Tsitsipas has built a real team around him and that includes Philippoussis. His primary coach is still his father Apostolos but Philippoussis has been watching every match from the stands closely.
After beating Khachanov in the semi-final and securing his maiden final in Melbourne Tsitsipas joked about Philippoussis.
He was asked what Mark brings to his game and Tsitsipas said:
“Serve and volley (the tactic), which I never use. It’s always there, somewhere, it’s there if I need it.”
The crowd erupted in laughter when he said it but then he turned serious and provided proper answer:
“The reason Mark is part of the team is that the dynamic has showed that it’s good. There hasn’t been any friction. It’s been going well. We get along well, all of us. We understand each other. There’s never misunderstandings or things that lead to conflict. I’m enjoying this. I’ve been enjoying this even in 2022. He makes for a good guy to have next to my father that can advise him, that can help him, can help me. Hopefully I can help him as well through experience, vice versa.”
Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated American Tommy Paul and Russia’s Karen Khachanov, respectively, to advance to the final. Both players are now competing for the new world No. 1 ranking.
There’s even more on the line for Djokovic. If he wins his 10th Australian Open, he will also secure his 22nd Grand Slam singles title, which would tie a record Rafael Nadal currently holds.
The results for the semifinal matchups for the Australian Open were as follows:
No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated No. 18 Karen Khachanov, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3
No. 4 Novak Djokovic defeated unseeded Tommy Paul, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
Tsitsipas Djokovic will face off in the Australian Open men’s singles final on Sunday. That match will take place at 3:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 29.
Djokovic is the heavy favorite to win the Australian Open but Tsitsipas has a great chance as he has beaten him before.
The winner of the Australian Open will collect $2.975 million AUD ($2.05 million USD).
/Australian Open All Orthodox Grand Slam Final: Tsitsipas vs Djokovic