Forget's sly remarks sting Philippoussis
2dec99
AUSTRALIAN ace Mark Philippoussis is bristling over an assessment by French captain Guy Forget that he is suspect on clay and is the weak link in the Davis Cup tennis final starting tomorrow.
"Let's wait until Friday and see if I can change his mind," Philippoussis angrily responded last night after being informed of Forget's comments. "I'm ready to go and this court really suits me."
Forget is normally ultra-conservative in his approach to the game and his remarkable comments are surprising given they have only proved to be a red rag under the nose of Australia's most raging bull.
Philippoussis is one of the few men in international tennis with the distinction of having won Tour events on every surface, including clay.
Told "the inefficiency of his game" was one of reasons Forget had chosen red clay to be laid at the Palais des Expositions, Philippoussis smiled and said: "We'll see."
"I'm feeling very comfortable out there on centre court. It's a beautiful court and it seems like there is going to be a great atmosphere," the Australian said.
Forget said Philippoussis "in the past has shown that he could be inconsistent", a malady Forget expected was likely to be exacerbated by the tensions of a Davis Cup final.
"It could be even more so on clay against a crowd that's not on his side against players that are able to make life difficult for him," Forget said.
"But he's got that much talent and power that even on a slow clay court he can still hit winners.
"But on clay you have to be patient. You can't hit winners off every ball. Here after six or seven games, the balls are very humid and big. It is impossible to hit winners.
"You have to work the points and be patient. I don't know if Mark can do that. Pete Sampras is the best player in the world and he does a lot of things better than Mark but the reason he has not been able to win the French Open is that he has not had the patience."
Desperate not only to be part of the first winning Australian Davis Cup unit since 1986, Philippoussis also wants to prove himself to his teammates who, to a man, regard the Victorian as a rare talent but have had reason to question his commitment to the cause.
Sensitive to the mood, Philippoussis has relentlessly driven himself as never before in fitness drills and has spent hours on the practice court, such is the depth of his ambition to help land the cup for Australia.
"I've been doing an incredible amount of work with (coach) Gavin Hopper in Miami," Philippoussis said.
"I'm fitter than I've ever been and I'm moving as well as I ever have.
"I think it's going to pay a big toll for the match because this tie is going to come down to fitness.
"I've done the hard work and now I'm ready to go."
Philippoussis's impressive condition has eased any concerns Newcombe might have held over the comparatively late arrival of the US Open finalist, whose eyes narrowed with conviction when confronted with Forget's comments.
Philippoussis's co-coach Pat Cash, hero of the 83 and 86 triumphs, believes the strapping righthander is poised to explode on to the French "like a freight train".
For his part, Philippoussis said the controversies of his troubled relationships with team coach Tony Roche, Mark Woodforde and Newcombe were officially dead.
"The skeletons were buried a while back," said Philippoussis.
Scud pleased by quicker than expected surface
Source: AAP Published: Wednesday December 1 2:58:31 AM
NICE, France, Nov 30 - Big hitting Mark Philippoussis today served a warning to his French rivals for the Davis Cup tennis final, saying he was relieved to find the clay surface here quicker than expected.
Philippoussis, among the fastest servers in the world, said his two practice sessions on the indoor red clay court had allayed his fears of an overly slow surface for the final, which starts on Friday.
"I'm feeling comfortable - I thought it would be a lot slower than this," said Phillippoussis, who will play singles for Australia along with 18-year-old Lleyton Hewitt.
"I'd heard it was going to be extremely slow, so I was a bit surprised when I got here.
"It's a beaut court, it seems like there'll be a great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to it and I'm very excited."
French captain Guy Forget, however, expressed doubts about Philippoussis' comments.
"The court looks pretty slow to me," Forget said, noting clay was not Philippoussis' best surface.
"Whether he's telling the truth now about the speed of the court I don't know," he said, adding Philippoussis was perhaps trying to 'convince himself that the courts are perfect for his game.'
Philippoussis missed the quarter-final against USA and the semi-final against Russia due to a Wimbledon knee injury which required surgery.
He has played in six tournaments since returning in August, steadily improving each time to the point where he made the quarter-finals in his past two outings, the Paris Indoor and the Stockholm Open earlier this month.
"I've been hitting my ground strokes well and I've been moving well," said the 23-year-old, who tipped that fitness could be the telling factor in his singles matches with Cedric Pioline and Sebastien Grosjean.
Bookmakers have installed Australia as the warm favourite to claim a 27th Davis Cup at 7-4 on, with France 5-4, but the Aussies say they're not so sure.
"I think it's a close call," Hewitt said.
He added, however, that while he leads Pioline 2-1 in career meetings, none has been on clay. Hewitt beat Grosjean on clay in their only meeting in the US earlier this year.
Philippoussis leads Pioline 2-0, neither of which was on clay, but beat Grosjean on the surface at Monte Carlo in their only match earlier this year.
Olivier Delaitre and Fabrice Santoro, however, have won both their career doubles matches against the Woodies.
LOW KEY APPROACH FOR AUSTRALIANS
Sportscentral - By Trevor Marshallsea
NICE, France, Nov 29 AAP - Australia's Davis Cup tennis captain John Newcombe has ordered a low key approach for his team as it prepares for the centenary final against France here from Friday.
The Aussie squad will keep its media commitments to a minimum, with Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt making their only pre-final appearance at a press conference tomorrow, and the doubles pairing of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbrige available on Wednesday.
