The Mark Philippoussis Fansite

The Citadel Group Championships at The Palisades has just got a little more interesting with the news of mixed doubles matches added to the schedule. Anna Kournikova or Chanda Rubin will be paired up with Mark at some stage during the event too add some extra fun for the fans.

Lately we’ve had ZERO news on Mark. Which is rather puzzling because he’s finally living back in Australia and you’d think there would be more sightings or even gossip on his where-abouts. But no. Mark has conquered the art form of living inconspicuously.

But thankfully for us in a matter of weeks that wont be the case. Mark is set to return to tennis on the Outback Champions tour. So far here are the confirmed event’s Mark will be playing!!

• THE CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE PALISADES - September 24-28, 2008 Charlotte, NC
• STANFORD CHAMPIONSHIPS - October 22-26, 2008 Dallas, TX
• CANCER TREATMENT CENTERS OF AMERICA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SURPRISE - Nov 5-9, 2008 Surprise, AZ
• THE SCOTTISH MASTERS - March 2009 Scotland

Maybe I’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed today but reading this in today’s Australian papers has got me all shitty.

 HAS lurrve softened the Poo?
Once known for sporting a good serve of attitude and arrogance, former tennis champ Mark Philippoussis won over some fans who spotted him checking into a Darling Harbour hotel with his girlfriend Siobhan Parekh on Thursday.

Apparently looking “very happy together”, the loved-up pair apparently chatted to fans and stopped to pose for some snaps. Ace.

How DUMB are the media.. I mean, this is just pure crap. It’s obvious these so-called journalists have a slated opinion of Mark, but why are they allowed to play god and distort the publics perception. Ok this isn’t exactly a negative article.. it’s saying in a twisted way he’s now a nice guy because he’s happily in love.

So why am I shitty? Because Mark has always been a nice guy to fans. It’s a well known fact amongst the tennis community Mark is one of the most patient and giving when stopping for autographs and photos. After a practice session Mark would make an effort to sign as much things possible, sometimes even after losing a match he would stay on court to sign things.

It’s just disappointing to read crap like this… Mark has been good to his fans for years, never arrogant or given “attitude”.

It has been announced today Mark will play the Standford Championships in Dallas on October 22-26. It is another Outback Champion Series event.

Why am I not surprised? We all know how much Mark loves surfing so I guess it makes sense to get back out there after going through a bad experience. At least this time he’s with a friend, the surf doesn’t look so menacing and he’s obviously healthy and happy so all injury concerns are wiped away.

It will be nice to see a photo of Mark on a tennis court… considering he’s playing in September it won’t be too long a wait!

Here I was excited about Mark possibly playing in March next year… when another announcement today confirms Mark will play in The Palisades Outback Champions series event in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The tournament is held on September 24-28 and other confirmed players are Jim Courier, Todd Martin and Wayne Ferreira. Organisers have said Mark’s recent injuries from surfing shouldn’t disrupt his commitment.

After 6 months of nothing, finally we receive our first little bit of news about Mark returning to tennis… unfortunately there’s a glitch in the plans. No, not the fact he almost drowned this week - but the events major sponsor has pulled out so the tournament is in doubt.

March 2009, Mark has been confirmed to play a legends event in Scotland. The Scottish Masters tour which will boast other feature players, Tim Henman, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Goran Ivanisevic is looking to capitalise on the popularity of tennis in Scotland thanks to recent success of Andy Murray. Despite the big setback, tournmant directors are still hopeful the event can find a new sponsor in time.

It is still unclear what capacity Mark has decided to return tennis in… will he try to play on the main tour as-well as participate in the occasional seniors events… or has he decided to retire from the main tour and just play Senior and charity events? 

Photo: Mark before the accident

News is spreading fast of Mark’s dramatic ordeal at Bells Beach today. I suspect Mark might make a statement tomorrow… for now the Australian media are saying he cheated death.

Tennis ace cheats death in wild surf

Mark Philippoussis cheats death in wild surf (article and video)

Photo: Bells Beach this morning 

Today Mark was involved in a surfing accident, but fortunately is now safe and recovering from minor injuries. Mark returned to Bells Beach today, but shortly after entering the water suffered a bad wipe-out and ended up in a near by cave for 2 hours until rescued by a passing surfer. Mark’s surf board was snapped in half and received grazes and bruises to his feet and hip. 

Mark is now resting at his mothers house, Rosana confirmed Mark was injured but recovering well.

Mark has been spotted surfing at Bells Beach last weekend. As you can see by the photos in the gallery, Mark looks healthy and must be fully recovered from his knee surgery to tackle such big swell. Seeing these photos gives me mixed emotions. On one hand its wonderful to see Mark surfing and being active, but on the other hand it makes his silence on his future plans more frustrating.

All this waiting and hoping for an official statement about his tennis career could be building up to a major disappointment. I sincerely hope Mark lets his fans know what’s going on soon… if Mark was retiring I’m struggling to see why it’s taking so long to announce it. The delay makes me think he’s not retiring - but if that’s the case surely a return to the tennis scene, whether it be a seniors/challenger/exhibition event, should be planned?

Off topic - best wishes to Marat Safin at Wimbledon. Safin is my second favourite tennis player after Mark and it would be just as satisfying seeing Marat do well in a major as it would Mark.