MARCOS BAGHDATIS
Profil na stronie ATP: http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/players/p … %2C+marcos
Przesympatyczny grajek, Jego temat zacznę od cytatu, bo Cypr nowego coacha zaapointował :D
Meanwhile, Mahut’s former coach, Olivier Soules, will now take care of former World No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. As a player, Frenchman Soules reached a career-high ranking of No. 143 in July 1992.
Having struggled with wrist and back injuries for much of this season, Baghdatis’ South African Airways ATP Ranking has slipped from No. 16 at the start of 2008 to No. 99. The top Cypriot will be looking to rebound with strong results under Soules in the new season.
A z Lundgrenem co ?
Do niedawna ósmy tenisista w rankingu ATP "Entry System" Marcos Baghdatis z Cypru rozpocznie nowy sezon u boku nowego trenera - Francuza Oliviera Soulesa, który do niedawna współpracował z francuskim zawodnikiem Nicolasem Mahutem
Jako tenisista Soules był sklasyfikowany najwyżej w rankingu ATP na 143. miejscu, w lipcu 1992 roku. Podstawowym celem jego pracy z Baghdatisem będzie wprowadzenie Cypryjczyka z powrotem do światowej czołówki, bowiem w wyniku kontuzji nadgarstka i pleców oraz kilkumiesięcznej przerwy w grze spadł w przeciągu roku z 16. na 99. miejsce.
Po ostatnim sezonie Soules i Mahut podjęli decyzję o rozstaniu, a już teraz 26-letni francuski tenisista ogłosił, że nowy sezon rozpocznie razem z Lionelem Zimblerem, byłym trenerem jego rodaka Fabrice'a Santoro.
sport.pl
Ja się cieszę przede wszystkim, że Marcos wraca, a czy ułoży mu się współpraca z trenerem, to wyjdzie podczas sezonu oczywiście. Ale strasznie mi go brakowało w tym roku. No i mam nadzieję, że w miarę szybko powróci do dawnej formy :]
http://www.atpworldtour.com/EN/MULTIMED … IDEOID=946
Marcos się zmienił !!!!
Szkoda troche te Jego dlugie piórka byly tak charakterystyczne jak gest z wyciągnietym językiem , krótsza fryzyura jest jednak praktyczniejsza , i oby zwiastowala że nadchodzi nowe , lepsze ... :)
Według wstępnych diagnoz Marcos będzie musiał pauzować 2 tygodnie po kontuzji, której nabawił się w holenderskim den Bosch.
Liczę na jego powrót do czołówki bo to gracz przesympatyczny i potafiący grać bajecznie, może oznaką lepszych czasów dla Baghdatisa będzie dzisiejszy wyrównany mecz z Nadalem??? Oby :)
http://www.baghdatis.com/articlecategories/view/18
Według oficjalnej strony internetowej (bardzo dobrze zrobiona zresztą) Marcos w tym tygodniu zagra w challengerze w Taszkiencie i będzie to Jego ostatni turniejowy występ w tym sezonie.
Marcos Baghdatis Triumfatorem Challengera w Taszkiencie.
R1: Marcos Baghdatis CYP [3] vs. Sergei Bubka UKR | 6-1 6-3
R2: Marcos Baghdatis CYP [3] vs. Evgeniy Kirillov RUS | 6-3 6-3
QF: Marcos Baghdatis CYP [3] vs. Andrey Kumantsov RUS 6-4 6-2
SF: Marcos Baghdatis CYP [3] vs. Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. UKR 7-6(3) 6-4
F: Marcos Baghdatis CYP [3] vs. Denis Istomin UZB [2] 6-3 1-6 6-3
Wspaniały tydzień Cypryjczyka. W rankingu Entry awansował aż o 21 pozycji. Obecnie jest 66.
DUN I LOVE napisał:
Wspaniały tydzień Cypryjczyka.
Spokojnie to tylko chalenger ;) a tak powaznie to przykozaczył Marcos , niby małe rzeczy ( wygrana i awans rankingowy ) a cieszą :D , aha i wbrew zapowiedzią cypryjczyk nie kończy jeszcze sezonu , w tygodniu zagra w Sztokholmie , a pózniej kto wie moze i na Bercy jakims sposobem się złapie ;)
Drugi turniej, drugie zwycięstwo pod rząd. Dobrą końcówkę sezonu notuje Bagieta. :D
#1 - Pekin 2006
1R D. Gremelmayr 46 61 76
2R Y.-T. Wang 76 64
QF D. Udomchoke 62 61
SF (6)P. Srichaphan 62 36 75
W (4)M. Ancic 64 60
#2 - Zagrzeb 2007
1R F. Serra 62 76
2R F. Dancevic 76 63
QF (8)A. Clement 62 67 76
SF (Q)A. Peya 64 63
W (1)I. Ljubicic 76 46 64
#3 - Sztokholm 2009
1R J.C. Ferrero 64 62
2R R. Kendrick 62 62
QF A. Clement 64 64
SF (1)R.Soderling W/O
W O. Rochus 61 75
Marcos idzie w górę. Dziś 66, jutro 41 :D
Baghdatis Wins Third ATP World Tour Title in Stockholm; 10th Unseeded Winner In 2009
Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis lifted his first ATP World Tour title since February 2007, after defeating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-1, 7-5 at the If Stockholm Open on Sunday.
Baghdatis became the 10th unseeded winner of the ATP World Tour this year and the first since Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil won at the Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad on 2 August.
World No. 66 Baghdatis earned €93,000 in prize money and won 250 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points, while Rochus pocketed €49,000 and 150 points.
"I played really well in the first set," said Baghdatis. "It was important to get a good start, but then in the second set Olivier stepped it up. I was a bit lucky to win in two sets in the end. I wanted to win this so badly. It was my chance to win another title and I managed to find the solution to win."
Baghdatis, who won his third ATP Challenger Tour title last week at Tashkent (d. Istomin), made a confident start in his seventh ATP World Tour final.
The 24 year old converted his third break point opportunity in the fourth game and his decisively broke in the sixth game. He won 66 per cent of service points and hit eight aces in the 40-minute first set.
The pair exchanged service breaks at the start of the second set and again in the sixth and seventh games. Baghdatis, who beat Rochus 7-5, 6-4 at the 2006 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, broke serve for the fifth time in the 11th game and went on to wrap up the victory in one hour and 39 minutes.
Baghdatis won 62 per cent of service points, hit 15 aces and saved four of six break points. It was his third ATP World Tour trophy (3-4 lifetime) and first since 4 February 2007 at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors.
"It's been a long time since I won an ATP tournament," admitted Baghdatis. "The last one was in Febuary 2007. I'm so happy right now. It's been a tough couple of years and this title came when I least expected it, so it's even better.
"I'll work hard in the off-season so I can start the year strong next year and try and be more consistant and play a full year. It's been a tough last two weeks for me - I've played 10 matches and won all all of them so of course I am a bit tired now. I'm going to rest for a few days before playing my last tournament, a Challenger in South Korea."
The former World No. 8 (21 August 2006) improved to a 23-16 match record on the year. Rochus, 28, dropped to 3-4 in ATP World Tour finals and to 13-7 this year. It was his first final appearance since 30 September 2007 at Mumbai (l. to Gasquet).
