Better then nothing..

We may get to see some photos of Mark taken from the tournament later on, but for now these are my crappy screen caps from the match.. I had issues with the live stream so unfortunately they're not that great.

It been a while since we've had decent photos of Mark... hopefully that'll change soon.

Dallas Report

Mark lost to 5th seed Michael Yani 6-4, 6-4. I got to watch the match and here is my full report on the match.

Positives:

1. He looked great. You can definitely see he's been training, because he's lost over 10 kilos.. you can see it in his figure and face. Speaking of the face... ladies the beard is gone and the long curls are back! It was a flash back to the early years seeing Mark dressed in Fila, with the bandana holding back the hair.

2. Glimpses of the past... Mark served 12 aces in 2 sets, it was great to see and even the commentators were happy to see the big booming serve back. On several occasions he serve/volleyed.. it was refreshing tactic and on other points we saw the big forehand unleash some impressive winners.

3. He was there... it's been so long since we've seen Mark on the professional tour and he's had to overcome some obstacles to get back out there.

Concerns:

1. Footwork. As healthy and lean Mark appears to be, the legs still don't look as strong and built up as they did in 2003. It may be due to a mixture of things... the match started at 10pm, and he didn't really appear to be giving it 100%. Mark may still be cautious pushing off in certain directions, but it was obvious to anyone watching his movement is only at about 65% of where it needs to be. Of all the things, his footwork is what concerns me the most. The players these days are both offensive and defensive... they can hit hard and run hard. Back when Mark was bursting on the scene it was different. You were either a big hitter or a great retriever. From what I saw today I don't feel Mark has done enough work to build up his legs and improve his court movement/agility. If he wants to seriously attempt more challengers I still think he needs at least a solid month off with a professional trainer working on his leg strength and foot speed.

2. Match Fitness. It's a hard one to achieve because you only get match fitness by playing lots of matches. But as I said in above point I don't think he's physically ready to be playing pro matches.

3. Why is he doing this? As wonderful as it was to see Mark back in his tennis clothes and playing... it wasn't the same Mark. We got to see glimpses of his natural ability, but overall he looked like a person who hasn't played much tennis and is still struggling severely with his movement. Which begs the question... at his age (33) and his injuries (6 knee operations) why is there still a feeling he needs to do this?

If I was family or a close friend I would be wholeheartedly encouraging Mark to peruse something new and move on to the next stage of his career. In a recent interview he mentions he's got a side project he's working on. In the past he's talked about fashion and starting his own label, also last year there was a mention he's designing sandals.. whatever it is I think he should be switching his focus.

Mark is at a great stage of his life. He's engaged to a fabulous woman, and no doubt if Mark and Jennifer make it down the isle this year babies will shortly follow. I don't think physically he can compete with the modern game. His body simply won't allow it. The only possible success on the main tour would be if he still trained hard but started to play doubles. It would be much more satisfying seeing Mark claim a Wimbledon doubles trophy, then struggle to win a singles Challenger event. Or simply just play on the Champions tour. I really would've liked to see some consistent and dominating results on the seniors tour before Mark decided to play a challenger.

Overall after today I am not convinced this is the best option for Mark to be pursuing. He's such a good looking and nice guy who should be utilising all his strengths and attributes to start a new career path. I know this sounds a little doom and gloom.. which is a little unfair because I am solely basing this on his performance today.. which was his 1st tour match in 3 years, late at night and against an unknown player. He can obviously improve greatly... but in the long term scheme of things I would still rather see him move on to peruse something new.

We will now brace for the negative press tomorrow... who won't take into account all the factors and just brand him dud scud. But Mark should be proud... he's worked hard to get back on a court in that shape, it's just a shame it's taken so long to achieve.

Watch the match LIVE!

Marks match will begin shortly.. the Dallas tournament have done an incredible job by making it have live broadcasting of scores and video.

