Baghdatis beats Robredo to reach Master's semi

By beating Robredo, Marcos has made it to his first Master’s semi-final. To make it to Shanghai though (I’ve worked it out now) not only does he need to beat the winner of Nadal vs Youzhny, but neither Murray nor Gasquet should make it to the final. Pretty slim, but not impossible.

Paris Masters 2007

Yes, last week Marcos lost to Nieminen. But he has more than made up for it this week. Dispatching Ferrero, Ljubicic and Davydenko without dropping a set. I wander what the press will be saying tomorrow in view of Davydenko’s match fixing allegations.

I haven’t done my maths, but a quick glance at the ATP race rankings means that only if he wins this tournament does he stand a chance of reaching Shanghai. Too little too late perhaps?

Next up is Tommy Robredo, who is also fighting to make it to Shanghai. Marcos has won their only encounter to date in 2005.

Baghdatis into quarterfinals

Calleri and Paul-Henri Mathieu beaten to set up a quarterfinal against Nieminen. Nieminen has not beaten Marcos since 2006 in Auckland.

Baghdatis beats Albert Montanes

At last. Marcos wins a game. Albert Montanes swept aside, 6-2, 6-2. Next up is Agustin Calleri, ranked fifty something in the world, 31 years old and from Argentina. Hopefully he should not be much of a problem despite having overcome David Ferrer in round 1 in straight sets.

Basel 2007

This is considered Roger Federer’s home tournament so despite it not being a Master’s event, Fed graces the courts with his appearance. This leaves little chance of any one else winning much. Marcos first meets a 26 year old Spaniard, Albert Montanes, no 48 in the world for the first time ever. They play tomorrow.

Baghdatis slips down the rankings.

24^th and sliding. Will Marcos manage to stay in the top 30 before 2008 comes?

Where is Baghdatis?

I do wander what Marcos is up to these days. Following his withdrawal from the Mumbai Open (due to injury), he has somehow vanished, both from the public eye and the tennis circuit. Meanwhile he has dropped to 21^st in the ATP rankings so I think it is safe to say he won’t be booking accommodation for the Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup.

Baghdatis enjoying himself.

Whilst at the Rogers Cup, some players were apparently invited to join the Montreal Fashion Show. The players paraded down a runway accompanied by female models. From the pics, Marcos seems pretty much in his element. I wander if he will be back for next year’s Montreal Open?

Ljubicic sends Baghdatis packing

The defending champion is out. Two sets to 1, this was the first time after 3 attempts that Ivan Ljubicic beats Marcos. Could this season get any worse?
Marcos should be off to nearby India for the Kingfisher Airlines Open in Mumbai which starts the following Monday.

Baghdatis plays Ljubicic next

So Marcos just beat no 92 in the world, Boris Pashanski, a 24 year old from Serbia. Struggled a bit, 6-4, 6-4 but straight sets nonetheless. Ljubicic on the other hand blew away his opponent (another Serb) 6-1, 6-1.
What chance do we stand beating the Croat? OK, we are 3-0 in encounters with him so far, but on current form I would wager my money on Ljubicic. I hope I am wrong, we shall see tomorrow.

Great performance

Not! Marcos made hard work of beating number seven hundred and something in the world rankings. Great stuff, I cannot see us going much further here. Ljubicic lurks around the corner, with appearances like today, I fear that will be the end of the road. First though we have to beat another unseeded player.
Good thing everyone else is watching the women's football World Cup.

China Open 2007

Right, back from my post US Open depression. Baghdatis holds the 18^th position in world rankings and is off to good old China, to defend the title he won there last year. The competition looks weak, but following Marcos’ form at the US Open, seeded 5^th might even be a compliment.

First up is a 24 year old qualifier from China, Shao Xuan Zang. Hopefully he won't be that much of a challenge.

Max Mirnyi beats Marcos at US Open

I am so annoyed about this I will not comment any further. To top it, this is not the first time.

The Flashing Meadows, US Open 2007

Only a few days to go for the last grand slam of the year. Baghdatis has never progressed far in this tournament despite this being his favourite surface (judging by past performances). He’s never gone past round 2, however he was younger and he was knocked out by Federer, Tursunov and Agassi in succession.

