Philippoussis enters Australian Open playoff

SYDNEY: Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis has entered the Australian Open playoff, in another step to re-launch his stalled career, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Philippoussis, 31, will most likely use his protected global ranking of 119 to ensure direct acceptance into the playoff, which will run Dec 15-21 at the Melbourne Park.

Australian players ranked in the world's top 250 will receive direct entry into the play-off, the remaining positions to be filled with wildcards.

The wildcard selection will focus on Australia's up-and-coming younger players with a field of 16 to contest both the men's and women's playoffs.

The winners of the men's and women's wildcard tournament go into the main draw. Players must enter and compete in the playoff to be eligible for wildcards into the Australian Open and Australian Open Series tournaments.