Mark Philippoussis is a man longing to win the Wimbledon title. The big-hitting Australian - nicknamed The Scud - shot down Sebastien Grosjean, Tim Henman's French conqueror, in straight sets yesterday to reach tomorrow's final. And two plasters, one strapped around his thumb and another around his index finger, revealed his intense determination to secure victory tomorrow. On them he had written the Greek words "pothia" and "andras" in black biro. The words translate into "longing" and "man" and revealed just how desperate he is to end two years of injury agony. The former world number eight, whose father is Greek, suffered a career-threatening knee injury in 2001 and was told by doctors he would never again play at the highest level. But since then he has defied the odds. During his post-match Press conference the 26-year-old refused to shed any light on the significance of the words, telling reporters that their meaning was a "secret". But Philippoussis, whose father beat cancer three years ago and is now at Wimbledon as his coach, said his Greek heritage was "very important" to him. "My Dad is Greek, my mum's Italian but speaks Greek. I was born in Australia and obviously I'm always going to play for Australia but the Greek heritage is very important for me because Greek was my first language growing up as a kid. "My family is my number one priority in my life, not tennis. So, you know, obviously, when everyone in your family is healthy that's the biggest blessing you could possibly have." Philippoussis will play Switzerland's Roger Federer, the number four seed, in the final after Federer cruised into his first Wimbledon final with an unexpectedly easy 7-6 6-3 6-3 win over Andy Roddick. "You don't often get a standing ovation after three sets," admitted Federer. "It means a lot to me. I looked in the crowd and I couldn't see any seats, there were just people, it was special. You work so hard and that is a great payback. "I hit some unbelievable shots today and it is nice to do it in such a big match. It was a great match and I feel quite good about myself." Not only a master of tennis then, but also a master of understatement too because everything Federer did against Roddick yesterday afternoon suggested at last the 21-year-old Swiss star is ready to fulfil the promise which has threatened to deliver Grand Slam success for a couple of years, only to fall frequently as the pressure increased. He knows what it takes to win at Wimbledon, having won the junior singles here in 1998. He knows how to take out the best, memorably ending Sampras' 31-match winning streak at the All England Club with a dramatic five-set fourth round victory on Centre Court in 2001. All the signs are that this is the year he can put both together and wrap his arms around his first Grand Slam title. There are those who insist he could take over from Sampras, his favourite player to watch incidentally, as the next dominant force in tennis. Former three-times champion Boris Becker described him as "the complete tennis player" and Roddick paid him the ultimate compliment. "I don't know if there's anybody out there more talented," he said. | 