For high speed connections you can watch the match here: http://frontrowtennis.com

For low speed, you can find a great live stream here: http://www.justin.tv/chrishello100

Good Luck Mark!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Wishes

Mark is set to play his 1st round match against the 5th seed Michael Yani tonight (after 7.30pm Dallas time)

Best of Luck Mark!

Another great interview

Mark has been interviewed by star-telegram:

The last time you were here, you were playing in the Champions Series event. At that time, you were trying to work your way back onto the Tour. Is that still the plan? Well, that would be the ultimate plan. I’m a long way away from that happening, but that’s what I’m working toward.

You’ve been competing in Masters events, and reports are that you’ve dropped some weight. Where do you think your game is at this point? Yes, I have been having a lot of fun in the Masters events. Training has been great and intense, and yes, I am a lot lighter now than when I used to play. I’m weighing 206 pounds compared to 214 pounds back in 2003, when I had one of my best years on the tour.

How are the knees holding up? How many knee surgeries has it been — five? Well, I’ve actually had six knee surgeries — three on each knee. They are feeling great. I have come a long way and my strength is building every day.

Have you watched much of the Australian Open? Who’s the man to beat? Yes, I have been watching a lot of tennis in the past couple of years and have been enjoying watching the Australian Open. Besides Federer I think [Andy] Murray is the one to beat. He’s my pick.

Did you give any thought about entering the wild-card tournament for the Aussie Open? No, I was nowhere near ready to think about anything like that.

What are your thoughts about the quality of tennis being played today both on the Challenger circuit and on the ATP Tour? The depth in men’s tennis is great. There are no easy matches out there on the tour or at the challenger level.

What do you have to do to compete against guys who are 10-12 years younger than you? It’s all physical for me. The hitting part was never the problem. I have to be as physically fit and strong as I am capable of being.

Taylor Dent has recently been making a comeback from a back injury. While your injuries are different, can you describe how tough it is to get back to that level? He has done a great job in coming back from his injury. He’s a great guy, so I’m happy to see him back. The toughest thing about coming back from injuries is the mental side — waking up and pushing yourself to keep fighting and staying positive.

Of course, since your reality series a few years ago, people are always interested in your love life. Anything to report on that front? Yes, I am very happily engaged to an amazing woman, Jennifer Esposito [an actress whose credits include roles on Rescue Me and Samantha Who?]

Do you have any other projects, outside of tennis, in the works? I do actually have one. I’m keeping it a secret for now but will let you know when it’s time.

Tough task ahead.. Dallas draw released!

Mark is making his return to tournaments this week in the Dallas Challenger, but it will be a tough task getting through each round, as he's been placed in a draw full of quality opponents.

His 1st round opponent is the 5th seed Michael Yani, if he gets through the early rounds he'll most likely face 3rd seed Robert Kendrick and Australia's no.3 player Cartsen Ball in the later stages.

Good Luck Mark... it's a pretty tough field, but regardless of result it's just great to see you back on a tennis court!

Sunday Article: Scud keen to apply himself

Doubles Duo: Pat and Mark, many, many years ago..

TENNIS great Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis had dinner in London late last year at which the Scud confessed to his former doubles partner that he wanted to clean up his act.

‘‘We had a good catch-up and he said he wants to pull his head in — he wants to really apply himself,’’ Rafter said at the Jacobs Creek tennis dinner during the week.

‘‘He’s back at square one and he’s got to work his way up and he’s got to convince people again to find trust in him. He’s got a lot to prove, there’s a lot of hard yakka to be done.’’

Philippoussis, 33, is attempting to make yet another comeback on the men’s tour.
He has become engaged again to American actor Jennifer Esposito, but since the October announcement the couple have not been seen publicly.

* I agree with Pat's comments here (shock!)... Mark has a lot of work to do not only to get back on tour but to re-build his image within Tennis Australia and worldwide. It almost seems mission impossible, but given the tough experiences he's been through over the years - I'm hoping he draws upon all the negatives and turns it in to a positive source of motivation. Afterall he's a true Scorpio male and it's not in his nature to back down when facing such adversity.