Not everything is rosy in the world of sports. Not much less. Let them tell Simone Biles, the best gymnast in the world, who has mental health problems. Or some footballers who have had to retire early and then have sought their lives. Or other athletes who retire and end up in poverty … This is precisely the case of Mark Philippoussis, who wanted to tell his story in the first person to raise awareness among the general public.
The former Australian tennis player has given an in-depth interview on a television program in his country and has spoken with hair and signs of the hardest and most difficult stage of his life. It should be remembered that Philippoussis came to be number 8 in the world. But when he was better, he began to injure himself over and over again. He chained some ailments with others and was not able to regain his level, so his income began to decrease until he was left with nothing.
Heartbreaking testimony
«My family is my world, it is my priority, my everything. I had the dream of becoming a professional tennis player and my family put everything on the line. My father had a good job in a banking business and he quit because he said he wanted to help me fulfill my dreams, so he gave up his dreams and I worked very hard to fulfill mine. When you’re an athlete, the last thing you want to think about is what they always tell you: ‘Save up for a rainy day.’ You feel like you are weak when you get injured and you have something to back up. You can’t think that way because you have to move on, you have to recover and be fine. I was away for a few months. I couldn’t afford much I had to ask my friends to buy food », explained.
In 2009 he hit rock bottom after his sixth knee operation, very difficult times for him and his family: «We ate cabbage paste all seven days of the week, until it ended up being one of my favorite foods. My mother said it was ‘poor man’s food’ because it is so simple. I felt very ashamed because they gave me their dream and my responsibility was to take care of them. I was in a dark place and I had depression. There is no greater pain than seeing my loved ones suffer for my actions.
And although he had very bad luck with injuries, Philippoussis tries to raise awareness by admitting poor management of his wealth when he was in the elite of world tennis, spending money on luxury cars, motorcycles and all kinds of luxuries of this style.
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