"My serve didn't work as well as it had done earlier in the week today," confessed Roschus. "I had a few too many double faults and had a lower first serve pecentage, which cost me a lot.
"I came back well in the second set and there was not much in it. If I had served a bit better I think I could have maybe taken it into a third set. I think the serve was the difference today, but Marcos played very well. I can't complain with my week, but of course it's always disappointing to lose a final."
Baghdatis Primed To Strike In Brisbane
Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis believes it will be a very open field at the Brisbane International, the first ATP World Tour tournament of the 2010 season, which begins Sunday 3rd January.
The 24 year old said: “It’s a tough tournament because it’s the first tournament of the year. A lot of players don’t have a lot of matches on their legs and it’s not an easy tournament. But I think everybody has a go in this one and it will be a nice fight.”
The 32-man field is led by World No. 7 Andy Roddick, whom Baghdatis perceives to be the biggest threat. “He’s the top seed, he’s Andy Roddick and he’s always tough to beat. But, like I said, it’s the beginning of the year; you never know what will happen.”
World No. 42 Baghdatis will look to make a strong start to the 2010 ATP World Tour season and capitalise on the progress he made at the end of 2009. The right-hander struggled to return to full form and fitness until the closing stages of last season, following an injury-ridden 2008, but finished by capturing his third ATP World Tour title at the If Stockholm Open (d. O. Rochus).
“[Things really looked up for me] at the end of last year,” commented Baghdatis. “I wasn’t playing very good when I left last year after the Australian Open (where he reached the fourth round), but at the end of the year I won three Challengers and Stockholm, which was very good for me.
“[The win in Stockholm] was two months ago so it’s tough keeping momentum because of holidays afterwards and practising physically a lot. But I feel quite fit, I feel ready; I’m playing good tennis, I’m confident, so I think everything will be fine.
Baghdatis has good memories of playing Down Under, having reached his first major final at the Australian Open in 2006 (l. to Federer). However, the Limassol native believes the best is yet to come. “I love coming here. That’s why I come and spend a month in Australia. I feel great here and I’m happy I’m back. I believe I can do better [than the Australian Open final in 2006] because I didn’t win it. I think I can reach an even better level than I did before.”
Marcos Baghdatis set to reclaim mantle of cult hero
THE designer stubble is there, so is the infectious smile, and the tricks with a tennis ball. Yep, Marcos Baghdatis is back.
It may be four years since the young man from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus took everyone on a merry dance right to the Australian Open final. He may have been savaged there by Roger Federer, but his cult hero status is still intact.
And it seems so is his game after a rocky 2008 season riddled with injuries that restricted him to just 12 tournaments. Last year provided much happier times for Baghdatis.
He won three events on the ITF circuit (in France, Tashkent and Canada) and then finished off the year with a win at the ATP's Stockholm tournament. That pushed him back inside the top 50 once and boosted his confidence no end.
"I wasn't playing very good after I left last year's Australian Open, but I picked things up at the end of the year winning a few Challengers and a Grand Prix," Baghdatis said.
"It was like two months ago so it's tough to keep the momentum with holidays and not practising physically a lot.
"But I feel quite fit, I'm playing good tennis and I'm confident, so I think everything will be fine. I feel great here and I'm happy coming back."
It was not all bad last year. After losing in the first round in Brisbane to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, Baghdatis made the fourth round in Melbourne, losing to 2008 Australian Open's defending champion Novak Djokovic.
He never intended to live off his 2006 exploits but everyone still remembers. At a late-afternoon practise session at the Queensland Tennis Centre, he signed giant tennis balls, autograph books and baseball caps before posing for photos with fans, who recognised him and stopped to watch.
He didn't disappoint, head-butting tennis balls, catching them on the fly on his shoe before kicking them soccer ball-like into the backcourt covers. He even showed a new trick of retrieving a ball from the court surface. He squeezes down hard with his foot on one side before releasing the pressure so the ball pops up so he can catch it on his racquet.
Baghdatis also knows his legion of Greek and Cypriot fans will not be far away.
"I'm pretty sure they will be there."
While definitely one of the characters of the men's tour, Baghdatis teamed up with one of the stalwarts of the women's in Daniela Hantuchova yesterday to play a charity doubles match with Australians Casey Dellacqua, Scott Draper and rising Queensland academy stars, Ashleigh Barty and Travis Boon.
The money raised went to the Kim Walters foundation for research into breast and ovarian cancer. The former wife of Brisbane NRL star Kevin Walters died of breast cancer at the age of 30.
It is hard to believe the svelte Hantuchova is about to embark on her 12th year on the WTA tour at the age of 26. She is ranked No 24 and for the past six years has not been outside the top 30. But she has set a goal for 2010 to get back inside the top 10, where she finished in 2007.
Helping her in that quest is former Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt coach, Darren Cahill.
And it's not just her serve and return, renowned Cahill traits, she has been concentrating on.
"I've been working on everything with him. He's been fantastic and what a privilege to be able to work with him on the court," Hantuchova said yesterday.
"I can't say enough how thankful I am for that opportunity. There's so many things he can add to my game and his experiences are just fantastic.
"I'm really enjoying every day practising with him."
As fourth seed, Hantuchova fell in the first round in Brisbane last year, the second round in Sydney and the third in Melbourne.
"We'll see what happens this year," she said.
"My preparation's been great. I've worked really hard and I'm injury free. I'm a completely different player. I really know what I want to do on the court and I'm really going for it."
#4 - Sydney 2010
R1 LINDAHL, Nick 62 75
R2 TROICKI, Viktor 75 63
QF HEWITT, Lleyton 46 62 63
SF FISH, Mardy 6-4 6-7(5)7-6(5)
F GASQUET, Richard 64 76(2)
Mardy tak łatwo Bagietce meczu nie puścił....:P
6-4 6-7(5)7-6(5)
Wywiad z Marcosem po meczu 1 rundy AO:
An interview with:
MARCOS BAGHDATIS
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Is that a continuation of the Sydney form?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it's a win, so I guess it is. Yeah, it was tough today. You know, I had few matches last week, and it's tough ‑‑ it's always tough coming late to the tournament. You know, you ‑‑ I couldn't prepare the tournament the way I wanted.
But I won today. I am feeling quite good on court and I'm happy.
Q. So there's plenty of improvement?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yes, there's a lot of improvement. That's for sure.
Q. How are you finding your form compared to this time last year?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I can say better. Better out of injuries so I could ‑‑ last six months I didn't have any injuries so I could work in the right way. I could build up my body, and I feel much fitter than last year. I can say much, much better.
Q. A judge about your opponent? It was his first match in a Grand Slam.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It was his first match in a Grand Slam? Yeah, I didn't see too much because I was concentrated on my game. I didn't know him before the match. I was very focused on my game. I just focused on my game and that's all.
I cannot say too much about him because it's the first match. I never saw him play before so I don't mean to judge him. It's not nice to judge people.
No, I was too concentrated on my game. I wanted to play good and that's what I wanted to do. Found a way to win.
Q. Did you find the conditions tough with the wind?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, the conditions has been two days windy and everything. Like I said, I came a bit late. Yesterday was raining and I couldn't hit too much on the courts. It was tough.
