Mark Philippoussis's summer campaign - and possibly his tumultuous career - is over after the injury-plagued star withdrew from the Australian Open wildcard playoff to undergo yet another round of knee surgery.

Philippoussis was due to take on fellow Victorian Rameez Junaid in the playoff quarter-finals on Wednesday but will immediately undergo the knife to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.

The 31-one-year-old said he'd been feeling a bit of pain during training in the lead-up to the playoff and damaged it further in his win over reigning Australian Open junior boys' champion, Brydan Klein, on Saturday night.

"I am bitterly disappointed because I really wanted to play in Australia this summer," Philippoussis said.

"They tell me it can be fixed. My initial reaction is I want to get the surgery done and then work on getting back on the court as soon as I can."

Philippoussis has already had three knee operations, his most recent in January sidelining the former world No.8 for the entire 2007 ATP season.

His latest setback will inevitably fuel talk that the two-time grand slam runner-up's career is finished.

Only on Tuesday, tennis great John Newcombe expressed fears that Philippoussis was literally on his last legs and that one more injury would probably end his stop-start career.

Despite Philippoussis's pre-injury optimism about making a successful return to the tour, Newcombe doubted whether the 31-year-old had a another comeback in his ageing body.

"I think I'm the same as everyone that says it would be lovely to see him do it but you've got to wonder ... there's been too many times that he's got injured," Newcombe told AAP before his opening round of the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic golf tournament.

"I don't know how much really hard physical training he's been doing because, with his knees, I like to look at his muscles above the knees (to gauge where he's at) ... and I worry about him.

"As far as I know, the ones that have survived - people with serious knee injuries - are the ones that have built their muscles up around the knees to support the knee.

"If you don't do that, your knee joints are not going to support it, especially when you're a big bloke like Mark.

"So I worry about him. If he hasn't been doing the physical work necessary on those leg muscles, I worry that he'll get another knee injury because he's such a big fella."

Newcombe, who hasn't always seen eye to eye with his erstwhile Davis Cup charge, said he felt for Philippoussis, who has fallen outside the world's top 1000 during his 11-month layoff.

"Obviously you like to see Mark get whatever breaks he can because he's been plagued with injury," Newcombe said.

"You know, it's terrible having that happen to your knees constantly. It must be shattering.

"He looked as if he was going alright, having beaten (top-30 player Dmitry) Tursunov in the match before his last injury.

"Then his knee goes and then he gets set back and he has to start all over again.

"It must be really hard for someone like Mark because Mark's never been someone who worked that hard and, when you get injuries, you've got to work harder than you ever have."

Klein has replaced Philippoussis in the playoff quarter-finals.

In Wednesday's other men's matches, Matt Ebden plays Joe Sirianni, Sam Groth - who beat Philippoussis on Sunday - takes on Nick Lindahl and Colin Ebelthite is up against Adam Feeney.

In the women's quarter-finals, Jelena Dokic continues her comeback against Olivia Rogowska, while Monique Adamczak plays Christina Wheeler, Sophie Ferguson meets Isabella Holland and Jessica Moore faces Alison Bai, who has replaced the injured Sally Peers.

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