A Time to Rally

The tennis season begins with tournaments in New Zealand and Australia, whose sporting press is writing the competitive obituary for Mark Philippoussis [see also: Dating Unreality].

There is not one rule that fits all tennis dads, but they are generally known by their most extreme members, those most enmeshed in their child's career. Still, Nick Philippoussis probably stood out in giving his son all the tools but none of the heart of a champion, not least for hitting him over the head with a chair as a kid when he played poorly.

That said, they probably all started out much more loving:

** The lesson for fatherhood is that the ball has to go back and forth over the net between dad and son or daughter. **