The Woodies have dominated doubles for quite a long time. But in singles there has not been the same domination. Do you feel pressure to be the next great Australian singles player?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, not at all. Two years ago I might have felt the pressure but I just talked about it with a few people. I just go out on court and give it 100% and that's the best I can do. I play a lovely game and that's the best I can be. It's great for people to have high expectations of me but I don't want to feel any pressure by that.

You mentioned two years ago. Why did you feel it two years ago?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: When I was playing the Australian Open those things were in the newspaper and I used to read the papers, and you know, the Australian press is very tough. I didn't handle it too well. I had a lot of thinking to do and I spoke to a few people and I changed my attitude completely.

You mean people like (John) Newcombe and (Tony) Roche?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: Sure. Newk, Rochy, my father.

What sort of things did they tell you?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: People have high expectations of you, but don't think about it. Just go out there and just play your game and just play tennis to 100% and there is nothing to do if you lose, as long as you just give it 100%, which is what I'm doing.

Are you surprised as to how quickly you have moved up? Two or three years ago you were at 300 and now you've been ranked as high as 13. Does that surprise you at all, about how quickly it's happened?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: No because I am better at what I am now, definitely. I don't want to rush things and hopefully at the end of the year, my goal is to reach the top ten. I feel that I am mentally strong. 

 Mark McCormack the head of IMG said that he considers you the next best great tennis player. He said all you really needed was a few wins. Do you feel comfortable this year that you are finally on that road, to getting within the top ten and among the top players?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeas. There are a lot of great players out there and obviously anyone can beat anyone nowadays, and on a given day. It depends on how badly you want it and I want it badly. It's just that I am going out there and I want it badly, a lot more than I did in the past years.

There has been a lot written lately about the state of the game, suggesting that less people are watching and less people are playing. What are your thoughts on the state of the game? Is it in good hands with the newcomers that are rising to the top such as yourself and Tim Henman and some of the others? Do you see the game's future looking brighter?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: Obviously it was a lot more popular when players like Connors, Borg and McEnroe were playing. But there is a different rivalry, a kind of different game. You can hit the ball twice as hard, you can serve harder. People say there are not many rallies, but if you watch the game, there are some great matches being played. If they hit twice as hard, it's great to watch. You know you are up there. There's a lot potential, and you've got different personalities and that's what is good for the game.

Do you think tennis is better off when there are the rivalries and not the one great dominant player which (Pete) Sampras is at the moment?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: Obviously Pete is a great player. He does a great job but he needs a lot more guys pushing him and that's what makes it exciting....when there are some great rivalries out there.

Just about your serve. Do you find that people just think of you as a serve? Do they cheer for it? When you go onto the court, do they yell at you to hit big serves? Can you tell that people come to watch your matches because of the serve?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: Obviously I'm very proud of my serve and that's the biggest part of my game.

Has there been a moment in a match that you can remember when somebody has yelled out like 143 (mph), and you are able to just come up with a huge serve right after that?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: The people in Scottsdale (Arizona - he won the event this year) get carried away when I serve and they will yell out.

What do you think might have been the fastest serve that you have ever had even if it wasn't recorded?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's very hard to say. I have been practicing a lot of hard serves which I think will be fast.

After you hit 228.5 kms per hour (fastest serve ever recorded), Michael Chang was asked about those speeds. He said that you can hit a lot faster than that and a lot of others can hit faster, but the difficulty is getting it into the court - the speed is not the problem. Do you agree with that?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think I can hit faster than that. I think I will be breaking my record year after year. It doesn't worry me too much. It's more fun for me breaking a record like that. I am getting a lot stronger every year.

1997 ATP Tour Player Guide

What do you have to do to get into the top ten? Would it be the mechanics of the game, attitude, outlook, what?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think my game is sound. I would like to work on a couple of things but overall everything is pretty good. Mainly my attitude, if I really wanted to get there or if I was just satisfied with staying around 19 or 20. At the moment things are going great and I will be in the top ten.

So it's just a matter of setting your mind to it, this is what I want?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: That's the most important thing for me. Like I said, after all of that, it's whoever wants it more, and I do want it.

Mark on the cover of Tennis magazine  in the USA,  the world's largest selling  tennis publication.

When you beat Sampras (at the Australian Open), do you think in some ways that win came too early in your career?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: I didn't mind that win over Sampras. I didn't care how early it came, it was a win over Sampras. Obviously I was on the Moon and cloud nine after that match, and they can't take that away from me.

You have been around the Grand Slam tour for a couple of years now. If you had to speculate a little bit about where you think you would finally make the break through in the Grand Slams with your game, which one do you think it would be?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: Two years ago I lost to Pete in the third round of the U.S. Open. I think that was a great match for me. I think more important was the fact that it was the U.S. Open, the third round and keeping up with the top guys and doing well.

Do you think it can come back at the Open this year, is that your feeling at the moment?
PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'm not thinking about that right now, until I get there, but I am definitely looking forward to it.