Scud agrees to play juniors
Scud agrees to play juniors 
By Leo Schlink
Former Australian Captain November 30, 2007
MARK Philippoussis has swallowed his pride, and took a significant step to revive his stalled career, by entering the Australian Open wildcard playoff.
His decision almost certainly will pave the way for Open organisers to award the US Open and Wimbledon finalist main draw berths at Melbourne Park and also at Memorial Drive next month for the Adelaide International.
Australian
Davis Cup coach Darren Cahill is understood to have persuaded 1115th-ranked Philippoussis to enter the December 15-21 wildcard contest at Melbourne Park.
Had Philippoussis declined to play the round-robin test, he would almost certainly have lost the small, lingering political lobby he retains at Rod Laver Arena.
Armed with a protected ranking of 119, Philippoussis remains outside the main draw inclusion threshold in both Adelaide and Melbourne. His protected ranking will last for eight tournaments over a six-month period.
The dual Davis Cup winner’s lack of matchplay is a key factor in his decision to tackle the playoff.
No matter how Philippoussis performs - save for form catastrophe or injury - he will be seriously considered for wildcard inclusion in the January 14-27 Open.
Australia has only three men with main draw playing rights - Lleyton Hewitt, Peter Luczak and Chris Guccione - leaving the door open for a proven crowd-puller such as Philippoussis. But, at 31, he is on his last chance.
He has played only four matches since January, for wins against Petr Korda and Todd Martin and losses to John McEnroe and Wayne Ferreira on the seniors circuit.
He will be in far less celebrated company in two weeks’ time when he jousts with journeymen and juniors - with as much to lose as gain.
Australian players ranked in the world’s top 250 will receive direct acceptance into the playoff and the remaining positions will be filled by wildcards.
The wildcard selection will focus on Australia’s emerging younger players - many of whom are drooling at the prospect of claiming Philippoussis’s scalp. The men’s and women’s playoffs will comprise 16 players each.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley praised Philippoussis’s move - which came after several days of prodding.
“Its great that Mark has decided to contest the playoff,” Tiley said.
“The playoff promises to be a great event with some potentially exciting match-ups as players vie for an Australian Open wildcard.”
The deadline for players to enter is 5pm today. Players must enter and compete in the playoff to be eligible for wildcards into the Australian Open and Australian Open Series tournaments.