Today was a bit better, a bit more sunshine and not too much rain. Like I said before, I feel good. To play good, you need to play in every condition. I think I'm ready for that. So I don't mind.
Q. Did you prefer to play on Margaret Court Arena or Hisense or maybe the center court?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Most important thing for me is winning matches. I don't mind where. That's my main goal. I don't mind where I play.
Q. You had a lot of supporters out there today. Does it make a difference when you have crowd support?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure it does. Feels like you're playing at home. When the support is there it feels good. Yeah, does make a difference.
Wywiad po meczu II r.
Q. It was quite a celebration at the end. You're a happy lad.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I'm happy I won. So, yeah...
Q. Talk us through it. What was going through your mind?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, in the beginning of the match I had a lot of chances to break him. I think I was the best one on the court. I didn't take any chances, and he did at 5‑4. He took the set.
In the second I was a break up again. I had the chances and I couldn't finish it. I was a bit frustrated in the beginning of the third. What I did, is say to myself that ‑‑ I'll just go on the court today and try to not miss a ball.
Then I saw he was a bit tired, so it helped me fight even more, you know. I saw a window open, so, you know, that's how it went.
Then my tennis came back. Started playing pretty good. Started playing a bit more aggressive. The serve came back in the fourth and the fifth set. I served pretty good, so I'm delighted I won.
Q. What was the emotion and the celebration?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it was great coming back. I'm a bit tired. I had five matches in Sydney. Mentally it was tough today. I was a bit tired. Wake up and play the first match at 11:00. I'm happy I went through, and that's the most important thing. I found the solution to win.
Q. Do you think the crowd helped you turn around and fight back?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, for sure they did, like I said before. But I think the thing that helped me a lot was the reaction of Ferrer in the third set. He went a bit down, you know, and I saw that. That helped me come up a bit, and then the crowd helped me for sure.
Q. How do you feel about your first serves? Can you be better?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure I can always be a bit better. The percentage is not too high. In the fourth and fifth set I think I had a pretty high percentage of serves. I won a lot of free points, and I'm really happy I came back.
Q. Can you tell us what they say when they sing in the crowd?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: A lot of things: Marcos, I love you. I will never stop singing for you. Stuff like this.
Q. Was it like 2006 all over again here?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. I think every year I come here I play good. It's not ‑‑ maybe in 2006 I played finals, but I think every year I come here I feel good and I play good. It's like every year.
Q. Are you the fittest you've been?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yes.
Q. The cramping at the end, did you have any concerns with the new rule with cramping that you may have to pull out?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, because I was 5‑1 up. I said, Okay, I finish this game and I'll have one minute thirty to rest, and then the cramps would go away. That's what I thought. So I went fast and served.
But the last three, four points the cramps went away, so everything was okay.
Q. You might play Lleyton again. How do you feel about that?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't want to talk about that. You know, I'm very happy I won today. I'll just, you know, don't think about Lleyton for today. I'll start thinking about him tomorrow and the day after. I have time.
Today I just want to enjoy my victory and think about what ‑‑ all the positive things out from this match.
Q. The last match that you played against him here, how does that sit in your mind?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: You know, I forgot about it. It's nothing. There's so many matches in your career that you don't ‑‑ I mean, I remember the match, but you don't focus on one match.
So, you know, it's a match that maybe I played and finished 4:45 in the morning. But it's a great match. I'm not thinking about it every night before going to sleep, you know.
Q. Big game today. What physically do you need to do to get your body right now?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Trust my physio. I think he'll work on my body and I will be 100% ready for Lleyton's match.
Q. Getting back to the fitness level, have you been doing anything extra?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, worked a bit differently, more in the gym than before. Basically, that's all.
Q. You said he got tired in the third set. Did that surprise you given that he's regarded as one of the fittest players?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, you can be fit, but the heat, you never know. It was 32 degrees out there. You never know how your body reacts to it. You have to be fit, but you have to play a lot in those conditions and get matches in those conditions.
I don't know if he did get so many matches in these conditions. It's always tough coming here because of the heat.
Q. You talked about the night match you played. There's been a bit of talk about the night match last night, Tomic and Cilic, a 17 year old. He said early this morning that he felt it was wrong to have him scheduled at that time. What are your thoughts on that?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My thoughts are that's the way it is. We have to deal with it. We don't have to find excuses, we have to find a way to win every match we play, even if it's in tough conditions. That's all.
Q. Do you have a preference, day or night Saturday for you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't mind.
Q. 10:00 at night start?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I would prefer a bit earlier, but I don't mind.
Q. Why do you think it is that you seem to be especially energized by this part of the year? I know it's the start of the new year, but you more than anyone seem to find something special at this time of the year.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Because I'm fully fit. I think I'm mentally fresh. That's what I learned the last couple of years. That's what I will try to do this year: Stay fresh mentally during the whole year like I am here. If I do that, I think I'll play great tennis. Stay mentally fresh and keep motivating myself every day.
Oglądał może ktoś mecz Dellacqua-Sprem??? Widziałem na trybunach w boksie parę razy Marcosa, kręci z Casey czy Karolina wiecie coś ;)???
Wywiad po przegranym spotkaniu 3 rundy AO:
An interview with:
MARCOS BAGHDATIS
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What was the nature of the injury?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: We don't know yet. I just felt some pain in the shoulder. Felt a bit yesterday on the serve, a bit today, and in the match I just couldn't, you know, hit the forehand. I couldn't control the ball. I was pushing the ball.
Basically, against Hewitt, it's tough to...
Q. So you were aware of it yesterday but thought you could get over it?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I wasn't worried about it at all. I wasn't thinking about it because I wasn't worried. I had a bit of pain, but nothing. I'm usual to pain, having a little bit of pain everywhere.
But I didn't think that it would be this painful and this bothering during the match.
Q. How did you feel during the warm‑up?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I was okay. Yeah, when I warmed up I was okay. Like I said, I felt it a bit on the serve and forehand, but I wasn't too worried. We had a massage before the match. I thought it was a bit tense, but I guess not.
They say it's the tendon of the biceps, so I'll have an MRI tomorrow and see how that goes.
Q. You didn't get it playing beach cricket, did you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't think so, mate.
Q. Was there a point in the match where you particularly...
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. The whole match ‑‑ from the beginning, I mean, I wasn't serving over 200 kilometers per hour. I wasn't serving. I was feeling the pain when I wanted to hit the ball on the impact. You know, when you do that, then you stop moving, you stop ‑‑ everything goes wrong because you're just thinking about the pain and not the forehand and the serve.
Q. What did Lleyton say to you after the match?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, I mean, nothing. He said he's sorry. He wishes luck for me. That's all. Nice like always.
Q. What did you make of the way Lleyton was playing? A noticeable improvement from the last match?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know, mate. I was on me and feeling the pain. I wasn't looking Lleyton. I don't want to talk about Lleyton.
Q. How do you rate his chances against Roger?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. I don't want talk about that. Sorry.
Baghdatis hands Hewitt easy passage
Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt has secured a fourth round match-up with top seed Roger Federer after Marcos Baghdatis retired injured at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night.
Hewitt was leading 6-0 4-2 when the Cypriot called it quits.
The Hewitt-Baghdatis match up was billed as the highlight of the Saturday night schedule following the pair’s classic five-set encounter at Australian Open 2008.
