TMS - INDIAN WELLS

March 17, 2000

Mark Philippoussis

ATP: Questions for Mark.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's been warming up every match. It will get harder and harder.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's not the knee. After my second round match against Clavet, I did a lot of running. I just felt a muscle here behind the calf, on top of the calf area, sore. I tweaked it. It's just a precaution thing, getting taped.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Exactly. That's what I hope people are starting to understand. Obviously, my serve is part of my game, but it's not the only thing I have. I'm happy that I'm getting through these matches in straight sets without the big serve. When the serve is on, obviously I feel very dangerous. I've worked hard on my game to feel comfortable that even if my serve isn't there, you know, I can back myself up.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Last two matches have been a little bit of a breeze, so it's been kind of tricky on the ball toss. I mean, today was the first time I played during the day pretty much. Everything has been during the night. The balls are flying on me at the start. I had to change tension in the racquet. Just position the ball toss with the sun and everything. I'll just be relaxed tomorrow. I'll be looking forward to it, I'll be excited to play a good, tough match.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Fine. I mean, every tournament I play, there's always some sort of pain in my body, so it's just normal.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I have respect for Pete. You know, I have a lot of respect for Pete. But when I'm on the court, you know, obviously like anyone, I'm there to win and do what I can to win. I'm not thinking about, you know, what he's done in the past, how great of a career he's had. You know, he's another player ahead of me. I've got to try to get through that.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: That's true. We've never been on a full-time basis. I don't know - the thing about his concentrating a lot more on some over-35 tournaments.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's never been a full-time basis. You can put both our schedules together.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'm not sure.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't know what he said.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Like I said, it's his decision. Obviously, it's been good being part of the team. He's got to do what's happy for him.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I've been with Gavin Hopper four years now, full-time.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Yes.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: No. I'm just concentrating on this tournament, just to get through this, then there's another tournament after that. There's a lot of things ahead of me, before me, thinking about that.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I don't really want to talk about that. I'm just concentrating on the tournament at the moment. I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask any questions about that.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think I was a little overeager. Like I said, it was my first match during the day. I've been playing all my matches at night. The balls are getting a lot heavier. You can afford to hit them a lot more, have better control. But today the balls are flying. They're kicking up a lot more. I tried getting over the top. I was being a bit too eager. I tried staying back and chipping some. They kicked up on me. I lost control off the racquet head. Kind of tough just getting used to everything, the ball kicking.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's a big difference. It's a big difference. Like I said, the ball's kicking up a lot more during the day. The balls are flying. The air is thin. It's hot. You know, the ball's moving a lot quicker. It is a big difference. At night the balls are getting heavier; you can afford to hit it a lot more. You don't have to worry about the sun and the ball toss. Kind of pluses and negatives about it.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: In what way?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I just wish they didn't do anything to change the game of tennis, bring big balls, do anything to change the rules.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I just wish that they don't change the rules of tennis too much, mess with it too much bringing in bigger balls, which will damage players' arms, a lot of injuries will happen. Comparing the tennis today to tennis in the past, you had great players in the past, but you've got great players these days. There's tough matches out there. People are getting stronger, they're hitting the ball harder. There's great matches every day. I just wish that they'd leave that part of it alone.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Not of mine. Just, you know, they want some rallies and stuff. I just hope they don't mess with the game, that's all; just keep it the way it is.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: What they're doing now?

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I think it's a great idea. After the set, you get two minutes, so it's plenty of time to relax. It's good for TV. Instead of changing after a game, you don't need to. You're just playing a game. You can still have a drink, but you don't have to sit down. It's great for television to go all the way through. It's a good idea.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I just think I feel like I'm a lot more mature. I'm there mentally and physically for all my matches, I'm playing them tough. There's been a lot of matches in the past where I've handed my opponents the match by unforced errors, silly unforced errors, just not being there to tough out the match, to work for it. That's where it's all changed for me. I'm pleased that if I do lose the match, it's not because of me, it's because the other player's playing better than me, playing some good tennis on the day, he's too good. It's good. I'm just fighting a lot more. I'm just enjoying playing tennis at the moment.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I feel like I can do it. I have the ability. But, like I said, the thing is now I know mentally that I can do it inside of me. I'm tough enough to be there for two weeks. Just got to work hard and you need a bit of luck in Grand Slams sometimes.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: It's a little upsetting. It's a tough call, back on the baseline, for the umpire to see that, especially on such a big point. I lost it there with a double-fault. It just managed to calm down and finish out the set. I was happy.

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I just think in the past, like two years, '98 where I was very close to definitely having six months off, if not play again, I just lost the urge to fight, lost the love of playing tennis, the enjoyment. It happened to me twice. Things going on in my life which wasn't making it easy for me to play tennis. I think the most important thing is I'm just happy in my life at the moment, everything's great. But the big turnaround for me was the Davis Cup finals where I just concentrated superbly, just got through it. I think that started off my career, my tennis career. Ever since then, I feel like I'm a different person.