Mark Philippoussis will contest his first ATP event in more than four
years with a wildcard entry into qualifying for next week’s Indian Wells
Masters in California.
The 34-year-old former world No.8 and
two-time grand slam runner-up last played at ATP level at the 2006 US
Open, falling to David Nalbandian in the first round.
The
unranked Philippoussis has only been sighted on the secondary Challenger
circuit and veterans’ tour since undergoing a third round of serious
knee surgery after the 2006 Hopman Cup in Perth.
All up, he has had six knee operations.
Philippoussis
– who won the prestigious Indian Wells title in 1999 – has earned
almost $7million in career prize money but was reportedly served with a
bankruptcy notice last November after allegedly defaulting on the
mortgage of his three-level Melbourne home.
The dual Davis Cup
champion and Wimbledon and US Open finalist won the Champions Tour event
at Delray Beach last week with a comprehensive straight-sets defeat of
Aaron Krickstein.
But winning three ATP-level matches next week to qualify for the $US4.76 Masters Series event would be a major achievement.
Australian
teenager Bernard Tomic, meanwhile, has been granted a wildcard into the
main draw in Indian Wells after rising to a career-high No.185 in the
world following his run to the Australian Open third round in January.