However, Baghdatis struggled with his shoulder through the match, and at 4-2 in favour of Hewitt in the second set, he approached the umpire and said he could not continue.
Baghdatis’ withdrawal followed a one-sided first set that saw Hewitt win 6-0, with the Cypriot managing to win just six points in the entire set.
The 22nd seed looked completely dominant, as Baghdatis produced regular unforced errors and failed to hold serve once.
In between sets, Baghdatis called for a medical timeout as he had his shoulder worked on.
He looked slightly stronger at the start of the second set, as he held serve and threatened Hewitt’s service in the third game of the set. But at 3-2 down, Baghdatis again dropped his serve and then made the decision not to continue.
Following the match, Baghdatis said his bicep tendons appeared to be the issue.
“I just feel some pain in the shoulder. In the match I just couldn’t hit the forehand, I couldn’t control the ball,” he said.
Baghdatis said he had not been aware the injury would be so bad before the game.
“I wasn’t thinking about it, I had a bit of pain but nothing unusual. I didn’t think it would be this painful and this bothering during the match.”
ao.com
RG 2010 - wywiad z Bagietą po zwycięstwie w 2 rundzie
Q. Could you give us an impression of your form?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I'm feeling pretty good. I'm playing solid. I could say I'm playing very smart on court and just finding solutions to win. I guess that's the most important thing, you know.
I'm perfect physically. I have no injuries. I feel fit. I feel that I can last, so that makes things a bit easier.
Q. You played earlier in the week on these courts and they were hot and pretty fast. How did the rain affect the conditions of the courts today?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure, yeah, the courts are a bit heavier than in the beginning of the week. Balls are heavier. But I think it could be an advantage for me, because I can hit the ball pretty hard.
You know, I have more control that way. I can you know, the ball doesn't bounce so much. So, you know, I felt good in the first match. Felt good yesterday. Felt good today. So I have no problems.
Q. They were in good shape despite the rain delays?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, very good.
Q. Do you think having someone like the coach you have at the moment, who is someone that's spent a lot of time coaching people, on clay especially, is beneficial to you at this period for you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure. Not only because of the clay, but for from the time I started working with him, you know, he gives me basically a lot of solutions. That's very important. So he's a very smart guy. Very passionate. He believes in me.
I think he's done a great job with me, and also with the whole team. You know, he brought the whole team around me. He built a whole team around me that are working for me. They're all good in what they do, so that's really important.
Q. Would it be possible to say that perhaps from 2006 when you had that wonderful year you now feel as though you're in very good position to be a challenger in Grand Slams, probably the best since then?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I think the last two years I suffered a bit with injuries, and, you know, with mind problems. I can say helped me mature a bit, and, you know, have more experience.
I think I'm tougher than what I was before. I'm ready for any problem. I'm ready to find any solution. So I guess, yeah, I am. I'm tougher than before.
Q. And there is an opportunity that you might play Murray in the we don't know, of course, because we keep coming off and going back on would that be a match you would relish and look forward to, especially on clay?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure. It's nice to play against opponents that it will be a great fight. You know, Andy is a great player. Not only a great player, but great fighter on court. He can last, so I'm looking forward to playing a great match with him.
First of all, he has to win, you know. Then I'm not gonna think about it tonight. I won a match. I don't know if I'm playing tomorrow. I'll relax for tonight and see how things go tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.
Q. Do you know if you're going to play Davis Cup?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. You asked me the same question in Miami, and I said I will know during Wimbledon, after Wimbledon. I will know after Wimbledon. It all depends how people play at Wimbledon.
Q. But would you like to play on clay after Wimbledon?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. It all depends on my results after Wimbledon. You'll wait for Wimbledon?
Q. Yes, I will.
If Marcos Baghdatis were a drink…
World No.30, Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus, who lost in the third round on Friday to Andy Murray, was kind enough to answer our “if you were…” questions.
If you were a country?
Cyprus. I love my country. I need to go home on a regular basis to recharge my batteries and get back in touch with my roots. I left Cyprus when I was 14 years old, which is undoubtedly why I feel so attached to it. I had a tennis court built so I can train at home and spend more time there.
If you were a city?
Sydney. I took a three-week vacation there and loved it.
If you were an appetizer?
Saganaki, a Greek cheese (resembles feta). You eat it as an appetizer and it’s fresh and delicious.
If you were a film?
Tie Break (a documentary about the Mouratoglou academy, where Marcos trained).
If you were a song?
“Genethlia,” which means birthday in Greek.
If you were a car?
An Audi R8 Spider.
If you were a drink?
(Someone suggests gin & tonic). Oh no! Water. Water is very good.
If you were a tournament?
Bâle. The people are really nice, the atmosphere is relaxed, and I feel good there.
If you had a special power?
Invincible, like Superman.
If you were a football player?
Wayne Rooney.
If you were a sport other than tennis?
Football.
If you were an airport?
Amsterdam.
If you were a time of day?
9pm.
If you were a website?
Twitter.
If you were a place in Paris?
My parents’ house, in Levallois.
If you were a romantic location?
A bateau-mouche (sightseeing boat on the Seine River).
Healthy and Hungry Again After Three Lost Summers
One of the many revelations in Andre Agassi’s autobiography, “Open,” involved Marcos Baghdatis, who is re-emerging as a force after his career went into free fall following his runner-up finish in the 2006 Australian Open.
“He smiles when he’s happy or nervous,” Agassi wrote of Baghdatis, “and you can never tell which.”
In the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters, Baghdatis flashed a wide grin after squandering a second match point against Rafael Nadal. That time, he was definitely nervous.
“When you are up, 40-0, serving for the match against Rafa, you start thinking a bit,” Baghdatis said last week in New Haven, where he was the top seed at the Pilot Pen and was later eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sergiy Stakhovsky. “The crowd is going wild. Everything starts spinning.”
Baghdatis recovered, won the next point and the match, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, but he had good reason for his jitters. Once a bright young star in the sport, Baghdatis had spent the previous three years plagued by injuries and inconsistent play. His ranking, which had climbed to No. 8 in August 2006, plummeted to 151st last summer. His apparel sponsorship with Adidas was not renewed.
“I was down and wasn’t feeling good, but I don’t think I was worried about not coming back,” Baghdatis said. “I always had the feeling deep inside me that I could come back.”
His victory over Nadal capped a tremendous stretch for Baghdatis.
Despite losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Roger Federer, Baghdatis was brilliant in the Cincinnati Masters, defeating the Australian Open semifinalist Marin Cilic, the dangerous Brazilian left-hander Thomaz Bellucci and the Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych. Coupled with a run this month to the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, Baghdatis, ranked 18th as of Aug. 23, is suddenly a contender at the United States Open.
It is quite a comeback for Baghdatis, 25, who first charmed fans during an improbable run at the 2006 Australian Open. It is also a stark contrast to last summer.
Because of his low ranking, Baghdatis entered ATP Challenger Tour events, tennis’s minor leagues. The draws include an odd mix of journeymen, rookies, rehabilitating veterans and local favorites, and the events are held in sites like Astana in Kazakhstan and Binghamton, N.Y. The prize money was minimal, but Baghdatis craved the matches.
