L’équipe, December 6, 1999

By giving away only one set in two matches Mark Philippoussis has shown himself the best player on clay of this weekend. His succes was based on one formula: adapting without denying oneself.

One of the reasons the staff of the French squad decided to greet the Australians on clay was the number one of the opponent. Tall, heavy,suppreme and blessed with a terrifying service, the giant Philippoussis had to tear himself from the contact with the clay. Beforehand the analysis was judicious-and without a doubt it will be as much today. In one weekend Philippoussis has disgraced all the predictions. The ‘Scud’of the antipodes has hit fast and hard in Nice. His balance-sheet is elevating: two victories, just one lost set (yesterday against Cédric Pioline) and eight unlucky breakpoints in his disfavour in seven sets. The utmost respect.

No one doubted the hitting qualities of the Australian and his capacities to kill off the meeting with a single blow of the bludgeon. Advised by tacticians, Guy Forget and his assistants knew that Pioline and Grosjean would be confronted with a precise style of game: big service, tight course, rallies reduced to five or six shots. But they hoped that by ejecting Philippoussis from his naturally short course,opportunity would make the thief.

So the first surprise of the tie was to see the Australian choose the road of long rallies. "there are two reasons for that," analysed Arnaud Boetsch, "First of all, Philippoussis was very strong physically. Not only did he move well across the court, he moved well close to the ground and his recoveries were superb. He has shown exceptional leg movement for a player of his build. The other explanation is technique: he has adapted his game to the surface marvellously."

In theory the idea is not anything revolutionary. But put into practise it reveals the work of a clockmaker: "Every player is starting from a base," continues Boetsch, "but every surface requires its adjustments. On clay one has to know how to ‘arch’ the course of the balls. Philippoussis has thus used his big top spin forehand that allowed him to play with security while putting in all his bodyweight at the moment of hitting the ball. On the backhand [il remettait en chop] when he did not have any other option to start off the rally. After that he could impose his power."

Yet the same option entails a risk: that of seeing it going beyond the comprehension of the son of Greek parents. But Philippoussis knew how to keep the ideal pace: "He has played like he knows how to play on hardcourt, but taking a little less risk," concluded Boetsch, " Because he moved so well, he managed to walk around his backhand and find the openings with his enormous forehand. He went for winners, but always well-considered."

Adapting without denying oneself: that formula has proved succesful. Renowned for the virulence of his service, the Australian did not systematically go for aces (only 21 in two matches), but the variation of angles and height did not go down well with the French camp: "He has really served very well," underlined Bob Brett, "trying to find a balance between taking risks and playing safe." "One can always say that by doing this, or by doing that, one could have changed the course of history," said Jean-Claude Massias, national technical director, "But that has not been proven. During those two matches Philippoussis has never shown the slightest difficulty with getting on the ball right. One did not have the feeling Philippoussis was hindered by the clay..."

Discovered by the vast majority of the French public this weekend, there is no doubt that the Australian has manifested himself to himself as well. A great offensive player from the back of the court on clay might have been born this first weekend of December in Nice: "He reminded me of McEnroe at the final in Grenoble in 1982," explains Patrice Dominguez, "That day the Americans discovered that they could play their offensive tennis, even on a slow surface. Today (yesterday) Philippoussis has overturned Pioline like he had overturned Grosjean on Friday. He has brutilised them. In those cases when you are on the other side of the net, you feel oppressed. So you look for solutions, like Cédric who tried to resort to the net. It is this way your adversary is always one step ahead of you. He forces you to change the way you operate. I believe we have all underestimated Philippoussis’ qualities of play on clay."

Interested in what Pierre Cherret, coach of Pioline had to say about the Philippoussis’ performance, he declared himself taken aback as well: "Honestly, I did not think he would keep up that level of play for so long. He has astonished me. He has given evidence of a physical and mental stability he does not usually show on the tour. Keeping up such quality of play for almost three hours, that is impressive. There is nothing more to add, except bravo!"

About the Cup, the essential has been said.

Vincent Cognet

L’équipe, December 6, 1999

REACTIONS

The French camp were unanimous, Mark Philippoussis was untouchable yesterday afternoon. Behind the scenes the impressions are devided between the deception of the loss and the tribute payed to the Australian.

