From the mid-’90s to early 2000s, Mark Philippoussis was a tennis legend.
Dubbed “the Scud”, Mark tore through his opponents on the court and rose through the ranks as fast as one of his deadly serves, reaching world No. 8 in the rankings and winning the Davis Cup twice.
But as much as he thrived on the court, his love-life and flashy lifestyle – he once admitted to buying a new car every month – appeared to take priority, leading many to believe his true potential was never reached.
However, talking to Woman’s Day, the SAS Australia star, now 44, says he holds no regrets.
“Look, I was a kid. I worked very hard, it was my money and I spent my money,” Mark tells.
From the mid-’90s to early 2000s, Mark Philippoussis was a tennis legend.
(Channel Seven)“There’s nothing I regret at all. Looking back now, the perfect way to learn is through action, and I learned a lot.
“It was a huge growing time for me, my focus was to get on the court and playing above anything else.
“But now, it’s showed me as much as it is important to focus on that stuff, you need to focus on other things and be more open, particularly now as I’m a father and a husband,” he says.
Mark now lives in the quaint coastal suburb of Jan Juc in regional Victoria, with his wife of eight years Silvana Lovin, 35, and their two children, Nicholas, seven, and three-year-old Maia.
And while he acknowledges his life looks very different to his days of playing tennis around the globe, he couldn’t be happier with his family taking up the spotlight.
“Of course my life looks different, it should look different,” Mark admits.
“A typical day for me now is just waking up and making sure the kids are up and ready, and the little guy is getting organised for school.
“My priority is just my family now and to be the best partner and father that I can… whatever time I have to myself, I spend it focusing on the things that I want to focus on.”
Having just launched his own luxury clothing line, As We Create, Mark says he’s devoted the last 14 months to the brand and hopes to achieve big things with it.
However, seeing his kids succeed, particularly his son Nicholas, who’s picked up a penchant for sports just like his father, comes first.
“He plays basketball and soccer, I get him surfing three times a week – I only get him on the [tennis] courts once or twice a week, but it might change,” he says.
And if Nicholas decides to go professional like his dad, Mark promises, “I will help guide him as much as I possibly can.
“He does have that natural competitive side, so whatever he decides to do, I’ll be there for him in every way. I’d want to prepare him as much as possible.”
One way of preparing his son, he says, was watching him push himself to his absolute limits on SAS.
“I didn’t want to sit on the couch and watch the show with my son, knowing I could have pushed myself that little bit further.
“I just wanted to show him that I can do anything,” he says.
It’s clear that his son looks up to his champion father, too.
“He’s sits all quiet when he watches and then asks a lot of questions, and if I end up in a discussion with my wife he swooshes up, saying, ‘Daddy, shoosh, can you wait until the commercial break,'” he laughs.
“It’s so nice… he never got to see me play tennis. It’s important for him to watch this so he can understand the struggle.
“It’s about falling down but always getting back up and staying positive. That’s life.”