“Last year, if I played two matches in a row, I felt sore,” he said. “So I said to myself, ‘Maybe go play some Challengers because if you win, you get five days in a row of tennis.’”
Baghdatis won Challenger events in Vancouver, British Columbia; St.-Rémy-de-Provence, France; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In October, he captured the Stockholm Open for his first ATP Tour title since February 2007. He also started 2010 strong. In January, he won the Medibank International in Sydney, Australia. Two months later at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., he defeated Federer, who was ranked No. 1 at the time.
“I’m surprised it’s taken this long,” the ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert said of Baghdatis’s return to form. “He’s a great ball striker and too talented of a player. After what he did in 2006, I thought he was going to be in the top five.”
Baghdatis grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. His mother, Andry, a Greek Cypriot, ran the family clothing store while his father, Christos, a Lebanese immigrant, oversaw the development of Baghdatis’s tennis career.
At 13, Baghdatis moved to the suburbs of Paris to attend the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. He was the 2003 International Tennis Federation junior champion, but his big breakthrough came in Melbourne in 2006. Baghdatis defeated three top-10 seeds — No. 2 Andy Roddick, No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic and No. 4 David Nalbandian — before meeting Federer in the final. In front of a rowdy crowd of Cypriot and Greek supporters, Baghdatis won the first set and was up a break in the second before losing, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2. The defeat haunted him.
“For two, three years afterward, I had nights where I thought about that match,” Baghdatis said.
The next few years were filled with injuries. In 2008, Baghdatis sustained a high ankle sprain and a stress fracture in his right wrist. At a tournament in Metz, France, he crumpled to the court with a back spasm and was carried off on a stretcher.
The injuries halted Baghdatis’s training, and his fitness became an issue. But after finally regaining his health, Baghdatis resolved to live up to the promise he showed in 2006.
“When you grow up, you get more mature and you know what you want,” Baghdatis said. “I felt really hungry. I wanted to come back so much.”
He spent last off-season training vigorously in Buenos Aires, Paris and Cyprus.
“I didn’t work as much on tennis,” he said. “I worked more on physical conditioning to get stronger.”
He said it was the only way he could compete with big hitters like Berdych, the French Open finalist Robin Soderling and the United States Open champion Juan Martín del Potro, not to mention Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. “I am not as tall as them, not as big as them and not as strong as them, but I have my weapons,” said Baghdatis, whose strengths include fearless shot-making, a big first serve and aggressiveness.
Baghdatis has not advanced past the second round at the Open, but he is well known in Flushing Meadows for an epic match with Agassi in 2006. Riddled with cramps, Baghdatis lost in a brutal fifth set. It was the last victory of Agassi’s career.
Baghdatis missed last year’s Open and has few points to defend this fall, so he should continue moving up the rankings. Maybe that is what it will take for the sponsors to return. For now, an image of the flag of Cyprus is the only logo on his T-shirt and bandanna.
“I am proud of being Cypriot, so that’s why I put my country’s flag on my T-shirt,” Baghdatis said. “It’s not a sponsorship. I don’t have a contract and am waiting for sponsors to sign me. I am open to any negotiations.”
US Open 2010 - wywiad po porażce w 1 rundzie
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What happened out there today?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What can I say? I was really heavy on court. I wasn't feeling very fit. It's not a matter of fit but very heavy. Couldn't play aggressive. I was really defensive today, and Arnaud played a very good first set. I mean, the second set he was giving a lot of points away and I took them, but I was really heavy on court. I was really defensive. I think I didn't play I didn't play very good tennis, and he won the match, I think.
Q. How do you explain that? You've played well most of this summer.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Maybe a bit tired, you know. It's been a month and three weeks I'm out here, and it's a lot of time. Yeah, it's always first round of Grand Slam it's not easy. The nerves are there, also. I had to find a way to win today, and I think I was going to feel better going into this week, and I didn't. So I'm a bit disappointed, for sure. I lost the match, but that's sport. That's life. I'll try to continue.
Q. How much did the heat affect you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't think it's the heat, you know. I played in Washington, played in Cincy; was pretty hot, you know. So I don't think it was the heat. I think I was a bit tired mentally, physically, also. So, yeah, I guess that's the reason I felt very heavy today and couldn't play my tennis aggressive.
Q. How do you explain the success you've had in other slams versus this one? How disappointed are you when the crowd seems to want to love you and...
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it's true. I didn't win a lot of matches here. I had some tough draws: Roger 2004, and I lost to Andre 2006 and then Mirnyi in 2007. So, yeah, 2008/2009 I didn't play, and this year... But I don't know why. I played two times finals in juniors here, so I cannot say. It's not that I don't like the place. I do like the place, but I don't know why. It's just finding the way of winning the first matches, and then everything starts rolling. But I cannot for the moment. I hope next year I will find a way.
Q. Did you miss it while you were away for the last couple of years?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure, yeah. I miss playing tennis. You know, for the last couple years I didn't play a lot. I'm happy I'm back, you know. I'm looking forward, you know, continuing the form I have and just playing, winning matches, and finding the solutions to win. That's all.
Q. This is a little off the subject, but we all know Mardy Fish lost like 30 pounds, and Roddick had talked last year about losing a lot of weight. I'm wondering, where can a guy playing five sets and playing professional tennis find that much weight to lose? Does that seem weird to you, that somebody can lose that much weight and still be competitive?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. I don't know. I think it's not weird. I mean, if you want to lose weight, you can go ahead and lose weight. That's what I can say. That's not weird. Why would it be weird?
Q. It just seems like you were already fit. Where would you find the weight to lose? If you're playing tennis, seems like you're a pretty fit guy.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, true. But if the guys want to lose weight, they can lose weight if they want to. That's their problem.
Q. Do you think it would help? I mean...
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It depends on the player, depends on his style of game. I don't know. Depends on the people he works with, the physical trainer, the doctors. Depends on a lot of things. Some people say it's good to lose weight; some people don't.
Q. Do you have like a weight that you're comfortable with that you like to play with, or did it not even come up as far as you're concerned?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, it doesn't come up.
Q. Where would you rank today as far as the court conditions and the heat among all your matches that you've played? Was it, you know, top 5 hottest day?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Tell you the truth, okay, it was hot, but, I mean, we play so much matches in the heat I cannot tell you I mean, we play so much matches in the heat, so I cannot rank today's heat. I mean, when I go on court, I don't say, Ah, today it's the fifth or sixth or seventh. I just play.
Q. How hot was it for you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It was hot. But, I mean, usual day. Yesterday was hot. We had to practice. So, you know, it's yeah.
Q. What can you say on Clément, who at 32 is still playing this kind of tennis?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Respect for him. He's playing great tennis. I know he didn't win a lot of matches this summer. I mean, maybe I'm the only guy he beat, so... (Smiling.) But he's playing great tennis. I know him personally. He's a great guy. He's playing great tennis. I wish him luck.
Q. You have the Cyprus emblem on your clothes right now. Can you explain why that is?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Because I have no sponsor, so I just want to put my country.
Q. Is it the office of tourism?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, no sponsor. It's not a sponsor, it's because I want to put it.
Q. How long have you been without a sponsor?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: A year since January.
Q. Who makes the clothes?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My mom. I buy them from Technifibre and my mom puts the flags on them.
