US OPEN

September 13, 1998

Mark Philippoussis

Q. What was the difference there? It was pretty tight for a while, then all of a sudden he just had 22 out of 26 points.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah. You know, kind of a few points here and there to decide the first couple of sets. You know, one break in each set. I mean, you've got to hand it to Pat. I think five unforced errors for the whole match. That's pretty impressive. At the moment, he's playing like the best player in the world.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Obviously I was nervous. You know, I knew that was coming. I felt good, though. I was ready for it, looking forward to the match.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, that was a bit disappointing. But, you know, I think just a bad choice of shot for myself. You know, Pat is very quick around the court. I mean, things happen like this. One point here and there. A point like that can decide the set, even the match.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I mean, I wasn't fresh. I felt good. I'm sure the same with Pat. You know, I was pumped for it. I mean, you've got to get pumped, it's the US Open final. So no matter how you're feeling, even if you're tired, your legs aren't feeling great, you've got to be pumped out there.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I was a little bit tired. But, you know, feeling pretty good actually for the amount of tennis I've played.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. You know, way too many double-faults. My rhythm wasn't there today. But that's how it goes. Like I said, I don't like to rely on my serve only. The ones that -- the service games I got broken, I served like maybe, I think, three double-faults in it. That putts a lot of pressure on me for other points.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Hard-court season, he's got to be the No. 1 player in the world. He's lost two matches in the summer. That's pretty damn good.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I mean, there was rhythm. But I think I slowed down my serve today trying to get the first serve in and move in for the volley. I didn't want to play a lot of second serves, you know, I was just concentrating on getting the first serve in.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Sure. This is the start of something in my career. I'm only 21 years old. Definitely hoping and counting on having a lot more Sundays in Grand Slams. Like I said, this will make me work a lot harder. Sometimes it's good -- like I said, things happen for a reason I think in life. It was good maybe today that I lost, you know.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Oh, sure.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: He said bad luck, it was a great two weeks. You know, like I'm saying now, this is just the start for everything, just the start for me.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'll go back home to Florida, just relax there for a week, and then start training and go off to Europe.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think I'd have to say consistency. I have confidence in my all-around game. Just try to make it consistent. You know, there's patches where I can play some great tennis, and then that goes off for a couple of games and comes back again. You know, to play some great tennis week in and week out, you've just got to be consistent.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Definitely mental discipline, and also just patience. You know, not to go for the most unbelievable shot, the play of the day, instead of just making him play the shot or getting the ball in.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: That is pretty much my home in Long Boat Key.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Fun for me? Only when I won it (laughter).

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: You know, there was two players out there playing the US Open final. We happened to be from the same country. That's all it was, just another player out there.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: A start, really.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I was a little fatigued. But, you know, I mean, I really didn't do anything that much wrong, except for a few double-faults. I mean, Pat hit a lot of passing shots, he made me volley a lot from my shoelaces, a lot of hard volleys. He was just playing, you know, great tennis.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, I wouldn't say frustrating, because I was expecting that. I know he's quick. I couldn't really say anything frustrated me, except the end honestly. Nothing really frustrated me out there.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, obviously I'm disappointed, you know. You work so hard to get in the final, to see someone else put the trophy up, obviously that's what I was dreaming about. It's just hard to look at someone -- it was hard to look at him, to be quite honest, lifting up that trophy. I was just disappointed.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah, it was fine. He was playing for the same reason I was, to win. Everything was fine.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Exactly. That's what I said probably -- like I said, things happen for a reason. Seeing him lift that trophy up, I'm going to go home, relax. When I go out on the court, I'm going to work twice as hard as I have been. That could be good for me, you know, definitely.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: That's something I'll sit down and talk about. Hopefully he can be part of the team full-time. It's hard for him. There's a family involved.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It will be very important. It's great having him by my side. Like I said, being part of the team.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: You know, obviously I wanted to make him play. It's just -- I didn't want to just chip the ball back because he's quick, he gets in quick. If it floats, he just comes in and puts the ball away. I had to be aggressive on my returns. For a moment there, I started getting some rhythm on returns and I was on him. He was quick out there.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Probably that quarterfinal match, just fighting through that. I think, like I said before, that's changed a lot for me.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know. It's -- like I said, the guy's quick. It's just like, you know, Stefan Edberg, when I was playing him at the net. It was the same thing. The guy was always coming in. You were expecting the pressure, expecting him to make some great volleys. Just up to me to hopefully, I don't know, try and make him miss a little bit. Like I said, five unforced errors, you can't do anything.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I have no thoughts about that. You know, I'm just -- at the moment, my thoughts are to go home, in Florida, see my mom, just relax.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, that's not in my thoughts at the moment.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I mean, you know, down an early break, I think three serves come in a row, I had 40-15. Hit some double-faults. He hit some passing shots. I mean, tennis is like that. Anything can change, and you can lose the set to Love, which happened.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Like I said, we're friends at the moment. We've worked things out. To be quite honest, I don't know if I played, I beat you, I said, "Come and celebrate my victory," How would you feel? You're like, "Yeah, here is a beer for you, well done."

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: What would you do?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'll have my own party (laughter).

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. Shook hands. I said, "Congratulations, great defending your title." That's it. He said, "Bad luck." Just all the things that, you know, you should say.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Pressure?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: There's no pressure. You know, like I said, I know what I'm going to do now. My game, just going to go and work hard. All I can do is do my best out there. You know, bottom line, I'm playing for myself, no one else.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know. It's a Grand Slam. You know, I'm just going to go and treat it like I treated this one. Obviously, there's a bit more - like you said - expectations, a lot more focus. But, you know, it's another Grand Slam. I'm going to do well and just play my game.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Sure. I've got a few tournaments to go to in the year. You know, I'll put everything into it. Obviously, each tournament you go, you'd like to win it, you know, not act like it's a warm-up or anything like that. I have a few tournaments to go, I'll just put everything in it, then I can relax.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yeah. I mean, like I said, I've grown up a lot in these last couple of weeks, a lot more mature. That is just the start, knowing that I could take my confidence in these next few tournaments coming up.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No, no tension at all. No, I mean, I've worked out things with Pat. I've tried to work out things with John Newcombe, you know. Everything's fine. To be quite honest, today when you see those guys, Davis Cup captain, coach, sitting in his box, I think -- what's the right words?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. I would say I was extremely disappointed, you know. I expected a lot more. I should have known a lot better. I should have been neutral.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, I just -- that's got no affect on me and my tennis. I'm disappointed. I'm sure if you were in my position, you'd feel the same way.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Say hello, you know. He walked in, I saw him in the training room. Just smiled at each other, knowing we were going to go at it today. That's it.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Well, I could have, you know, made him hit a few more. But, you know, at some stage, I was returning well, and the guy was just -- you know, he hardly missed a volley. Like I said, he's the hottest player on the tour definitely at the moment.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I just think that I proved something to myself there, you know, that matured me, I grew up a lot during that match. Just knowing that I could fight and come back, you know, proving not only to myself, but others as well.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I mean, I don't want to speak about that anymore. I just pretty much said what I wanted to say, expressed my disappointment, and that's it. I prefer to just keep positive right now.