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Striking back Philippoussis sounds off at critics
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Mark Philippoussis has hit back at his teammates and critics who condemned him for withdrawing from last month's Davis Cup semifinal against Brazil. Philippoussis cited a long Wimbledon campaign and a knee injury for pulling out of the Australian team the weekend before the Aussies swept Brazil 5-0 in Brisbane. "I must concede that even I was surprised by the lack of support I received from some of my teammates, captain, national association as a result of my being unable to participate in Brisbane," he said in the statement released Friday. "My withdrawal was out of concern for my health ... it is worth noting that after my participation in the first Davis Cup match of this year in Switzerland, I was forced to withdraw from two important ATP tour events shortly thereafter due to precisely the same concern." The 23-year-old Philippoussis, nicknamed the "Scud" for his booming serve, said he hoped that by releasing the statement, the split in the Australian Davis Cup ranks "can be put behind us once and for all." A blast from former World No. 1 Pat Rafter ignited the rift. After losing the Wimbledon final to Pete Sampras, Rafter said he wanted Philippoussis to "stop jerking us around" and either commit or withdraw from future Davis Cup matches. The pair were supposed to meet to patch up their differences in the week after last month's semifinal but the meeting has not occurred. Sandon Stolle was a late inclusion in the Australian lineup and partnered Mark Woodforde to a win in the doubles, which gave the defending champions an unbeatable 3-0 in the semifinal. Australian captain John Newcombe plus singles players Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt have indicated they want to retain the same lineup for Dec. 8-10 final against Spain in Barcelona. Philippoussis said he respected that decision and wished the team luck, saying he would focus on his U.S. Open preparations and fine-tuning to represent Australia at the Sept. 15-Oct. 1 Sydney 2000 Olympics. His manager, John McCurdy, said Philippoussis was not prepared to comment about a Davis Cup recall if a member of the Australian team becomes injured o unavailable for the decider. The 1998 U.S. Open finalist lifted Australia to its 27th Davis Cup title last year with two critical singles victories in the 3-2 win against France in Nice. He returned for the opening match of the defense against Switzerland in February, winning the deciding fifth match to break a 2-2 deadlock and ensure Australia advanced to the quarterfinal against Germany. Philippoussis, who was lauded for his input in France, which he rated as the greatest moment in his tennis career, has also been criticized for pulling out of previous Davis Cup matches.
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