Koniec sezonu dla Baghdatisa (Kontuzja barku)
http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Marcos-Ba … eason.aspx
Baghdatis rezygnuje
Kontuzja barku wykluczyła Marcosa Baghdatisa z udziału w turniejach w Bazylei i w Paryżu. Tym samym 25-letni Cypryjczyk przedwczesnie zakończył swoje starty w tym sezonie.
Tenisista podał tę informację na swoim twitterze.
“Bardzo mi przykro, żenie zagram w Bazylei. W tym momencie sezon 2010 jest dla mnie zakończony, gdyż nie będę uczestniczył także w turnieju w Paryżu. Uraz barku jest naprawdę dokuczliwy” – napisał w swoim komunikacie Marcos Baghdatis.
Cypryjczyk rozegrał w tym sezonie 70- spotkań, z czego w 43 zwyciężał. Rok rozpcozął efektownie od wygrania turnieju ATP w Sydney. Następnie pokonał Rogera Federera w Indian Wells, w Cincinnati zaś okazał się lepszy od rafaela Nadala. Finalista Australian Open 2006 zanotował także 2 finały: w Waszyngtonie i Moskwie, przgrywając odpowiednio z Davidem Nalbandianem i Victorem Troickim.
Baghdatis wróci do gry w Abu Dhabi. Sezon 2011 rozpocznie od pokazowego turnieju Mubadala Community Cup.
The Last Word: ATP No. 20, Marcos Baghdatis
Baghdatis didn't make a deep run at a major
this season but is always capable of one.
Best of 2010
The shot-making showman excelled on the hard courts of Sydney, beating Viktor Troicki, Lleyton Hewitt, Mardy Fish and Richard Gasquet in succession to win his fourth career title. That performance was a prelude to the match he called “the best of my career”: A comeback win against Roger Federer in Indian Wells. Baghdatis battled back from a 1-4 third-set deficit and fought off three match points to win 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Worst of 2010
For all his wondrous racquet skills, the stocky Cypriot’s stamina remains suspect. Baghdatis failed to surpass the third round of any major and suffered opening-round exits to No. 75 Lukas Lacko (Wimbledon) and 32-year-old Arnaud Clement (U.S. Open). He failed to produce his best tennis in the biggest tournaments, posting a 4-4 record in Grand Slam play and going 8-8 in Masters 1000 events.
Year in Review
The 2006 Australian Open runner-up reinforced his reputation as a man who often plays his best tennis at the start of the season. Baghdatis captured Sydney, knocked off 18th-seeded David Ferrer in Melbourne and reached the semis of Dubai, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Sporting his trademark shoulder-length hair, scraggly beard and a smile plastered across his face, Baghdatis also reached semifinals in Munich (losing to Marin Cilic) and Cincinnati (beating Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal before bowing to Federer) and was runner-up to David Nalbandian in Washington. But a sore shoulder prompted Baghdatis to pull the plug on his season after Moscow. Baghdatis has a tendency to try to serve bigger than his comfort zone permits—he served just 52 percent on the season—and could benefit by going for some higher-percentage strikes.
See for Yourself
The Bag Man pulls out all the shots—pounding backhands, a drop shot, lob winners, a running forehand and some huge serves—and beats Federer for the first time:
The Last Word
The flashy baseliner can be one of the most exciting players in the sport, but his questionable conditioning continues to be a road block in best-of-five-set matches. Since 2006, when he reached two Grand Slam final fours, Baghdatis has reached just one quarterfinal in 14 Grand Slam tournament appearances. The mental and physical demands required of consistent Top 10 players seems to be missing; Baghdatis was 7-19 when losing the first set this season and is just 29-85 (.254) lifetime after losing the opening set. But the former junior world No. 1 is so talented he should sustain a spot somewhere between No. 15 and No. 40, with the occasional spike in best-of-three-set events.
—Richard Pagliaro
2010 w liczbach
Ranking: 20
Tytuły: 1 (Sydney)
Finały: 2 (Waszyngton, Moskwa)
Bilans meczów: 43-27
Zarobki: $941,345
Slimmer, Faster, Stronger Baghdatis Ready For 2011
Tennis fans will see a slimmer, faster and stronger Marcos Baghdatis in the first weeks of the 2011 ATP World Tour season in Brisbane and Sydney after the Cypriot’s commitment to his intensive off-season training schedule and nutrition plan has reaped plentiful rewards.
Indeed, fans will be able to see first-hand some of the hard work Baghdatis applied in a Tennis Channel feature about the Cypriot, due to air early in the New Year.
Unable to play his last two scheduled tournaments of the season in Basel and Paris due to a shoulder injury, the 25-year-old Cypriot took 10 days off before the hard work began in earnest on 14th November with his physical trainer Andreas Nicolaou, coach Guillaume Peyre, and physio Diego Martos.
After a series of fitness tests were conducted to evaluate Baghdatis’ condition, a training and nutrition programme was drawn up to target improving his aerobic capacity, speed and weight management.
With Baghdatis still recovering from his shoulder injury, the first week of the block was used for adaptation and saw the Limassol native swimming, biking, jogging, stretching, and doing exercises for injury prevention.
The following two weeks focussed on Baghdatis’ endurance training and core, involving mountain biking at high altitude in the Troodos mountains for six two-hour sessions and doing strengthening exercises for his body to be more compact and to absorb impact, thus avoiding injuries. The next two weeks then saw Baghdatis working on his power, speed, agility and footwork before gradually spending more time on the tennis court.
“Everything was different,” explained Baghdatis. “Some days we woke up very early, around 7 o’clock, took the bikes and we went up to the Troodos mountains. When we came down, we worked two hours in the gym in the afternoon doing a bit of everything – core, abdominal, muscle training and power.
“The next day we would wake up, go to the gym and work on the power, work on the treadmill a little bit, then in the afternoon we would go to play a bit of tennis, come back and go again to the gym or play soccer. It was different kinds of training so I wouldn’t get bored mentally; for me it was fun.”
BaghdatisAfter just a few weeks the results were beginning to show. “I feel stronger on the court, I feel faster and slowly, slowly I will get better and better. I think I have improved in all departments,” declared Baghdatis. Ahead of his final tests this week, Nicolaou reported that already, “He was running 10 metres in 1.7 seconds, now he can do it 1.6 seconds. So he has increased his speed. He used to struggle with 100 kg on the bench press; we can now increase it to 130 kg, which is good progress.”
Nicolaou also revealed the principle target for the off season had been to stabalise Baghdatis’ weight management through a nutritional programme that regulated the Cypriot’s portion control. “We’ve changed a lot of things in Marcos’ diet. He now eats five meals a day, but with small portions. He drank lots of water, avoided the fatty acids and foods that have a lot of fat like, lamb or veal. He doesn’t eat pizzas or burgers or fried things. Everything is steamed or grilled and the portions are the correct portions.”
Again, the results have come quickly for Baghdatis, despite Nicolaou admitting the new regime had driven his charge “crazy” at times. “He was 86 kg, 14.8 per cent body fat. Now he’s 82.3 kg and 10 per cent body fat, which is a really good number. The main thing is to be stable and stay on that number of 10 per cent body fat. The development plan is to decrease the fat and increase the muscle mass, so Marcos will be more powerful and more agile and quicker.”
