WIMBLEDON

July 5, 2003

Mark Philippoussis

MODERATOR: Mark Philippoussis. We're going to limit the questions to 10 minutes, just to be fair to both finalists.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Feeling pretty good, pretty relaxed. It's a nice day just to get a bit of a hit in and get the body ready for tomorrow.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, slept great.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, I think I will. I think I will. I feel pretty relaxed. So, yeah, the good thing is I've been through a Grand Slam final in 1998, so it's not gonna be new for me. So I can definitely, you know, use the experience back then for tomorrow.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, a lot of things have happened since then. I'm definitely a lot more mature person - on and off the court. And, you know, I'm definitely a lot more prepared, I think, this time. I think back then, I was just, you know, obviously so pleased, being my first Grand Slam final and being a lot younger. You know, everything was new, and I was extremely nervous for that final then, especially, you know, playing against Pat, who is also an Australian. That was also tough for me. Obviously, both of us wanted to win. And then it's really tough to get pumped up really when you're playing someone from your own country.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Exactly, yeah.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Oh, definitely. A lot of things are going to change for me. And people are going to be expecting things from me; I'm going to be expecting things from myself. This is a big step forward for me as a tennis player, but also as a person off the court. So I'll have a lot of pluses.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yes, I think I will be, definitely.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: You know, I think, you know, after all those years of fighting to get back up, you know, it's not a bad thing to have the sponsors asking things from you. It means you're doing something right, it means they want you, it means people want to see you. And that's a good thing, it's a very positive thing, and that's something that I'll be looking forward to embracing.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'm still shy. I mean, I like to keep to myself. I'm a very private person off the court. Whatever I do off the court, whether it be me with my family or friends, is strictly confidential and just about me. And, you know, on the tennis court, I understand that, you know, once you get on the court, it feels like, you know, my stage, you know. I'm not nervous. I'm not shy. And, you know, I do what I do and just go out there and have fun, enjoy myself.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Not at all. Not at all. I don't know if I'm going to leave it to someone else because now, the more mature I am, the more I want to take care of things myself, and have more things coming to me, and knowing what's happening, than in the past where I didn't want to know about that. And my dad took care of that stuff, and I just, you know, am wanting to learn more about that stuff and take care of it more myself. Of course my dad's still gonna be there, you know, telling me what he thinks and just explaining everything to me, like a dad should, you know. Obviously, he wants the best thing for me. But at the end of the day, it's my decision.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, there's no point where I'd say I would've never thought -- I always knew what I was capable of doing. The only thing I did know, that it was gonna be a long way back and I was going to have to work extremely hard on and off the court and make sacrifices. And it's just paid off.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: This year, I felt like I was playing some good tennis in the, you know -- made the final of Scottsdale, and I was close in, you know, a three-setter against Andre in Miami. But I think after that, my match against -- first match against Jonas in Davis Cup, you know, I just felt like a different person. I was a lot more confident. After that match, I knew I was just playing better and better. You know, I didn't play too bad in the clay court season, seeing as though I pretty much only played three tournaments. I played Italian Open, I qualified and lost to Ferrero first round; made the quarters in Hamburg and lost to Moya. So, you know, I didn't really do too bad for those clay court tournaments considering I only played three of them.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Maybe after tomorrow I could let you know, yeah (smiling).

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, no.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think, you know, as I said before, everything in life happens for a reason. You know, sometimes I could sit down and when I was -- after my third surgery and say, "You know what, I've been so unlucky, you know, in my tennis life." Because personally, I'm a very lucky person. I have a family who loves me. They're healthy, and so I'm blessed. But on the tennis side, I felt like I was a little unlucky and, you know, just felt like, "When's the luck gonna come my side?" But then I thought about it, and that's like the wrong approach to have. You've got to make your own luck. That's just the way I've been thinking about it. I've been working hard. You can't just sit around, expect things to happen. You've got to make them happen. So I definitely say, you know, people are in charge of making their own destiny.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, no. They're gonna just enjoy the final. They're gonna be very fair, I'm sure. I'm sure they enjoy watching both of us, Roger and myself. I guess we're not too boring watching. You know, he is very flashy, he's extremely talented, he can do everything on the court. And, you know, I'd like to think I'm pretty exciting to watch, too. So I think they're gonna be very fair. So, you know, being a final, they're just gonna enjoy it, I think, and just, you know, clap for both of us.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: To be -- I don't know. I mean, to be quite honest, no one's, you know -- they've just said -- I mean, everyone knows the way I'm playing, it just speaks for itself. There's nothing much you can say to pump me up more than you need to. I know what it's all about, and I know what I've done to get here. So I don't really need -- you know, feel like I need some inspiring words to get me pumped.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Oh, of course. I mean, pretty much my only points were in the Round of 16 for Wimbledon, and then I think I won like one match in the summertime, hurt myself in the US Open. I didn't have the year off. So I've had one -- I've got one match to win. That's the only points I have. So it's a big opportunity for me, there's no doubt about that. But, you know, I've got the whole year to go.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'm not thinking that at all. The only thing I'm thinking about is for tomorrow .

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Honestly, it's coming from the inside. I was shocked at how relaxed I was yesterday on the court and before and after, so...

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Honestly, I'm not. I'm going back to the house, I'm getting a massage, I'm not even talking about tennis. I'm watching movies, talking about other things, just talking to friends on the phone, just mucking around. I'm just thinking about the tennis once I walk over here and getting ready for my practice or the match.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know. Unfortunately, I'm a movie buff, so I've seen pretty much everything there is to see.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I definitely love my action. So, I don't know, there's a lot of movies I like. It's -- depending, you know, I have my favorite actors and stuff.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Mel Gibson would have to be one. Nicholas Cage, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro. What's that Australian actor's name who's doing well?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Russell Crowe, but the guy from X-Men 2.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, I mean, I'm really impressed with him. For comedians, Jim Carrey, and I really like Matthew Perry. God, there's so many great actors.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, yeah, we speak sometimes.