Master Blaster

By Suzi Petkovski

1996 was nothing if not eventful for Australia's most exciting tennis

prospect, Mark Philippoussis. But after finishing 1996 ranked No. 30 in the

world--just two places higher than his 1995 year-end ranking--did

Philippoussis begin to fulfil his potential, or merely tread water?

He began the year with a big bang, but boy oh boy, did Scudmeister Mark

Philippoussis have to wait patiently for his first pro tournament win.

Since the roar died down at the stadium formerly known as Flinders Park

following our boy's momentous win over world No. 1 Pete Sampras in the third

round of the Australian Open, the Scud has seldom fired on all cylinders. By

the end of the Grand Slam season, Mark hadn't made a singles final, hadn't

beaten anyone more notorious than Jim Courier and Marc Roset and hasn't

passed the first round in eight of his 21 tournaments. And, tough but true,

he hadn't capitalised on his successful first season of '95, when he reached

three finals and shot from the 300s to the 30s in the rankings.

The turnaround came in the southwestern French town of Toulouse, where

Philippoussis produced a sudden reversal in form to bag the Grand Prix de

Toulouse, his first professional title. For the gentle young giant, the win

was filled with more personal than professional significance. The week began

with the death of his manager and friend Brad Robinson, who lost a three

year battle with lymphoma aged just 38.

"All week I had to fight in three sets; I played with my guts and all my

heart, thinking about the man who was like a father to me," said an

emotional Philippoussis after dedicating his victory to Robinson.

The fourth seed, Philippoussis prevailed against Fabrice Santoro 6-3, 3-6,

7-6; Guillaume Raoux 7-6, 6-7, 6-4; Hicham Arazi 6-4, 3-6, 7-6; Mark

Woodforde 2-6, 7-6, 7-6 and in the final, Swede Magnus Larsson 6-1, 5-7,

6-4. Although he did not beat anyone more highly ranked than himself, Mark's

was a mature and workmanlike performance. He went 5-0 in tiebreaks, had

another satisfylingly difficult victory over Woodforde (repeating US Open

result), and he lifted a huge ball of pressure from his shoulders. The year

was not a write off after all.

"I knew I had what it took to win a tournament," Mark commented. "I feel

very relieved and happy to have won this first title. It is a big stepping

stone in my career." As with everything he does, the result has added

significance for Australian tennis. At 19, Philippoussis is the youngest

Australian singles winner since Pat Cash, who was 17 when he took out the

1983 Victorian Open (a more modest result than Mark's). Clearly,

Philippoussis is no late bloomer. Can a Grand Slam be too far off? Also

significant is that Mark won while playing below his best. In his final

tournament of 1996, Philippoussis extended world No. 2 Michael Chang to a

third-set tiebreak in the second round of the Paris Open.

Anyone who can pronounce "Philippoussis" knows Mark's A-game is peerless.

But when Plan A goes awry (as it often did in 1996), how good is his Plan B?

Does Mark P even have a Plan B? Toulouse confirmed that he does indeed.

We were starting to wonder. The starkest test was undertaken (and flunked)

back in January. Mark's straight-sets defeat of Sampras in Melbourne had the

tennis world gob-smacked. Expectations were turned up to white-hot. But

Mark's one-sided 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 loss to Woodforde next round left fans stone

cold. Of course, he suffered an understandable let-down and lacked

experience. But would he learn from the loss? Would he digest the abundant

advice Woodforde offered him after the joust?

"You know not to give him a lot of pace," Woodforde said. "A lot of times he

went for too many balls too early and I brought him in and pushed him back

and played up high and low, and he was missing. He doesn't like the subtle

changes of pace, and that's what I set out to do. He has to be able to

change his game when it's not working for him. He didn't really change his

game until 5-0 down (in the third set). Early on, he was just trying to hit

a winner from the first point."

While in 1995 Mark dazzled the world with his fearsome serve, in 1996 he

struggled mightily to prove he isn't a one-shot wonder. Philippoussis

bristles at being called one-dimensional. "It's bullshit," he snapped in

Sydney, when Tim Henman described him thus after toppling him in the first

round. "I'll serve and volley, and if that's not working I'll stay back.

I've pretty much got my game together."

He didn't have it together at the French Open where he disappointed in

losing to compatriot Todd Woodbridge in the second round. Another

breathlessly-awaited chapter in his budding rivalry with Sampras unfolded on

Wimbledon's centre court, no less, where Pete had his revenge by 7-6, 6-4,

6-4. It was close; an impressive centre court debut. Mark's fourth round

loss to Sampras at the US Open (by 6-3, 6-3, 6-4) was less close (and to

some in the media, a lot less impressive), but it represented the

Australian's best Grand Slam result. By the end of the Open, he'd climbed to

No. 19 in the rankings.