A concerted effort by Mardy Fish to improve his fitness and weight management paid dividends last year, with the American enjoying a superb summer, including titles at Newport and Atlanta and reaching the finals at Cincinnati and The Queen’s Club. Baghdatis will certainly hope the same rings true for him as he bids to mount a serious charge in the testing conditions at the upcoming Australian Open, where he broke through to reach the final in 2006.
Baghdatis drops weight ahead of new season
Marcos Baghdatis has lost about 10 pounds as a result of an offseason fitness regime that has included mountain biking, gym work and careful eating.
"He drank lots of water, avoided the fatty acids... Everything is steamed or grilled and the portions are the correct portions," Baghdatis' trainer Andreas Nicolaou was quoted saying on the ATP website. "The main thing is to be stable and stay on that number of 10 percent body fat."
After ending his season early because of a shoulder injury, Baghdatis eased back into a routine, spending two weeks on endurance training and two weeks doing exercises and working on the practice court.
As a measure of Baghdatis' improvement, Nicolaou noted, "He was running 10 metres in 1.7 seconds, now he can do it 1.6 seconds... He used to struggle with 100 kg on the bench press, we can now increase it to 130 kg."
Baghdatis ended the season ranked No. 20, contiuning his long road back after falling to No. 100 during an injury-plagued season in 2008. He reached as high as No. 8 in 2006 after making the Australian Open final that year.
Reżim treningowy Baghdatisa
Marcos Baghdatis w pocie czoła przygotowuje się do nowego sezonu bo postawił przed sobą bardzo ambitny plan jakim jest niewątpliwie awans do czołowej dziesiątki rankingu tenisistów.W okresie przygotowawczym reprezentant Cypru postawił na przygotowanie kondycyjne i dzięki konsekwentnej pracy treningowej na siłowni stracił dziesięć kilogramów wagi.Kolarstwo górskie i odpowiednia dieta miały na to równie decydujący wpływ.
Trener Cypryjczyka Anderas Nicolau stwierdził że jego podopieczny pił dużo wody , unikał kwasów tłuszczowych i jego dieta była bogata w potrawy gotowane na parze.Po przedwczesnym zakończeniu sezonu z powodu kontuzji barku Marcos Baghdatis dwa tygodnie spędził na treningach wytrzymałościowych , a dwa następne na efektywnym cyklu treningowym realizowanym na korcie.Nicolau zauważył że jest spory postęp w formie jego zawodnika o czym mówią liczby.Powiedział że wcześniej Baghdatis biegł 10 metrów w 1,7 sekundy teraz może to zrobić w 1,6 sekundy.Kiedyś podnosił 100 kilogramów w wyciskaniu a teraz jest w stanie trenować ze sztangą na której znajduje się 130 kilogramów. Baghdatis zakończył sezon jako 20 zawodnik rankingu ATP co jest jego najlepszym wynikiem od 2006 roku kiedy sensacyjnie dotarł do wielkiego finału Australian Open.
BACK TO BASICS
DEUCE
At a crossroads: 25-year-old Marcos Baghdatis is dreaming of a Top 10 future again.
Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, one of the game’s great ball-strikers, has rededicated himself to the sport and is dreaming big again.
Eight years ago Eurosport, the pan-European sports channel, shadowed Marcos Baghdatis during a year of transition, starting with his Australian Open junior triumph to his first tentative steps on the ATP Challenger Tour and Orange Bowl success, via Patrick Mouratoglou’s tennis academy in Paris.
Baghdatis, like the sport he loves so dearly, has naturally evolved over the years. His spirit may have taken a hit after a series of ankle, back, respiratory, rib and wrist problems following his Annus mirabilis of 2006, but it is testament to the Cypriot’s character and Mediterranean weather that his weary bones and mind are revitalised."Winning a Grand Slam is the greatest thing, but I also want to be Top 10 again."
The agile, gifted entertainer, whose killer smile is always close to the surface, has nurtured the fire that burns so brightly in his bottomless brown eyes. As an ebullient character, who radiates immense enjoyment and draws spectators into his matches with his unstinting effort, the youthful enthusiasm of the wide-eyed junior at the dawn of his senior career remains.
“I think even after all the injuries I’ve had, I believe I love the sport even more,” reflects Baghdatis, whose life and career have been far from ordinary. “Winning a Grand Slam is the greatest thing, but I also want to be Top 10 again. That is what I am working towards.”
Baghdatis was, effectively, “born on a tennis court”. His Tripoli-born father, Christos, took to the sport in his mid-30s on the advice of his physio that tennis would not aggravate old injuries. “Marcos is right in that he was born on a tennis court. From the age of 18 months, Marcos spent hour-after-hour on-court as my elder sons, Marinos and Petros, played tournaments.”
His childhood was a “lost paradise”, spent among a close-knit working class family. He had followed in the footsteps of his brothers by playing at the Famagusta and Sporting Tennis Clubs, and taken part in beach football matches every Sunday. But that innocence ended at the age of 11 when his older brother Marinos, the top player in Cyprus, who Marcos considered a hero, suffered a serious car accident. Marinos stayed in hospital for one year.
By this stage, Christos Baghdatis had already recognised his younger son’s burgeoning talent. “His enthusiasm and will was so great, [but] Marcos did not play tennis for two years, not because of Marinos’ car accident, but because there were no suitable coaches in Cyprus to train him.”
When Baghdatis returned to the sport, he once again showcased the appetite and aptitude to become a tennis champion. Patrick Mouratoglou, a French coach, first watched the 13-and-a-half-year-old Baghdatis at “Les Petits As” in Tarbes."The decision to send Marcos to Paris was very hard... You can imagine how hard it was."
Mouratoglou, who currently coaches Aravane Rezai and Laura Robson, remembers, “I immediately fell in love when I watched him. I saw someone different from the others. He was putting a lot of emotion on the court. I liked his game. The main thing was that I felt this young kid had a personality to go far in the men’s game.
“I met Christos during this tournament [in Tarbes] and they later came to my academy to talk about the future. Christos was very lucid and very ambitious for his son. He knew that staying in Limassol meant there was no chance of becoming a professional tennis player. He wanted Marcos to have a good chance of succeeding.”
Baghdatis visited Mouratoglou’s academy on a one-week trial in October 1999. Talks continued, but a decision needed to be made. Christos and Marcos’ mother, Andry, discussed the possibility of their youngest son moving from Paramytha to another country. “The decision to send Marcos to Paris was very hard,” explains Christos. “My wife and I spent weeks and months talking it through. You can imagine how hard it was.”
Care-free Baghdatis arrived in Paris out of condition, alone and with no knowledge of the language. “He was not an athlete at all,” recalls Mouratoglou. “I remember having him do some physical tests. Afterwards, the specialist said to me, ‘Sorry but this kid will never be a professional sportsman.’ I didn’t believe it. I thought that he would work and build his body for tennis.”
For Baghdatis, who had always been surrounded by his family, it was another life-defining moment. “When I left for Paris my family still had a big influence on me,” says Baghdatis. “It’s how my life was. I became the person I am from the way I grew up, from the things I learnt in life.” By day, he revelled in playing tennis. At night, he dreamt of life back in Cyprus.