This year he hasn’t been dealt such a bad draw. He is in the top half along Federer, but wont be meeting him unless he progresses to the semi-finals. His first game is against Grosjean

Baghdatis skips Pilot Pen 2007

Marcos has opted out of the only major tournament held this week, the Pilot Pen open. He had participated there in 2006 where he had reached the last 16 only to lose to Soderling. This tournament looks like the playground of Davydenko, who is the only top 4 player to enter. Plus he won it last year.

Federer beats Baghdatis

In my last post I predicted a Federer win (I know, I’m a rocket scientist). I don’t like being wrong, but I so wanted to be wrong this time. Marcos put up a decent fight despite the countless double faults missed set points etc etc whilst the press has been once again very complimentary. But the reality of what goes down in the history book is Federer’s 5^th victory. No one will look at the score a week from now.

To top it, Roddick has crashed out, so Baghdatis would have had a red carpet laid en route to the final. This was probably the premature final of the Cincy 2007.

Baghdatis dispatches Chela, Federer next.

Although expected, this was the first time Baghdatis beats Chela following two defeats, ages ago. The results for Marcos have been good with Djokivic and Nadal dispatched by others. Good for morale, but we might just be hitting the brick wall called Federer again. To come across him this early could be considered a bit of an unlucky draw, but it just reflects Marcos ATP ranking at the moment. He is not even seeded in Masters Tournaments.

A draw against him tends to be synonymous with ‘the end of the line’ in tennisland. He has beaten Marcos in all 4 encounters to date, last time in the epic Australian Open final in January 2006. Forgive my pessimism, but I do wander by what score we will lose tonight.

Marcos cruises past Murray.

It was too easy. Both on paper and on court. Murray is obviously back from his injuries way too early and Marcos made an easy meal of it in just over three quarters of an hour.

Marcos’ half decent recent results have elevated him in the ATP ranking by a place (to 18^th) and a good crop of points in the next couple of tournaments should see him into the top 15 again.

Next up is Juan Ignacio Chela, the Argentinean who disposed of Tim Henman yesterday. Chela currently ranks 21^st in the world so he is by no means an easy opponent. Plus he has beaten Marcos twice on hard courts already, albeit in 2005.

Djokivic wins Rogers Masters.

OK, where does this info fit into this particular blog you may ask… This is no general tennis blog, my main concern is Marcos and his antics.

But it is relevant. It was only a few weeks ago that Marcos bowed out of Wimbledon by the thinnest of margins. To Djokovic, who had to run so hard for his money that he in turn walked out of his next match with Nadal. Whereas I (and most of the world) considered Federer virtually unbeatable on hard surface Djokovic has given the rest of the tennis world a glimmer of hope. It means Marcos can compete against the likes of Federer, if only he was in the right frame of mind.

Marcos vs Murray does not feature on today’s order of play in Cincinnati, so by default it must be tomorrow.

Cincinnati 2007

Another master’s tournament starts tomorrow, Cincinnati. Marcos faces Andy Murray first. Despite his current ATP ranking Murray shouldn’t be much of a problem, as he is just back from a long injury absence. The main problem is a couple of rounds later where Federed looms. I just don’t see anyone with a chance of beating him at the moment.

Reflections

For those of you who remember this year's Wimbledon duel with Novak Djokovic, you’ll have to be wandering how Marcos collapsed in front of Andy Roddick two days ago. Djokovic seems to have just walked all over Roddick in Montreal before going on to beat Nadal! Which surely has to mean that Marcos stands a good chance of beating any of the three above.

Oh dear oh dear...

I get the impression that Marcos gets nervous in front of 3-4 top players. Namely Federer, Nadal and Roddick. How else can one explain his appearance yesterday? He collapsed like a house of cards. I just hope he gets his act together before next months’ US Open.

Time to play Andy.

With Haase swept aside, it’s time for a real challenge. It’s 1-1 in encounters with Andy Roddick but Marcos took the only one on a hard court surface (en route to the Australian Open final 2006). Today's match is on quite late and needless to say, Roddick is by far the bookie favourite.

