1 Response to basel97rusedski_philippoussis

1. Voo de Mar says:

   October 26, 2025 at 1:14 pm

   Points won by each set: | 28-14, 38-40, 45-36 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   45 % Rusedski – 45 of 99
   38 % Philippoussis – 39 of 102

   At the beginning of the 90s, the top servers were able to deliver serves ~200 kph a few times during their matches, in the second half of the decade Rusedski and Philippoussis took serving speed to another level, and in their matches occasionally serves ~220 kph were witnessed. Until Roddick’s emergence at the beginning of the new millennium, for eight years no-one could serve as fast as Rusedski [10] and Philippoussis [21]; establishing a new record it was a matter only between these two players, Rusedski set an impossible bar for Philippoussis, firing a serve 239 kph in California ’98. # Therefore no-one could be surprised that when they faced each other the first two times, only two breaks were manufactured within six sets, however, a bit surprising was the fact, Rusedski won all those sets. He was really lucky at Wimbledon because in the second tie-break he trailed 2:6. In the Davidoff Swiss Indoor final, on a carpet slightly slower than grass at Wimbledon, he broke at ‘love’ leading 2:1. In the 2nd set tie-break he took advantage of Philippoussis’ volley error at 6-all. In the second tie-break the crucial moment came at 1-all when Rusedski got a mini-break with a backhand passing-shot winner DTL. On his first match point there was one of a few baseline rallies, and the Australian committed an error…. Rusedski made an enormous ranking progress at the age of 24, within twelve months, playing basically the same tennis what before, he moved from no. 84 to 4! Tony Pickard, the long-time coach of Edberg, was the father of Rusedski’s success, tactically adjusting him to his limited abilities. One week after raising the Basel trophy, the Brit almost won another indoor final in a duel of two big servers in Vienna with the same ‘6-3, 7-6, 7-6’ score, yet ultimately lost in five sets to his toughest opponent.

   Rusedski’s route to his 5th title:
   1 David Prinosil 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 ☆
   2 Wayne Ferreira 6-3, 7-6(2)
   Q Thomas Enqvist 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3
   S Petr Korda 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5
   W Mark Philippoussis 6-3, 7-6(6), 7-6(3)

   ☆ Rusedski saved a mini-match point at 4-all in 3rd vs Prinosil; he saved break points in two different games against Korda in 3rd (1-all and 2-all)
   – in both matches the Brit was serving first in the deciding sets

   # Comparison of their first two copy-cat matches:
   Wimbledon ’97 (1R): Rusedski d. Philippoussis 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 6-3… 1 hour 53 minutes… Total points: 118-100… Breaks: 1-0… Unreturned serves: 53%-44%
   Basel ’97 (Final): Rusedski d. Philippoussis 6-3, 7-6(6), 7-6(3)… 1 hour 50 minutes… Total points: 111-90… Breaks: 1-0… Unreturned serves: 45%-38%

   3-3 in their H2H in the end

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