Arnaud Di Paquale: "Philippoussis has surprised me. In the rally he hardly missed, he put everything on the lines with very little margin for security. At the beginning of the third when Cédric made those two points to take a 0-30 lead, I really believed in it. He was behind 3-0, so that could have been the turn. I feel like that was played with nothing extra, like in the doubles match. It is great to have lived this experience, to have shared all these moments with the team. I feel like I have played, that is how much I was into it. And still I have a knot in my stomach, I almost feel like crying. When people used to talk about big finals like there are in soccer, in rugby or in tennis, I never really realised what those guys must have felt. Now I know what it is like."

Nicolas Escudé: "Cédric has nothing to reproach himself with, the other one just did not miss anything. He put more and more balls on the lines, hit more and more let balls. Everyone knows his power can do some damage on no matter what surface. So it did not surprise me to see him play like that.I do not think we were lacking freshness. The two teams were equally fit physically and mentally."

Arnaud Boetsch: "It is a big deception. It feels weird that it is already over... Bravo to the Australians and particularly to Philippoussis, who has been so strong mentally in front of 9000 French spectators. I had predicted that France would win, but he has given the lie to the predictions with his consistency and his playing with his mind. He has shut up everybody. Regrets? Yes, I have regrets, but they are nothing but words. Yet again the doubles match has been decisive. To win that point is to show the opponent psychologically that you are going to win the meeting. It is a bliss to see the Australians victorious. What a Davis Cup country! In 1997, in Sydney I felt enormous happiness for them in spite of the thrashing we received. Newcombe has a lot of spirit and stateliness. He has a lot of years of Davis Cup behind him."

Pierre Delorme (physio of the French team): "We have been laughed at. Philippoussis writes down his two points because he was more fresh. He has not played for three months. His injury has been benificial, it has done him good. Our guys are at the end of the season and they are not in the same fresh state. That shows, especially on a surface as demanding as clay."

Lionel Roux: "Philippoussis was in his element. He was unplayable no matter what surface it had been. Everything just worked for him. A lot of the time he has played two centimeters off the lines or touched the net chord. It is said that succes smiles at the bold and it is true that maybe Philippoussis has tried harder than Cédric. There is just nothing to be said about it, it was too strong."

Rémy Barbarin (fitness trainer): "In this match the physical and psychological fitness of Philippoussis is decisive, even though I do not believe that the entire meeting plays in that area. He saves his season by winning the Davis Cup. Mentally he has not given in, which is not usually his strong point. He has shown an impressive consistency, just like Hewitt by the way. Those guys have not faltered, they played away from home and they have not shown a single sign of nerves. If Cédric wins the first game of the third set, everything can change. Instead of that Philippoussis stays confident and one knows that in that case a guy like him is never more dangerous."

Jean-Claude Massias (national technical director): "It is an enormous deception. There is mixed feelings because in spite of the defeat we can be proud of the team. It has roused us to enthousiasm. But Philippoussis was too strong. He played close to the lines and hit extremely hard. He was unplayable."

R.L.

L’équipe, December 6, 1999

After Pioline’s defeat there was nothing at stake in the match that put Grosjean opposite Hewitt. But not for the audience.

Nobody really felt like leaving after the defeat of Pioline yesterday. Not the players, all present courtside (except those of the first singles match), nor the 10 000 spectators who united to watch the last meeting for the honnor between Grosjean and Hewitt. The Frenchman’s victory (6-4, 6-3) turned out to be all the more anecdotal for the atmosphere of the battle that animated the Acropolis.

Eventhough the benjamins of the two teams assured a spectacle on the court, in the stands is where it was the most striking. The series of service-volleys by Hewitt, a little noncahlant, were significant for his feeble motivation -a rare fact- as were the conspiratorial smiles he exchanged with his captain during the change of ends. But he pleasingly lent himself to a couple of scuffles from the baseline, a story of treating the public not easily satisfied.

An appetite the spectators showed at 5-2 in the second set when, feeling the end draw near, they offered a giant cheer to the heroes of the weekend. For a good five minutes, Mexican waves went around, dragging Newcombe, Forget, the chair umpire and Seb himself along in this fierce dance. An electrifying spectacle which Hewitt witnessed sitting unmoved on a line judge’s chair. In this joyous noise of trumpets and singing, a final ‘Merci les Bleus’ saluted the victory by Grosjean. The triomphant Australians could take over the torch of the chorale for the presentation of the Davis Cup, the 27th in their history.

R.L.