By Janet Graham, Post staff reporter
Cincinnati Post
MASON, Ohio - Mark Philippoussis has cut back on the toys such as his fast cars and motorcycles, begun spending more time on the practice court and realizing at nearly 24 that it's time to fulfill some of his much-touted potential.
This week at the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati, Philippoussis may be looking at a good opportunity to show just how far he's come. On Wednesday, he hung in mentally and physically in a difficult three-set match against former No. 1-ranked Marcelo Rios, winning 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (4), to advance to the third round.
Not long after his win, he found out that Andre Agassi had retired from his second-round match and he would now be facing unseeded Spaniard Fernando Vicente in the next round.
Not that it mattered to Philippoussis. He had already guaranteed a victory over Agassi.
''I feel like he beat me pretty good the last four times so I think I'm going to take him down,'' Philippoussis said before Agassi withdrew from the tournament.
Philippoussis is a far cry from the sullen teen-ager who was known for a lack of motivation and an inability to harness his powerful serve and groundstrokes.
Now, living in Miami, life is much less stressful for the native Australian. When he was home in Melbourne, he had reporters camped out from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In Florida, he only encounters an occasional autograph seeker or someone who tells him how much they enjoy watching him play.
But Philippoussis had a few incidents this year which reminded him of the fragility of a professional athletic career. First, he received a phone call from former No. 1-ranked Boris Becker after the French Open.
Becker told him he didn't think he was fulfilling even 50 percent of his potential and he needed to make more of a commitment to tennis.
After an hour-long phone call, Becker agreed to serve as adviser to Philippoussis, and Becker's former coach, Mike DePalmer, began to work with him.
''That was a bit of a wake-up call,'' Philippoussis said. ''I looked up to him when I was a kid, had posters of him and (Gabriela) Sabatini on my walls. It was pretty intimidating.''
It paid off at Wimbledon, where he reached the quarterfinals before falling to Agassi and injuring his knee. That's where the second crystallizing moment came.
''When I was sitting in that medical room waiting for the MRI and just not knowing what happened, not knowing if I've damaged a ligament or whether I was going to be out for a year, I got really scared and thought, "Could this be the end of my career?
''It just got me thinking and I started realizing how I've been wasting my time and not giving it 100 percent and not training hard. I don't want to have any regrets when I do retire.''
So there's going to be less time for the toys, such as the stable of four cars and nine motorcycles Philippoussis once owned. He said he now owns two cars - a Range Rover and a Ferrari 550 - and six motorcycles.
He now understands that as a pro athlete, he's a role model to kids.
''Kids are looking up to you, they want your autograph or they wear your Fila clothing,'' he said. ''I've got to realize that and settle myself on the court. I've been through quite a few phases in my life but it's good to get some of that behind you and concentrate on tennis. I feel I've really matured and I'm a much better player now.''