“It’s been stated that he begged me for a return to Cyprus, but he didn’t,” says Christos Baghdatis. “I would ring him at 7 a.m. each day and he said everything was okay.”
Mouratoglou adds, “I knew that Marcos had trouble getting used to life in Paris. Seeing that he was sad, I worried and called his father. ‘Christos, your son is very sad. He is having trouble getting used to his new type of life. Maybe, this life isn’t for him.’
“’Don’t worry,’ Christos answered. ‘He’s going to get used to it,’ without any doubt in the voice. I decided to trust him and waited to see how Marcos would be a few months later. His father was right, finally he started to understand French, have friends, and get used to his new life.”
Christos and Andry Baghdatis later found out that Marcos had cried every night for the first three months of his new life. “No one in the family he stayed with had told me,” says Christos. “I have been portrayed as a hard father, but it is far from the truth. I wanted what was best for Marcos."Over the years he had been a father-figure to his family, looking after them."
“We were taking a huge risk, sending Marcos to a new family. At times I thought it was a big mistake. Unfortunately Cyprus could not provide him with a platform to develop as an aspiring professional player. We took a big risk, but it paid off. I would not do it again.”
It would be 10 years before Baghdatis returned to Cyprus to train full-time. It was time to return to his spiritual home. "Over the years he had been a father-figure to his family, looking after them," admits his coach Guillaume Peyre. In October 2009, he arrived in Limassol for a fresh start. "Psychologically, I was a long way from home," says Baghdatis.
Last season, Baghdatis found himself at a crossroads. More than three years had passed since his fairytale run to the 2006 Australian Open final and a career-high No. 8 world ranking. His last run to a major quarter-final came in 2007 at Wimbledon. He was determined to make a positive change.
“I was not happy with my performances at Grand Slams, but if I am honest I wasn’t really preparing for Grand Slam play,” he says. “I didn’t think of preparing for the majors, for me it was about winning points, playing as many matches as I could.”
It was one of the reasons why he re-appointed his former coach Guillaume Peyre. “When I was younger we learned a lot about tennis together and even when we parted I admired him a lot as a coach. We stayed in touch and he is one of the people that has always believed in me.”
Baghdatis also signed for IMG, the global sports and media business, to build his profile and raise his profile international, and aged 25 he took the difficult decision to step down from Davis Cup duty in September. “It was definitely not an easy decision to step down from Davis Cup,” he says. “But I have to think that Cypriots and my fans will realise that winning a Grand Slam or breaking back into the Top 10 at this stage of my career is a better goal than playing in Division II.”
When his season was curtailed by a shoulder injury in late October, Baghdatis took 10 days off to recuperate. Then, from 14 November, for five straight weeks, Baghdatis gritted his teeth and subjected himself to an arduous training regimen. “There are always people who say what I am doing is not enough,” confirms Baghdatis, “yet if I focus on what I am doing then I know I will be happy.”
The goal was to step decisively in a new direction. To ensure that at the end of his career, he would not ask himself, ‘What if…?’ Living out of a suitcase, in yet another hotel room, with only his coach Peyre, physical trainer Andreas Nicolaou and physio Diego Martos for company, Baghdatis stepped into the unknown, determined to push himself harder than at any stage of his career."I have a lot of problems with athleticism, so I have to put in the extra hours off court."
“Tennis has changed a lot since I had good results in 2005 and 2006,” explains Baghdatis. “Everyone is playing better tennis and I feel as if I am a better player myself. Each year, the sport evolves.
“I have a lot of problems with athleticism, so I have to put in the extra hours off court to ensure I am in good shape mentally and physically to compete at the highest level. Because, I know at 25, I will have some more chances at Grand Slams.”
Taking just Sundays off, Baghdatis trained for 26-30 hours per week. “Marcos may not have liked it at times, but he has always been disciplined in his training to become a better tennis player,” confesses Nicolaou. "He did the same off-season training three or four years ago, but with very different results."
At meal times, fried and fatty foods — like pizzas, burgers, lamb and veal — disappeared from the menu, replaced by five small steamed or grilled meals a day, in an effort to stabilise Baghdatis’ weight management. Turkey and cheese on whole wheat bread, sometimes with peanut butter, three white half egg-yolks, Weetabix cereal and honey became breakfast favourites as Baghdatis consumed up to 3,100 calories per day.
In an effort to stay mentally fresh, high altitude cycling on the Troodos Mountains, which helped build endurance, was interspersed with gym work that developed core strength. With the right motivation, Baghdatis began to run up to 36 kilometres per hour on the treadmill and cycled for up to two-and-a-half hours per day in power training. During the first few weeks, swimming, running and stretching also took priority over his desire to spend more time on court.
His performance was carefully monitored. The results were remarkable. “When he played football, you could see the change in his body,” says Nicolaou. “He was running 10 metres in 1.7 seconds, now he can do it 1.6 seconds. He used to struggle with 100 kilograms on the bench press. We can now increase it to 130 kilograms, which is good progress.
“He was 86 kilograms with 14.8 per cent body fat. Now he’s 82.3 kilograms and 10 per cent body fat. What has impressed me is how fast his heart recovers after extreme exercise. He can reach 180 beats per minute, yet drop down to 90 quickly. The main thing now is that we have to take care; we have to support these numbers. The development is to decrease the fat and increase the muscle mass, so Marcos will be more powerful and more agile.
"During the season we will look to maintain his fitness levels through injury prevention, core strength work and a regeneration program. A lot depends on how he does at tournaments, but that is the plan.""It was no accident he was in the Top 10, a few years ago."
Stanislas Wawrinka, who first met Baghdatis in the semi-finals of the 2001 under-16 European Championships, believes his friend is now capable of returning to the Top 10. “He’s been there before and he’s reached a final of a Grand Slam, and a semi-final,” said the Swiss. “He’s had some problems with injuries and that has set him back quite a bit. But I think if he can stay fit and play a full season then he has everything to get back up there.”
Peyre agrees. “It was no accident he was in the Top 10, a few years ago. As long as he keeps working hard, he’ll be in contention to attain his goals. For me, if he is to break back into the Top 10 he will also need to improve his first serve percentage. He’ll then be in contention to win a big tournament, which is a goal for both of us.”
In 2003, when Baghdatis turned professional and was crowned ITF Junior World Champion, he was very confident in his ability. He knew how good he was. “Every time he was playing someone that was supposed to be much better than him, he would go on court to beat him and that would pay off 90 per cent of the time,” remembers Mouratoglou. “He enjoyed moving up the rankings and was really excited with the idea of achieving big goals. This enthusiasm was very contagious.”
Mouratoglou believes with that attitude, Baghdatis can achieve anything. “When he wants to do something, he gives all his heart and dedication for it,” he says. “Then he can achieve unbelievable things. He just sometimes needs a click to decide, and then go straight in one direction.”
Last year, Baghdatis rose from No. 150 to back inside the Top 20 and after a gruelling off-season, the shaggy-haired World No. 21 has put himself back in contention again. “Marcos is a bright and determined kid,” says his proud father. “He appreciates what he’s got and is now ready to apply himself to maximise his talent.”
The last time you asked for someone autograph?
- No, no never. Me? No. I'm from Cyprus.
:D
Zawsze jest taki rozmowny? :P