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Unlikely scene Philippoussis, Newcombe put past behind them
Posted: Monday December 06, 1999 11:34 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- It was an image Australian tennis fans never expected to see: Mark Philippoussis and John Newcombe locked in a joyous bear hug after beating France in the final of the Davis Cup. For much of the past two years it seemed the pair would try tear each other's throats out if they ever got that close. Philippoussis' main gripe was that Newcombe and Roche did not support him emotionally while his father successfully fought off cancer in 1997. Hurting from the perceived snub, Philippoussis made himself unavailable for Davis Cup in 1998 and the team suffered an embarrasing first round loss to Zimbabwe as he watched from the stands. There were harsh words from his teammates and the man nicknamed "the Scud," because of his thunderous serving, also dropped a long way short in the estimation of many Australian fans, who rate Davis Cup as the pinnacle of the sport. He was upset once more in late 1998 when he played Patrick Rafter in the U.S. Open final and Newcombe and Roche sat in Rafter's camp. Philippoussis' coach Pat Cash, a former Wimbledon champion, further stirred the issue in January this year when he said the player "despises" Newcombe. Philippoussis said he would never play Davis Cup again until he received an apology. The apology never came and most fans backed Newcombe. Philippoussis was hammered for a lack of maturity and compared unfavorably to Rafter, a perpetually well mannered youngster who launched his own children's charity. Newcombe and Roche used all their diplomatic skills to talk their black sheep back into the flock and they were rewarded when he led the victory in Nice as Rafter stood idle with injury. Now, just five winning Davis Cup ties after Mildura, against Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe, the United States, Russia and France, the team is united and Philippoussis has been embraced by his nation. "Vive Le Scud" was the front page headline in Sydney's Daily Telegraph on Monday morning. It was Australia's 27th Davis Cup victory and its first since 1986. Significantly it was Australia's first final victory in Europe, on a clay court which French coach Guy Forget thought would blunt Philippoussis' service game. "Amid the pressure of filling Rafter's shoes, Philippoussis shouldered his responsibilities with revealing maturity to give Australia one of its greatest Cup triumphs," the paper wrote. Newcombe, who had questioned Philippoussis' application in the past, also thought it was a mentally strong performance to beat Sebastien Grosjean on day one and then Cedric Pioline in front of a hostile crowd. "That was the best match Mark has played with his head in his life," said Newcombe after the decisive Pioline match Sunday. "He didn't have highs and lows, just highs." Philippoussis is hoping the win will give his career another push. He was in brilliant form at Wimbledon this year but had to withdraw with an injury that also kept him out of Australia's Davis Cup quarterfinal and semifinal victories. "This is the best moment of my life," he said. "I concentrated really well. I can honestly say that I heard no noise from the crowd, just the ball hitting the line, the line calls and my heart beating."
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