Mark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian retired tennis player of Greek and Italian descent. He turned professional in 1994 and was born 7 November 1976.
The Philippoussis story.Used to a playboy lifestyle full of fast cars and wild purchases, Mark Philippoussis became ashamed when money troubles finally hit.
The story of Mark Philippoussis could perfectly serve as an example for many athletes about what can happen if they do not manage their resources well or do not have good advice behind them. The former Australian tennis player managed to become number 8 in the world after his family bet everything on him, something that he has openly recognized in recent hours, being the hero of reality from television in his native Australia, SAS Australia.
The drama that his life became
In it, the former professional tennis player has recognized how difficult that time was not only for him but also for his family. Severely affected by various injuries, he saw his income begin to decline until he was left with nothing, having to resort to the help of many friends to be able to eat.
“My family is my world, it is my priority, my everything. I had the dream of becoming a professional tennis player and my family put everything on the line. My father had a good job in the banking business and he quit because he said he wanted to help me fulfil my dreams, so he left his dreams and I worked very hard to fulfil mine, “he began by recounting
“When you’re an athlete, the last thing you want to think about is what they always tell you: ‘Save for a rainy day.’ You feel like you’re weak when you get injured and you have something to back up. You can’t think that way because you have to keep going, you have to recover and be fine, I was gone for a few months. I couldn’t afford much, I had to ask my friends to buy food“, he explained about the moment when he had to face his sixth knee surgery in 2009.
“We ate cabbage pasta seven days a week until it became one of my favourite foods. My mother said it was ‘poor man’s food’ because it is so simple. I felt very ashamed because they gave me their dream and my responsibility was to care for them. I was in a dark place and I had depression. There is no greater pain than seeing my loved ones suffer for my actions, “he added.
In his case, not only the injuries cause his financial ruin and that of his family, but also the mismanagement of his wealth when he was among the elite of world tennis: luxury cars, 15 motorcycles and all kinds of expenses that today continue to regret. In 2009, he had to go to court to avoid foreclosure on his family home due to late mortgage payments. “Paying bills and not having an income has been difficult for several years, but everyone has to go through it,” he said.
After being encouraged to rediscover his aggression on SAS and channel it into something meaningful, Philippoussis took action. As all the celebrity contestants were pitted against each other in boxing matches, the tennis star left musician Pete Murray a little worse for wear.
Mark Philippoussis Tennis
Stefanos Tsitsipas has parted ways with Mark Philippoussis and rehired his dad just two months after making a dramatic change to his coaching camp. Back in August, the world No five got rid of his father Apostolos and hired the Australian as his head coach. But he has already reversed his decision, claiming people have always tried to “destroy” what he had with his dad.
Tsitsipas announced yet another change to his team ahead of this week’s Shanghai Masters. The Greek star has rehired his dad as the head coach in his team and axed Philippoussis - the second time this year that he has tried and failed to make it work with the former world No 8.
It comes just two months after the two-time Grand Slam finalist announced that his dad would be stepping down from his team for the first time, though affirmed that he would still be supporting the camp from afar. Announcing the news, Tsitsipas told Tennis TV: “My dad has always been next to me.
“Even when he was not there, and people didn’t see him, he was always there by my side digitally.” And it seems Tsitsipas is now keen to keep Apostolos for the long term, ruling out the possibility of trying things with a new coach again.
“He’s here to stay,” he continued. “I have no intention of ever changing my dad or pushing him away. People are always going to try and create rumours or try and destroy what you have with someone that is really close to you in any way or form. He’s someone that cannot be excluded.”
As for Philippoussis, Tsitsipas explained that the retired Australian tennis star would not be a part of his team in any capacity as he struggled to get to grips with a new coaching style after his dad left the team. He added: “Mark Philippoussis is not part of the team anymore. I wanted to try with a coach, and I wanted to see how that might work.
