Melbourne, Australia, January 18 – Scud looks to be firing again in February
Mark Philippoussis says he expects to resume playing on the men’s tour next month in the United States.
The 24-year-old Australian, known as the Scud for his missile-speed serves, missed his country’s Open after minor knee surgery. But he said he was working towards being fit to play in the ATP tournament at Memphis, Tennessee, in mid-February.
His recuperation period also ruled him out of Australia’s Davis Cup first round tie against Ecuador in Perth early next month.
"It’s tough obviously being here at the same time as the Australian Open is going on and seeing what’s happening on TV," he said.
"(But) I get to spend time with family and friends so it’s a bit of a plus.
"It’s going really well, my doctor is incredibly surprised with the way it’s healed, I’m back on the court every day hitting for an hour.
"I’m not moving too much on court, but each day it’s getting better."
His manager John McCurdy said Philippoussis had spoken to new Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald about possibly joining the Australian team later in the year should they progress.
McCurdy also hinted Philippoussis would remain unwilling to give a commitment to every Davis Cup tie but Fitzgerald may be prepared to accept that.
"Mark doesn’t respond well to having too heavy a schedule - with his injuries and his big body type, the schedule is very important," McCurdy said.
"He wants to play Davis Cup, obviously the first one is out but we’ll see how the rest of the year pans out."
McCurdy said there could be more flexibility in selection for the Australian team after the departure of John Newcombe as captain.