MArk in the coming weeks/months ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Val
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“It’s in my heart to give it one more go” - Mark
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31/Aug/06, 17:53
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flipfanatic
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Re: articles
A full article - easier for me to put up on SZ later :-)
Philippoussis denies family feud
From Darren Walton in New York
August 31, 2006
MARK Philippoussis has denied reports he had fallen out with his father after deciding not to travel with him on the ATP Tour.
Nick Philippoussis has served as the Australian tennis star's coach and mentor for much of his career, but the former Wimbledon and US Open runner-up opted to go it alone before Wimbledon.
Philippoussis said reports circulating before the start of the US Open that the pair was estranged were invasive and wrong.
"Let me tell you, that stuff's ridiculous," Philippoussis said after losing to world No.2 Rafael Nadal in the first round at Flushing Meadows today.
"It's frustrating when I hear that stuff because I'm a tennis player and athlete. Someone wants to write about my tennis, great. It's unfortunate when I have to read things about my personal life and my family.
"My dad's my dad. He's been there from the start. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am.
"There's nothing at all that's happened with my dad. I just needed to spend some time on my own.
"My dad's still there. I talk to him every day, even before matches. Nothing's changed. I just needed to have some time on my own, simple as that."
Less than two months after going their separate ways, Philippoussis broke a three-year title drought with success in Newport, Rhode Island.
"I think it was probably healthy for me, looking back now," he said of the break.
"I think everyone just needs to spend a little bit of time on their own sometimes. I did that and I just kind of found myself where I was just on my own and training on my own and going to the gym.
"It's been a while since I was on the practice court by myself, and I was on the court by myself, in the gym, and the first few days were tough.
"And then all of a sudden it just clicked, you know? I don't know. I just enjoyed it."
Philippoussis said he had tried to reunite with former coach Peter McNamara, whose busy schedule prevented the two working together again.
Leading conditioner Brett Stephens is assisting Philippoussis.
AAP
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“It’s in my heart to give it one more go” - Mark
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31/Aug/06, 18:04
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dbc
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Re: Scud goes down fighting / Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
I thought he played pretty well. Pity he didn'f manage to get one of those breakpoints in the 3rd set, as then it could have meant a tiebreak & that can go either way, especiallywith Mark's serve.
However, have to agree with our commentators who said it's pretty demorasising when all your best shots - which would beat most players - keep coming back. Nadal is just so fast, he gets to virtually everything and that meant Mark took risks which often ended up as errors. However, he did have more outright winners so there were some positives.
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31/Aug/06, 21:06
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redlantern2051
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Re: Scud goes down fighting / Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
BTW I'm glad to see Mark make those comments-I think its very unfair the way the media always seems to be drumming up things to write about him! If there is a source to all this rubbish, I wish they would just stop feeding the vultures like this! Anyways, after seeing last night's performance, I think mark is looking a lot better than the last time I saw him play, he is playing big cofident tennis again, and thats where he really excels!!! +++++vibes++++++
---
Dave's Live Journal: http://redlantern2051.livejournal.com/
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31/Aug/06, 22:05
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Marcia5
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Re: Scud goes down fighting / Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
I agree, David.
Mary told me there was a little bit of mention of Mark in this NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/tennis/31tennis.html?_r=1&ref=tennis&oref=slogin
...Nadal had to keep both hands on the wheel in his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Mark Philippoussis, a barrel-chested Australian who was once among the most feared players in the world on a quick hardcourt like the ones in Flushing Meadows. But injuries and the good life have diminished Philippoussis, a former Open and Wimbledon finalist. At age 29, he is ranked 113th and was in this tournament only because the United States Tennis Association has a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia to give one of their male players a wild card...
... Philippoussis had 19 aces and a few thunderous forehands against Nadal, but Nadal was generally sharp. He was much steadier from the baseline and very effective opening up the court with his topspin forehand against Philippoussis, who does not cover the court like Nadal does.
“I play my best match for sure in the last three weeks,” said Nadal, who failed to advance past the quarterfinals in Toronto and Cincinnati, the two tournaments he played leading into the Open..."
She said there was a small pic but I didn't see it--maybe someone else did?
Lucky Mary is now at the Open--too bad Mark's not still playing--but I'll post any reports she sends if someone wants to read them.
Last edited by Marcia5, 1/Sep/06, 6:43
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1/Sep/06, 6:42
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flipfanatic
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Re: Scud goes down fighting / Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
A few more articles on Scud Zone now
articles
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“It’s in my heart to give it one more go” - Mark
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1/Sep/06, 18:15
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Marcia5
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Re: Scud goes down fighting / Brave Philippoussis out of US Open
Thanks, Val.
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2/Sep/06, 1:58
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