Melbourne - For struggling Mark Philippoussis, the nightmare of another knee injury could prevent him from fulfilling his long-odds dream of a return to the top levels of tennis.

But as he dips his toes back into the sport with a January appearance at the Legends doubles event at the Australian Open after last playing on the ATP in November,
2006, the 32-year-old admits that he's looking forward to trying to achieve the near-impossible.

"It would be nice to play a match in Melbourne - it's been a long time," the hometown boy who twice lost Grand Slam finals told Australian media. "It's not the match I wanted, but it's a way for me to get back into the game."

"It's just a slow start to the road ahead. It's gonna be fun - but I've got a long way to go. This is a great way for me to see how the body is feeling and take it from there."

The veteran of half a dozen knee surgeries says he does not want to ever add to that total.

"Obviously, I don't want to be 34 and 36 and have another surgery, I've got to be realistic. If I come back too soon and hurt myself it might end up being another surgery. And I don't want that." (dpa)