July 5, 200818 yr Tennis ace Philippoussis swept out to sea in five-hour surf ordeal By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 12:21 PM on 05th July 2008 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Australian Mark Philippoussis did not appear at Wimbledon this year - an absence that nearly cost him his life. The tennis ace was lucky to escape after becoming swamped in heavy seas while surfing off the coast of Victoria. Fortunately for the 2003 Wimbledon finalist, he was able to swim to a cave where he waited for rescue. Wipe-out: Mark Philippoussis waiting for a wave. He was swamped at Bells Beach, Victoria Philippoussis, 31, was enjoying the sea near Bells Beach, a favourite destination for surfers. Despite warnings from friends that the seas were too big to surf, Philippoussis was caught in a strong current and apparently panicked. His board was broken in two and he was swept out to sea on Thursday but found safety in a cave. Photographer Steve Ryan, who saw Philippoussis paddling out into the surf while taking pictures of another surfer, said: 'He headed out into the surf and there was a big set coming. 'Then he went under. Ordeal: The tennis star's board was snapped in two as he was pounded by waves 'He hit the first wave really hard and then on the second one you could see his legs hanging out and then he drifted down. 'I looked around, but he was right down the bottom. 'He was nowhere to be seen.' Mr Ryan said he found Philippoussis's girlfriend, model Siobhan Parekh, and drove her along the coast in search of the missing tennis star. The former US Open finalist eventually surfaced on the sand some five hours later, having escaped with cuts and bruises, and a fellow surfer helped him to safety. Philippoussis was born in Melbourne and turned professional in 1994. Philippoussis with girlfriend Siobhan Parekh, who was driven along the coast in search of the missing tennis star The 6ft 5in player entered the top 10 for the first time in 1999 and stayed there for 10 weeks. He became known as the Scud for his hard-hitting style. He advanced to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1999 for the second straight year, where he retired in the second set against Pete Sampras, then world No1, having won the first. After taking up surfing as his hobby he lost the 2003 Wimbledon final to Roger Federer. He was back at Wimbledon in 2006, where he was defeated in the 2nd round.
July 5, 200818 yr I do have one issue with that article, and that is they called him a tennis ace. He had one good/lucky patch that was it basically. :\
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