The Rafa blog

For years tennis player Mark Philippoussis enjoyed the playboy lifestyle of a top level sports star, from owning a fleet of fast cars and properties strewn around the world, to dating a string of beauties, including Paris Hilton and Anna Kournikova.

But now, after battling a recurring knee injury, the Australian – who has been Wimbledon and US Open runner up - is facing another painful battle: a million-dollar law suit, the possibility he may lose his home and a depressed mental state he describes as “dark” at best.

The 32-year-old has revealed he is badly in debt and looks set to lose the home he shares in south-west Melbourne, Victoria, with his mother Rossana because he has not made mortgage repayments.

In an emotional and revealing interview with Melbourne’s Sunday Herald Sun newspaper, Philippoussis, nicknamed “The Scud” described the life he enjoyed at the top of international tennis after he burst onto the professional circuit in 1993.

“Money came in left, right and centre; you just thought that’s how it was for everyone and that’s how it will always be,'' Philippoussis told the newspaper. “If I only knew a tenth of what I know now. It’s like that (US television) show Entourage – I did all that and more.”

Philippoussis said he has lost most of his $AU8 million (£4 million) earnings – from sponsorships and tournament prize money - and is being sued $1.3 million (£700,000) by a finance company for failing to pay the mortgage on his re-financed home in Melbourne.

The one-time Davis Cup player, who was once ranked eighth in the world, said he had been unable to play for three years after several operations on his knee, which ended his ATP Tour playing career.

“I bought this house when I was 18, primarily for my mum. But I’m now paying three-and-a-half times as much as I’d be paying on a normal home loan,” he said.

“Things are tough. Financially tough, but more importantly than that, it’s been the mental side. I wouldn’t say I’m battling depression, but have I been depressed a lot in the past two years? And freaked out about a lot of things? The answer is yes.

“I haven’t played tennis since 2006, and tennis is one of those sports where if you don’t play, you don’t get paid.”

Philippoussis has always been known for his love of fast and women. His garage has housed everything from a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Hummer and a Harley Davidson, and he has squired many a starlet and model around the world.

In 2007 he even starred in an American reality TV show Age of Love, where he was the celebrity bachelor who was matched up with women in their 20s and 40s.

But Philippoussis said despite his current predicament, he has vowed to fight his way out of debt. He said he was looking to play in tennis legends events with former stars like John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Pat Cash, his one-time coach.

“I’ve just got to take it on the chin and deal with it,” he said. “It’s the toughest time of my life right now, but it’s also the best time because I’ve woken up to so many things in my life.”