WIMBLEDON finalist, Mark Philippoussis, the man Roger Federer beat to win his first Grand Slam title in 2003, has opened up on the “shame” of being “poor” − to the point where he had to turn to friends for help with buying food − and his battle with depression as he watched “loved ones suffer” after undergoing emotional and financial struggles following a knee surgery.
Mark, who reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in 1998, made his top ten debut in March 1999. After undergoing three knee surgeries, The Australian made a comeback in 2003 with his injuries having forced him out of the Aussie Davis Cup team several times.
After hiring a new physical trainer following his comeback, the former top-ten player made himself available for the Davis Cup on several occasions and reached the 2003 Wimbledon final, losing to a then-21-year-old Roger Federer, who clinched the first of his 20 Grand Slam titles.
However, his comeback success was stunted as his performance dipped in 2004 and he failed to win a match after Wimbledon until the end of the year.
In an attempt to make another comeback in 2006, Mark hired a new coach but failed to pick up many wins. After suffering another setback a year later with his knee, he attempted to make yet another comeback in 2008 before undergoing more knee surgeries, which left him “poor”.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist opened up on TV show, SAS Australia, on how he felt letting his loved ones down following his injuries and having his father quit his banking job to help him become a tennis professional.
"Family’s my world. It’s my priority. My everything. I had a dream to become a professional tennis player and my family put everything on the line," Mark said.
"My father had a good job in the bank business and quit because he said he wanted to help me fulfil my dreams — so he let go of his dreams and I worked very hard, and I was lucky enough to fulfil my dreams. And the good news was that I could take care of my family, so they didn’t have to work again. My father or mother didn’t have to work. But I’ve gone into a tough situation with injuries, where everything stopped."
Having not wanted to think about saving for a "rainy day" in the past, Mark watched his family struggle financially in 2009 following his sixth knee surgery as he was unable to get back on the court and produce results to earn money.
"When you’re an athlete, the last thing you want to think about… they always say: ‘Save for a rainy day’, and I feel like you’re weak if you feel like you might get injured and you have to have something to back up to — that’s a sign of weakness.
"You can’t think that way because you’ve got to keep going, you’ve got to get back from injuries and you’re going to be OK."
The Australian, who only officially retired in 2015, continued: "I was out for a few months. I couldn’t afford much, actually. I had to ask friends just to shop for food."
"We would always, just, for seven days in a row we’d have this cabbage pasta that ends up being one of my favourites, but my mum calls it ‘poor people’s food’ because it’s so simple, it’s just cabbage with some spices and pasta," he said, speaking of the shame he felt at the time
"I felt very much ashamed because they gave their dream for me, and my responsibility was to look after them. I was in a dark place and had depression. There’s no greater pain in my heart than watching my loved ones suffer because of my actions."
Mark was able to get his life back on track later, playing in some matches on the Challenger and Champions circuits in 2010.
In 2015, he received a wildcard into the qualifying rounds of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships − his first ATP Tour match in nine years. Although he lost his opening match, he garnered some success in the doubles main-draw, reaching the quarterfinal alongside Ryan Harrison.
Admitting it wasn't a comeback and was instead "just about playing one event", the Australian has not played on the pro tour since. – Agencies, September 30, 2021