Newcombe said it was vital all other aspects of the week were kept as normal as possible.
"We're trying to keep it all calm and loose," Newcombe said.
"We know the tension will start building in the next couple of days so we're trying to make it as happy an atmosphere as possible.
"There's a lot of media here so the players don't want to keep going over and over things they say to different reporters.
"We're just trying not to anything extraordinary through the week, though at the same time we don't want to put up the shutters entirely."
Newcombe put his squad through a second lengthy practice session today on the newly laid clay court of Nice's Acropolis Exhibition Centre.
He conceded the French team of Cedric Pioline, Sebastien Grosjean and doubles men Olivier Delaitre and Fabrice Santoro had a better history on clay than his side, but said his squad had adapted well to the new court.
"The boys all like the conditions and they're all hitting the ball pretty well," he said.
"As far as we're concerned, things are on track."
Australia enjoys a 9-3 advantage in Davis Cup meetings with France, and has a strong record when it comes to singles match-ups for the final, which will be contested before a crowd of 10,000 mostly French fans.
Philippoussis leads Pioline 2-0 in career head-to-heads, and Grosjean 1-0. Hewitt leads Pioline 2-1 and won his only match against Grosjean.
Delaitre and Santoro, however, have won both their career doubles matchs against the Woodies.
The French had a first look at the final venue when taken through a practice session this evening under captain Guy Forget.
No fears of clay for Cup players
Nation's hopes rest with Philippoussis
By LINDA PEARCE
Sunday 28 November 1999
MARK Philippoussis holds the key to Australia's Davis Cup chances in next week's final against France, according to former squad member and accomplished claycourter Scott Draper.
Draper, taking a break from the circuit after the death earlier this year of his wife, Kellie, and overlooked for selection in the squad that has been preparing this week in the Italian resort of San Remo, said Philippoussis' performances could decide the tie, to be played indoors in Nice from Friday.
"I think Lleyton is our rock; Philippoussis is the one we need to worry about," Draper said from his Gold Coast home. "I think Lleyton is going to go over there and give it absolutely 100percent. He's going to perform well, he loves the pressure, he loves the crowd, he's proved himself twice in Davis Cup, he will be giving his heart and soul."
"Philippoussis, I think he is the key man. His year's been a bit topsy-turvy with injury and what-not, but I think if he goes out there and plays to his ability and plays as hard and passionate as Lleyton, then I think we're going to win."
"I think our team on paper is better than theirs and it just depends on how much of an advantage the home crowd and the home court are. But in my opinion we're the favorites and we'll bring it home."
Draper, a proven performer at the French Open on outdoor clay, also endorsed the return of Todd Woodbridge, who has missed the past two ties, to partner Mark Woodforde in the doubles rubber, despite the fact that clay is the only surface on which the Woodies have not won a grand slam title.
Woodforde and Sandon Stolle have lost two five-setters, against the US and Russia, in Woodbridge's absence. "You can't go past a great team and the Woodies have proved themselves over the years. I know they're struggling for form, but champions are champions and I'm sure they'll rise to the occasion," Draper said.
"Sandon and Woodie are both individually terrific, but as a team maybe we need to go back to the Woodies ... I'm sure they'll do their job."
Philippoussis "in best shape of his life'' for Cup Final
By Australian Tennis Magazine Editor Paul Macpherson - Thursday, 25 November 1999
Mark Philippoussis is in peak physical and mental condition leading into the Davis Cup Final according to his coach Gavin Hopper. Philippoussis has spent the past week practising and running with Hopper in Florida. The giant Aussie has recovered fully from the knee and ankle injuries which troubled him for months after Wimbledon, and has dispelled any fears that a lack of match practice would tell against him in the Cup Final against France in Nice from December 3-5.
"He's definitely in the best shape of his life," Hopper said. "The knee is 100 per cent and he's in great shape physically. He's certainly in good enough condition to go the distance. If it was the French Open where potentially he had to play five or six five-setters, he may need a bit more time to prepare. But he's only looking at two matches with a day's break in between, and Mark isn't the type of player who gets into long, grinding rallies anyway."
Equally as important as Philippoussis' physical health is his mental outlook on the eve of the Final. In the past he has been apathetic about representing his country, but Hopper says that Philippoussis is dead keen to play in the Final.
"He's just so positive at the moment. He knows this is a very special event in his career and for Australian tennis. A tell-tale sign is how he's begun to get a little irritable if he's not hitting the ball perfectly. You notice in a lot of top players that when a Grand Slam or major event like this is coming up they expect everything to be perfect with their game. Six to eight weeks ago we weren't sure if he would be playing because we didn't know how his knee would hold up and there were three guys in the equation for two singles spots. But when it became known that Pat (Rafter) would be out with injury and Newk gave Mark an indication he'd be playing, he's been unbelievable ever since."
Hopper and Philippoussis have been hitting on green clay during the past week - red clay is difficult to find in the US. Hopper is happy with the way the Scud is moving and says his star pupil will be fresh for the Final. "His movement patterns on the first day were a little clumsy, but he hadn't played on clay for so long," Hopper said. "Sliding correctly is of number one importance on clay and Mark's starting to get that right now. He'll head into the Final with a lot of confidence. He knows he can beat the French guys on clay and they've had a lot of tennis, while Mark's still very fresh."
Philippoussis flies out from Florida on Friday to join his teammates at a training camp in San Remo, Italy.