By LEO SCHLINK

 The boy in a man's body could carry Mark Philippoussis only so far:

beyond the clutches of world No. 1 Pete Sampras at the Australian Open,

but not to an understanding of what made a Grand Slam champion.

A muscle-bound teenager who could clout a tennis ball with

unmatched authority, but with little comprehension of the sport's

cerebral dictates, Philippoussis followed his thunderous 1996 thrashing

of Sampras with an insipid departure at the hands of Mark Woodforde.

It was seemingly only a matter of time and maturity before Philippoussis

melded God-given ability with the demands for common sense. Whenever it occurred,

there could only ever be this certainty: Regardless of cir-

cumstance, opposition or occasion, Phiippoussis had to succeed.

The Davis Cup final at the Palais des Expositions in Nice last month

was not only the place, but it was also Philippoussis's time. Taking his

cue from the current keepers of Australia's tennls heritage, John

Newcombe and Tony Roche, Philippoussis rose to a level to which only

champions can aspire.

Having established his credentials amid the cacophony of the French

Riviera, Phihippoussis has now set out his stall for Australian Open glory.

He has done so in the past, more in hope than expectation, but this time

it is different.

As his coach Pat Cash is prone to say, the toughest steel is forged in the

fiercest fire. Philippoussis agrees. "It was incredible because the

amount of pressure that was on that match. I don't think I could ever feel

that sort of pressure again unless it was another Davis Cup match in the

finals again,' he said.

"But it made me think. It made me realise how relaxed I should be in

other matches. "I mean, if I got through that OK, I concentrated really well,

I feel like I will make life easy for me if I keep that concentration."

Pat Rafter invariably refers to his Lazarus-like resurrection against

Cedric Pioline in a Davis Cup match in Sydney three years ago as the turning

point of what has now become a magnificent, fulfilled career. The

match provided an instructive lesson into the workings of the human mind.

Philippoussis is now on a similarly steep learning curve after surviving

the crucible buffeting of Nice. "It is a different kind of pressure,"

Philippoussis reflected. "I played in a Grand Slam final and it was an

experience, but it was just a different feeling. I can't say it is the same

thing." And neither is Philippoussis the same player as the model who ascended to the highest

level in the 1998 US Open final against former doubles partner and compatriot Rafter.

After winning the second set, Philippoussis was taken apart by Rafter, who stormed to his second

successive Flushing Meadows title as Philippoussis capitulated in an ocean of doubt and anger.

Reputedly reprimanded post-match by his father Nick in the locker room as Rafter quietly accepted

Congratulations nearby from a string of former Davis Cup representatives, Philippoussis has

emerged from the hollowness of the defeat as a legitimate Grand Slam contender.

Most of the improvement has been in the mental arena. Philippoussis has teamed with 1987 Wimbledon

champion Cash for a more enlightened view of what is required to win seven best-of-five-set matches

in succession. Physically, he is better, too.

Next comes the hard part. No Australian male has triumphed at the Australian Open since Gosford

bolter Mark Edmondson upstaged Newcombe 24 years ago. Philippoussis was not born when burly part-time

handyman Edmondson rose to merited acclaim as national champion.

Andre Agassi, for one, believes Phihippoussis is among a wide group of danger players. Time was when

Philippoussis would mouth the words himself, hoping it would happen. Now there is a tangible sense of

expectation, even among his peers.

Referring to the higher-bouncing,lighter balls and the players most suited by the lively conditions,

the first name mentioned by Agassi was Philippoussis. "I think it (the conditions) would help a guy

like Philippoussis," Agassi said. "It is a good court for aggressive players who have a big strike zone."

The Williamstown right hander has long been that aggressive and armed with an appropriately ballistic

game. What Cash, Gavin Hopper and experience have added is a sense of balance and reality.

There were those in the grandstands in Nice, including players on both teams, who were hoping and fearing

Philippoussis would inexplicably lose concentration just as glory beckoned. It did not happen.

Newcombe, who appreciates the workings of the competitive mind as much as anyone in international tennis,

sensed a sea change in Philippoussis's attitude in France. There were several theories over the origin of

the change. In truth it was as basic as the triumphant Australian one-day cricket team and injury at

Wimbledon. Philippoussis is hardly renowned on tour for his appreciation of Australian cricket. One of the

few matches he has bothered to watch was Australia's tension-filled, last gasp win over South Africa in the

World Cup semi-final.

"Mark was saying that he doesn't watch cricket that much, but it's one of the most exciting sporting things

he'd ever seen," Newcombe said. "That sort of thing can start a snowball effect.

"I think what Mark learned about himself in Davis Cup was that he has the ability in a match under that

pressure to maintain, not just the level of play, but the level of concentration and focus for a three-hour

period under extreme pressure.

"Once you've done that, then it's easy to do it the second time." Philippoussis could not have imagined he

was destined for such heights amid the abject misery of a knee injury while leading Sampras by a set in the

Wimbledon quarter-finals.

In outstanding form, Philippoussis suffered the cruellest blow when his left knee gave out. Not only had his

finest Wimbledon chance vanished, but now there was doubt about his future. By December, after arthroscopic

surgery and a long rehabilitation, Philippoussis was at the loftiest peaks of his now burgeoning career.

"This is the start of my tennis career," he Victorian said. "I honestly think so. I've never concentrated,

played as well as I did today. In the past, Davis Cup matches have started careers. This is the start of mine."