Could the juxtaposition be any sharper? In the same tournament that Jelena Dokic has risen from obscurity to capture the hearts of a nation, the Scud is strutting his stuff with yesterday’s heroes.
It’s all a bit of a laugh and a giggle, which is fitting because that’s how he treated his career. He took all the amazing talent he had and frittered it away to be nothing but a footnote.
At the 1996 Australian Open, Scud had turned 19 and was taking on Pete Sampras who had won six of the 10 past Grand Slams. Scud made mincemeat of Sampras, knocking him out in straight sets.
In the manner which would typify Philippoussis’ career, in the next round he would lose in straight sets to Mark Woodforde.
Mark Woodforde!
The same guy Philippoussis would not lose to again in three more encounters. But that was Flip: do the amazing when it didn’t matter so much and fold when it really counted.
Notwithstanding, the world was still his oyster. But it just never happened.
He would go on to play in two Grand Slam finals, two Davis Cup winning teams, and that was about it. Nothing much else to show for his incredible talent.
Am I being harsh on him?
Probably, but it’s not like I’m going on about Simon Youl or Richard Fromberg. Philippoussis had the chops to be number one player in the world and win at least five grand slams.
Did he achieve 1/50th of his potential? Not even close.
If only he had the tenacity and determination of someone like Lleyton Hewitt. Hewitt’s doggedness in Scud’s body would have been an unstoppable force on the level of Roger Federer. But in the end what we got a guy who was more interested in being a party guy than a tennis player.
What Dokic is going through could have happened to Philippoussis.
He could have been playing on Rod Laver Arena, cutting a swathe through the tournament.
Instead, he is on an outside court goofing it off with Henri Leconte in the legends’ doubles. I’m not sure how this happened because who classified Philippoussis as a legend?
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