More than two decades have passed since Mark Philippoussis appeared in the Wimbledon final.
Back in 2003, Philippoussis faced a fresh-faced, pony-tailed Roger Federer in the showpiece event at the All England Club.
Few could predict what would go on to happen for Federer, that being the first of his 20 Grand Slam victories.
Australian Philippoussis, on the other hand, reached two Grand Slam finals in his career and lost both.
It was a miracle the Australian was even able to get to the final at Wimbledon 21 years ago after battling back from three knee surgeries.
His run to the showpiece event in 2003 included an epic five-set victory over Andre Agassi.
“Walking into that match, I felt like I was the favourite,” he later said. “We were playing on grass. I don’t care who the person is or what he’s ranked. A couple months earlier I’d actually beaten him in Hamburg where he was defending champion on clay.
“I felt confident. I was living my dream. I’m not going to lie, it hurt. I got to the final. No one remembers the runners-up. Of course you don’t want to go all that way and lose. It was my second Grand Slam final loss and it hurt, especially this one.
“This one really, really hurt. I came back from some surgeries, they said my tennis career was over. I worked very hard. It was a beautiful two weeks, but I fell short.”
That first Grand Slam final defeat came against fellow Australian Pat Rafter in the 1998 US Open final.
He officially retired from the sport in 2015 and is still active in the game. He most recently shared pictures on his Instagram account, with one snap in particular making him look pretty unrecognisable.
In 2007, he bizarrely starred as the bachelor in the Australian reality series ‘Age of Love’, where women in their 20s and 40s competed for his affection.
Philippoussis also appeared in The Masked Singer Australia in 2020.
The 47-year-old was most recently coaching Stefanos Tsitsipas before their split earlier in 2023.
“Thank for the opportunity of being a part of your team,” he posted on Instagram alongside a picture of the two of them.
“It was a great ride and experience, I’m proud of what we achieved together in the short amount of time we had. I wish you health, happiness and success for your future, on and off the court!”
Last year, he was also fined $10,000 by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for breaching betting sponsorship rules.
He was also given a suspended four month ban “after receiving payment for providing a voiceover to promotional content for a gaming operator”.
Philippoussis did not contest the charges and fully cooperated with the investigation.