The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Philippoussis proves to be a ‘thriller’ once again
John McEnroe may be “The Who” of tennis, as he noted on Wednesday, but Andy Roddick compared his fellow members of the 2016 PowerShares Series to the Jackson Five.
And it’s Mark Philippoussis who’s been playing the lead role, per Roddick.
“He’s Michael (Jackson),” Roddick quipped, “and the rest of us are Tito.”
Indeed, Philippoussis moonwalked all over Roddick and hometown favorite James Blake on Friday night at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, topping Roddick 6-4, then besting Blake (who had defeated McEnroe the night before) 6-2.
While he’s hardly the most decorated of player on a circuit that includes Roddick, McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier, he’s been the most dominant this year. The Australian native has won all five events he’s entered and sits atop the PowerShares Series rankings with 2000 points.
“Mark has been pretty tough on this tour,” Roddick noted. “He’s kind of got a good run of health and form.”
Neither Roddick nor Philippoussis were originally slated to play in the event. Roddick was invited after Agassi bowed out in July due to continued back problems, setting up a battle with his childhood friend Mardy Fish. However, Fish was forced to skip out a few weeks ago due to an injury of his own, and it didn’t take long for Philippoussis to accept tourney director Anne Worcester’s invitation to replace him.
“Three hours,” Worcester noted.
Added Philippoussis: “You never want to play an event because someone hurt themselves. It’s not a nice situation, of course. I’m incredibly thankful and excited to be here. I haven’t played here at this venue. But my first memory of New Haven, I actually had my very first top 100 win when I was 17 or 18 years old. I qualified and won my first round here years ago. So I’m just very excited to be back.”
Roddick was asked about his relationship/rivalry with Philippoussis over the years.
“I hate him. He’s the worst,” Roddick joked, prior to the match. “It’s a little different because we probably got to know each other a little bit later on in our professional careers. Mardy is different. He lived in my house in high school. We’ll always be friends, but we fight, too. Mark and I haven’t got to the part where we fight yet. Maybe tonight.”
In truth, these PowerShares events — sort of the tennis version of golf’s Champions Tour — are more a way for former heated rivals to still play in a competitive environment, yet also get to enjoy each other’s company more than when they competed on the ATP Tour.
“Mark put it pretty eloquently last week,” said Roddick. “He said this is a great opportunity for all of us post-career to kind of get to know each other a lot better without the stresses and obligations of the normal tour. On top of us still being able to come out here and play and compete and kind of have fun that way, it’s been a lot of fun to kind of get to know the guys that participate in the PowerShares Series.”
That was obvious as the two joked around a bit during Friday’s presser — Philippoussis noting that Roddick has gotten softer since becoming a dad, Roddick wondering why Blake, a Harvard product, gets so much love from people at Yale.
“I’m enjoying it so much,” Philippoussis said. “I’m so thankful for a tour like the PowerShares Series. Honestly, I fell in love with the game all over again. For me, missing out on years because of injuries, then playing being hurt ... getting on the court and playing a sport that I love, purely for the reason of loving it and playing it, with no other things involved, whether it’s the pressure or politics or commitment that comes with it, just getting on and enjoying yourself, playing with friends. As soon as it’s over, having a bite to eat together and a drink, not even thinking about it. It’s a beautiful thing.”