In a ‘brutal’ sport, an old hero is not surprised by Alcaraz’s US Open charge

A missile man of destructive reputation is sitting peacefully in a chair at 67 Pall Mall in Shaw Centre. He’s 1.96m, an altitudinous Australian whose serve famously left dents on court. Twice he beat Pete Sampras at Grand Slams, using this serve which bore a resemblance to a short-range ballistic weapon developed by the former Soviet Union. Mark Philippoussis will forever be known as “The Scud”.

A registered member of the ancient volleying brigade, Philippoussis arrived from an era where cool downs meant a dip in the sea in Melbourne. Now, in a more pampered ice-bath age, he’s witness to a side-to-side tennis which might lack variety but is, he insists, “such an incredible physical game”.