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In Praise of Mark |
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It's not all judgment and criticism that's written about Mark in the newspapers. Occasionally there's articles that are in full praise of this true champion. Yes, they might be far and in between but they do exist. Here's just some snippets from those 'sometimes elusive' articles: "Contrary to the majority view, there are things about Mark Philippoussis that suggest that he is actually more a paragon than a prima donna. Okay, he doesn't touch our hearts as St Pat did...... Yet how many other tennis players can you name that are always courteous to umpires, never question line-calls or throw a racquet, never speak ill of fellow competitors or take an unsporting advantage?" - Alan Trengove "In his on-court behaviour, he conforms to the highest standards we seek in our players. What's more, he has charisma." - Pete Johnston, Manager of Men's Tennis in Tennis Australia "It's very important that people understand Mark Philippoussis is Australian. He and Rafter are totally different personalities. But that doesn't make Rafter a better person. And this is the thing: people don't know Rafter as they think they know him. They know him from the press, from TV, but they don't actually know him as a person. They don't know Philippoussis as a person. Anyone who knows Mark knows he's a very caring and generous guy; he cares about others and what others say about him. And maybe he's been hardly done by." - Peter McNamara, Mark's Coach "If he plays well, he can beat anyone. Everyone knows that." - Peter McNamara "Players like Philippoussis are very hard to come by, and he adds to the strength of Australian tennis.I would think that, being out for so long, he has changed - that he's not interested in all the fringe activities. I haven't given up on the kid and never would." - Neale Fraser
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