Marcos downs Moya

I did not get to watch the game, but it was a bit of a struggle to wrap up the first set. Down 6-2 in the tie break but Marcos still went on to win it. However hard, the records will read "straight sets"; 7-6, 6-1. That makes it 2-1 for Marcos in encounters with Moya. There can't be that many left, Moya having passed 30.

The next game should be a bit of an easy ride. Marcos plays Robin Haase, the surprise young Dutchman (ranked 103 by ATP) who eliminated Thomas Berdych. Marcos has never come across Haase before.

Marcos vs Moya

Whilst the top 8 seeds in the Rogers Cup get to advance to round 2, without contest, Marcos gets to play an ex world no1 for the privilege. Carlos Moya is never easy. However, the score to date is 1-1, with the last match going to Marcos on clay Carlos Moya's favourite surface.
Moya is currently ranked one place above Marcos at 18th, but I am confident Marcos will overcome him. Oh, and the bookies have Marcos down as favourite.

The Rogers Cup

So, bar a mishap, come next week, Marcos should be competing in the Rogers Cup. This Canadian tournament is in fact quite ancient, having began in 1881. Plus it is part of the Master’s series so there’s a lot of dosh to be won here. $2.45 million according to their website. I wander if that is US or Canadian currency.

And no, it’s not named as such because Roger Federer keeps winning it. It used to be called the Canadian Open, but they too succumbed to the sponsorship carrot.

When will Baghdatis retire?

A few days ago I stumbled across an interesting article in Australian Tennis Magazine. The article has an interview and covers mostly the usual regurgitated info on Marcos. However, what I found most interesting was the brief mention of when Marcos intends to retire (on the last page). There are hints that this may come sooner than people expect even as soon as 2008, after the Beijing Olympics! It’s hard to believe, but could that be true?

Not much to write about.

Marcos seems to be taking a well deserved break. At the moment there is hardly any news on him knocking about. However, he has just appeared on the Rogers Cup entry list and I think this will be his next appearance. It must be a move to North America in preparation for the US Open, which starts end of August.

Cyprus faced relegation

Relegation avoided. The doubles game was won today by 3-0 making the match score 3-0. As it's best of 5, we've won it, and remain in division II of the Europe/Africa group. The coach might give Marcos a break tomorrow now that victory is sealed. Also Photos Kallias is apparently on form too.

Cyprus face relegation

So the fight to remain in division II of the Europe/Africa Davis Cup zone has started. On Friday we saw both Marcos and Photos Kallias score easy 3-0 wins over the Bulgarians. One more win and we stay up. So don't believe the headlines, it looks like we are safe.

Marcos likes grass

No, he doesn't smoke it, he likes playing on it. Well perhaps he does smoke it too but in a recent interview Marcos chose grass as his favourite playing surface. So much so that if he were to build his own private court, it would be a grass one! Will we be seeing the first grass court in Cyprus? Maybe we could move our home Davis Cup games there.

Davis Cup 2007

Let’s face it. Cyprus’ Davis cup performance relies on Marcos. Who favours hard surfaces; his record to date speaks for itself. Why then does Cyprus play its home Davis cup games on clay? Bulgaria are visiting soon and a defeat would have Cyprus demoted to Group III of the Europe/Africa zone.

Latest Ranking

Marcos has dropped 2 places (to 18) in the ATP rankings as of today. I suppose that was expected considering his Wimbledon semifinal points from last year were replaced by quarterfinal points from this year.
He has also pulled out of the Gstaad open, probably due to tiredness.

George Michael etc

George Michael, another Cypriot, was apparently in the crowd watching the ¼ final match with Djokovic. First time I hear he was a tennis fan. And it’s not that the guy advertises his roots. Plus, the TV director did not home in on him. I wander why.

In his post match interview, Marcos came across as very disappointed. He knows he could have won this game and I am sure he feels that he let himself down. Read the transcript of the whole interview here.

Bad luck Marcos, maybe next year.

