"These guys are incredible athletes, but my god are they soft!" - Mark Philippoussis explains why current generation of tennis players are not as tough as his
Mark Philippoussis feels the current generation of tennis players are not as tough and competitive as players were during his days on tour. Philippoussis explained his point of view by suggesting that hitting the ball right at a player has become a much bigger deal than it used to be.
Philippoussis played much of his tennis in the late 1990s and early 2000s, during which he reached two Grand Slam singles finals, including the 1998 US Open final. The former Australian player praised the current generation of players for their athleticism, but called them "soft."
Speaking during an interview with Prakash Amritraj for Tennis Channel, Philippoussis said that he and other players during his time just apologized and moved on after hitting the ball at an opponent, joking that players these days have to send emails, messages, and Instagram posts to apologize for the same.
"These guys are talented and incredible athletes, but, my god, are they soft!" Philippoussis said. "When I had a short ball, I went right at the guy, always. You say sorry and you move on. Now it's like, you've got to send an email to apologize, and texts and Instagram posts. Go at him again, hit him again."
The 'hitting the ball at the opponent' matter became quite controversial earlier this year when Stefanos Tsitsipas, who Mark Philippoussis himself currently coaches, smashed the ball right at Nick Kyrgios during their high-tempered Wimbledon third-round clash. Kyrgios ducked out of the way but the ball went into the stands, where luckily it did not hit any spectators.
How Mark Philippoussis is helping Stefanos Tsitsipas as part of his coaching team
Mark Philippoussis, who is Australian but has Greek origins, has been helping Stefanos Tsitsipas for quite some time as they share a good rapport. However, he joined Tsitsipas' team full-time and became an integral part of his coaching set-up before the 2022 US Open. During the chat with Amritraj, Philippoussis explained that his focus is on helping Tsitsipas' net-game grow as he believes the Greek player is quite capable as a volleyer.
Philippoussis opined that while Tsitsipas is predominantly a baseline player, he likes to approach the net and hit volleys.
"He (Tsitsipas) stays at the back, but he likes to come forward. I believe that's something that can be worked on. No one was working on those volleys. I understand times have changed, I understand that conditions are slower, courts are heavier, balls are heavier. But it's still an important part of the game, coming in and finishing balls off at the net," Philippoussis said.
Mark Philippoussis reached a career-high ranking of No. 8 in singles in 1999 and also played the 2003 Wimbledon final, apart from the 1998 US Open final. He is famous for his massive serve and net-game.