Mark Philippoussis was an Australian tennis legend in his heyday, but off the court the Davis Cup winner is a tender family man with a stunning model wife and two adorable kids.
WATCH The Masked Sinder Australia 2020: Mark Philippoussis is the Echidna on The Masked Singer
Mark met his Romanian-born wife Silvana Lovin through mutual friends in 2012, before tying the knot in a private ceremony in California in September the following year.
The couple welcomed their son Nicholas in February 2014 and daughter Maia in August 2018.
In a chat with Woman’s Day in 2016, Silvana said, “Number one, I want to instill strong family values. I tend to believe that a strong foundation can help you deal with whatever life has to throw at you.”
“As long as he [Nicholas] feels love, he’ll be able to open up and talk to me and Mark.”
Even in the moments before she was due to give birth to Maia, the 37-year-old was still being a hands-on mum with her firstborn.
The family-of-four lived in San Diego until March 2019 when they moved back to Melbourne and settled down.
“We’re absolutely loving being back home, and it’s always been on the cards to move back,” Mark told 7News at the time.
“Nicholas is ready for school now, so it was just good timing to move back here and plant some roots.
The 44-year-old also spoke candidly about the adorable bond Nicholas and Maia share.
“He smothers her in kisses and hugs, sometimes I think a little too much,” Mark said.
“She’s got quite a strong personality already, and they have a very special relationship.”
The Davis Cup winner gushed over his family on the tennis.com podcast in September 2018, saying his kids are his priority.
“My wife and my kids, that is my number one, my number one passion, my number one motivation, my number one drive, that is everything,” he said.
“I want to see my kids grow up next to their family, next to their cousins, their aunties and uncles.”
In 2021, Mark and Silvana celebrated their seven-year wedding anniversary, with the former model taking to social media to pay tribute to her husband.
“Thank you for being the incredible beautiful person you are, for motivating me to grow and better myself everyday in every way, the amazing loving mother to our two beautiful children Nicholas and Maia,” Silavana wrote on Instagram.
Before meeting Silvana, Mark dated Delta Goodrem, model Alexis Barbara and actress Jennifer Esposito, and even had a rumoured romance with Tara Reid.
“I’m glad I did that and got it out of my system. That was my stage. It was my way of living and learning and growing,” told Sydney Confidential in 2015 of his previous relationships.
Mark shocked audiences with his surprisingly good voice when he appeared on the 2020 season of The Masked Singer.
He heaped praise on Silvana for supporting him during his time on the celebrity singing show.
“Of course my wife being the amazing supportive partner that she is was very proud of me. She was the only one who knew that I was doing this show,” he said.
“We sat and watched it as a family with my kids and they were glued to the TV. They loved it and just at the end of the show, my son looked at me and had this big smile on his face.
“The most beautiful thing my wife told me this morning was when he went to sleep he goes: ‘I’ve got the coolest dad in the world!’
“I’ve never heard anything more beautiful. It brought a tear to my eye. Just for that reason alone it was worth it.”
The tennis legend will appear on the upcoming season of SAS Australia, alongside 17 other Aussie celebrities.
In a teaser for the military-style training show, Mark revealed he struggled to find a purpose after retiring from professional tennis.
The father-of-two said he will push past the pain and challenges so he can be “stronger and more complete” for his family.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve dreamt of something I wanted to do, or become. I’ve stopped dreaming,” he said in the promo video.
“I want to show my son as long as you keep going, as long as you keep believing, as long as you do not quit, you can achieve anything that you dream of.”
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