Mark Philippoussis was one of the biggest names on the world’s men’s tennis circuit in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Melbourne-born tennis prodigy won 11 titles during his career and rose to number eight in the tennis world ranks.
His good looks also ensured he was a hit with the ladies, and he had a string of high-profile relationships, including with fellow Aussie singer/actress Delta Goodrem, and two broken engagements before finding love with wife of 11 years, Silvana Lovin.
READ MORE: Eva Longoria had two broken marriages before finding love
Philippoussis was born in Melbourne on November 7, 1976, to a Greek father, Nikolaos (Nick), and Italian mother, Rossana. He has an older sister, Maria.
His father bought him his first tennis racquet when he was six, reportedly after he showed interest while watching a local tennis match, and began to coach him.
He turned pro in 1994, and his blistering serve, once clocked at 229km/h, soon saw him earn the nickname ‘Scud’ after the Soviet Union’s Scud missile.
As his star rose professionally, interest in the handsome 196cm tall Aussie also grew.
One of his first high-profile romances was believed to be with Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova.
READ MORE: How Robbie Williams found lasting love with wife Ayda Field
The two reportedly started spending time together in 1999 when she was just 18, after meeting on the tennis tournament.
In the early 2000s, he was linked with then It-girl US actress and model Tara Reid of American Pie fame.
Delta Goodrem
Philippoussis began dating Delta Goodrem in early 2004 after the two reportedly met at a charity event.
At the time, the Aussie singer, then just 19, was undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer, after being diagnosed the previous July when she was 18.
During their romance, Goodrem, sporting short hair after undergoing chemotherapy, took Philippoussis to the Logie Awards at Melbourne’s Crown Casino in April 2004.
She even wrote the song Out Of The Blue about the tennis star. “Out of the blue there I met you when I thought it could be my last,” she sang.
In June, Goodrem travelled to England to support Philippoussis at Wimbledon, where she was pictured in the stands beside his father during a match.
By October, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Goodrem was devastated after learning in the media that Philippoussis had started seeing Paris Hilton.
The affair came to light after Hilton apparently boasted about her “new man.”
The Sunday Telegraph reported Hilton and her sister Nicky were acting as personal shopping guides for two competition winners from Melbourne when she showed off a photo on her phone of the tennis star topless on a beach.
She reportedly said, “I’ve got a new man and I’m head over heels in love. I adore him, he’s so hot. His name is Mark Philippoussis.”
When told he was dating singer Delta Goodrem, she reportedly said: “Not any more. That is completely over,” before claiming the two had broken up because he was bored.
Philippoussis later went on 2GB radio’s Alan Jones show to refute the claims.
“Delta and I had something special and unfortunately it didn’t work out and now it’s just making everything feel like it’s all rubbish, and it’s tough,” he said.
“We realised things were tough. We’re both young, she’s just starting her career.
“She’s going to get bigger and bigger and I need to get my career back on track and it’s a decision we both came up with.”
However, Goodrem told 60 Minutes the following year the two were still dating when she read about Hilton in newspaper reports and that she broke up with him as a result.
“It did break my heart, of course it did.”
Serena Williams attends niece’s wedding with lookalike daughter
Alexis Barbara
The tryst with Hilton did not last long and by October 2004, Philippoussis was seeing Alexis Barbara, then just 17.
Barbara, who was then a model and actress, was the daughter of a Miami, Florida-based property tycoon.
She put her career on hold to support Philippoussis on the tennis circuit, even travelling to Australia at the start of 2005 to support him when he played in the Hopman Cup and the Australian Open.
Despite a nine-year age gap, Philippoussis popped the question in March 2005 when Barbara was just 18.
The Sun-Herald reported in December 2006 that the two had split several months earlier.
“I broke up with Alexis after the US Open,” Philippoussis said of the tennis tournament held over August and September every year.
“She’s concentrating on her modelling and stuff, and I’m concentrating on my tennis.”
Shannon Elizabeth
Philippoussis was next linked to another American Pie actress, Shannon Elizabeth.
At the time they met, she had also starred in Scary Movie and had a small but pivotal role as Harriet in Love Actually.
The two reportedly met at the Aussie Millions Poker Championships Celebrity Challenge at Melbourne’s Crown Casino in January 2007 in Melbourne, Australia.
Age Of Love
Philippoussis, then 31, was chosen to star in a US reality TV show, Age Of Love.
The Bachelor-style show saw the tennis star date 13 women ranging in age from 21-48.
Contestants were split into two groups; the ‘kittens’ who were in their 20s, and the ‘cougars’ who were in their late 30s and 40s.
‘Kitten’ Amanda Salinas was the eventual winner of the competition.
Salinas told Sydney Confidential in 2009 they dated for five months after filming ended before splitting.
The most memorable sports star weddings of all time
Jennifer Esposito
Philippoussis met actress Jennifer Esposito, who was three years his senior, in 2009.
The former wife of actor Bradley Cooper had appeared on the TV series Spin City and films such as I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and Crash.
The two reportedly became engaged just three months after meeting, with Woman’s Day reporting in December 2009 that plans were underway for the wedding to take place in the Hamptons.
However, the wedding never went ahead and the two had quietly split by the middle of the next year.
Silvana Lovin
Lasting love was finally around the corner for Philippoussis, who reportedly met model and actress Silvana Lovin in 2012.
Lovin was born in Romania but grew up in Melbourne. According to her IMDb bio, her modelling career was launched at the 1999 Melbourne Fashion Festival.
The two, who were reportedly introduced by mutual friends, married in 2013.
They went on to have two children; son Nicholas was born in 2014 and daughter Maia arrived in 2018.
After starting their married life in San Diego in southern California, they moved to Australia in 2019 and later set up home in Victoria’s Surf Coast Shire.
Last year he told Stellar magazine their marriage works because they “share the same values and are on the same page.”
The pair launched their own clothing brand last year. As We Create is described as a “consciously created, ethically made luxury basics brand” based in Melbourne.
She has helped him through tough times, including allegations his father sexually assaulted children he had coached in San Diego, before his death in 2022.
Philippoussis made $10 million in prize money alone, despite never winning a grand slam event.