The progress has been steady rather than spectacular, but Toulouse confirmed

that Mark has absorbed the lessons of big defeats. "I don't want to be seen

as just a big server," Mark said in Toulouse. "I have been working hard to

become a versatile player."

Philippoussis always intended 1996 to be one big learning experience. "The

major thing for me this year is to try and get experience," he said at the

Australian Open. He got plenty, much of it bittersweet.

Philippoussis fell out with his fellow Aussies by snubbing the first two

round of th Davis Cup. It was a rude shock for Davis Cup cheifs John

Newcombe and Tony Roche, who gave him and early taste of Davis Cup as a

17-year-old back in 1994 in St. Petersburg and handed him his first Davis

Cup guernsey against Hungary last year (Philippoussis won his opening match

but lost the decider to 190-ranked Joszef Kroesko, sending Australia to the

B-League of Davis Cup for the first time).

Mark's absence at the first Tie against Chinese Taipei was tolerated, but

during the dangerous away clash with Japan, the situation was viewed more

seriously. He claimed he needed tournament practice (although his next event

in Monte Carlo was two weeks after the Cup clash). Later, Mark claimed he

had a foot injury. Whatever the reasons, his teammates were less than

impressed and there was a fair bit of lockerroom satisfaction when

Woodbridge beat his wayward compatriot at the French Open.

By the tim of the World Group qualifying Tie against Croatia in September,

all was forgiven. Mark had called Newk personally to make himself available

and Newk and Tony Roche, who have shown reluctance in the past to hold Mark

solely responsible for his actions, welcomed him back into the fold.

Although the much anticipated shootout with Goran Ivanisevic in Split didn't

eventuate, Philippoussis won against Sasa Hirszon and Goran Oresic without

dropping a set. He gained vital experience in winning Davis Cup matches in a

difficult, foreign setting, he improved his Davis Cup record to 3-1, and he

had the satisfaction of being part of a winning Davis Cup effort.

On the notorious coaching front, Philippoussis has had experience galore. By

the end of Wimbledon, he'd signed his third coach for the year in Peter

McNamara (after Nick Bollettieri and a temporary arrangement with Tony

Roche). There were also short lived associations with Gavin Hopper and

trainer Todd Viney. Presiding over the pyramid was his father, Nick. There

is little doubt that the constant comings and goings (and thier eager

documenting by the press), had an unsettling effect on Mark. He's corrected

that by committing to McNamara, the former world No. 7 whose playing success

he respects and who, apart from Mark's father, has had perhaps the longest

continuous involvement in Mark's career. Mr. Philippoussis has also accepted

a reduced role. Success in Toulouse will have given a sense of stability to

both player and coach.

As a consistent and stylish all-court player in his day, McNamara will be

looking to add defensive weight to Mark's herfty weapons. With the

terrifying force that he has at his disposal, there is a natural tendency

for Philippoussis to try ot overpower every opponent; to blast rather than

construct points. The loss to Sampras in New York showed how futile that

approach can be, even if you do own arguably the most feared serve in

tennis. With his customary mix of compliments and advice, Sampras commented

"I've never played a guy who hits the ball as hard off the ground and serves

as hard as Mark does. He just goes for it, but he would be a lot better off

if he took five percent off his shots. He's got the game to beat anyone; he

just needs to become smarter on the court."

The challenge for McNamara is to bulid up Mark's defensive game without

tempering the aggression and firepower that can take apart any player. He is

confident of success, telling The Sunday Age: "I'll state on whatever

reputation I have that he will be in the Top 10 eventually."

Mark's success in Toulouse was sandwiched between two first round losses.

Expect that pattern to continue. He's no weekly quarter-finalist, but John

Alexander, for one, believes that's not a bad thing. "He's not playing safe;

he's playing to fulfil his potential, and it's immense."

Indeed it is. We may have been impatient for more, but Mark's 1996 season

was one of significant achievement. He made mistakes and corrected them. He

knows he needs more dimensions to his game and is working to gain them.

His spectacular game has galvanised interest in tennis at home and gained

new respect for Australian tennis abroad (the dark Mediterranean looks don't

hurt either!). But with Mark Philippoussis, there's always so much more to

look forward to. With two full seasons of pro tennis behind him, 1997 looms

as a make-or-break year for Mark; for a player of promise, they all are.