This post will be a bit longer, just like Marcos’ last match in Wimbledon 2007. Five hours, three tie breaks. Let’s face it, if you were to bow out of Wimbledon you’d want to bow out this way.

Call me biased, but Marcos was unlucky. To start with, Novak hit the net at least 5 times in a row and the ball just trickled onto Marcos’ turf. So much so that it became a joke, Novak kept apologising! Then, how did Marcos waste 6 (yes, SIX) set points in the second tie break, whilst Novak went on to win his first set point? Damn it, it hurts. And Marcos seemed a bit emotional whilst walking off the court.

Never mind, there’s always next year. The bookies were right after all. Their favourite won. Well done Novak, in fact I hope you go on and beat Nadal.

Strawberries and Cream

The bookies got it right. Marcos squashed Nikolay Davydenko like a strawberry. Straight sets in 2h10m. Novak Djokovic next, tomorrow hopefully. This will be Marcos’ first match where the bookies have him as the underdog. Let’s hope they’ve got it wrong.

Wimbledon seeding vs the bookies

Marcos plays on court 13 tomorrow, starts noon GMT. If the BBC weather girls have it right, the game might even start AND finish tomorrow.

One thing I can’t get my head round however is the odds the bookies are offering for this game. Davydenko is seeded 6^th, so in theory he is the favourite as Marcos is seeded 10^th. However if you take a look at any bookie website, you stand to earn twice as much if you back Davydenko. Don’t get me wrong, it makes me happy as the bookies do tend to get these right, but why is Marcos the bookies’ favourite?

Oh, and Nadal is through, by the skin of his teeth...

Yes, Davydenko next

Nikolay Davydenko is through and Marcos will face him next. Heaven knows when, with the weather forecast as is, Wimbledon might be heading into a 3rd week. On another note, Rafael Nadal might well be running into a brick wall. He is struggling against Robin Söderling (remember him from two weeks ago in Halle?... if not read blog archive!). Which is positive news for Marcos as Nadal is in the same half of the draw.

Marcos on Fire

David Nalbandian was supposed to be the first real challenge to face Marcos at Wimbledon. However, he made it look like a walk in Wimbledon common. Wrapped the game up in just under 2 hours. Probably Davydenko next. The truth now is that there are no easy players left en-route to the final…

Rain delay

Marcos plays Nalbandian next on court number 11, tomorrow. Should have been yesterday, but canceled due to the heavy rain.

One thing I don't get is why have they transferred a centre court match to court number 11 when both players are seeded. No disrespect but why has Juan Carlos Ferrero vs Janko Tipsarevic been upgraded to court number one instead?

Through to round 3

Frankly Marcos was a class above. Nicolas Devilder's Wimbledon trip cut short.

Court Number 3

Second match on court number 3. Should be around 2pm GMT. Weather forecast good enough to see the game through. Come on Marcos, Nalbandian's up next.

Good Start

It took a bit of a shaking to wake up (lost the first set), but the rest of the match was a walkover. Next up is Nicolas Devilder, probably on Thursday. He's beaten Marcos once in the past, in 2005 in India. This was their only encounter to date. I wander where this game will be staged? His opponent ranks 102^nd, which is paradoxically, lower than Marcos’ opponent in the first round. Court number 2 again? I think Marcos deserves court number 1 at least…

Graveyard of Champions

Marcos plays last on court number 2 today. The weather outlook is good with only a low chance of rain. What concerns me though is that court number 2 is nicknamed the “graveyard of champions” and Marcos is by far the favourite in this encounter…

Bad weather

Tomorrow’s order of play is out, and Marcos is not playing just yet. As always for Wimbledon, the weather forecast is terrible, so first round matches might well drag on for a few days.

On the odds front the bookies rank Marcos 9^th favourite outright winner with odds of 41 to 1.

Wimbledon 2007

The qualifiers are still going on but today the main draw was held. Marcos starts off against Ernests Gulbis a guy from Latvia. He is ranked 84^th in the world and Marcos already beat him once, earlier this year at the Australian Open.

Marcos pulls out

Along with a few other higher ranking players (eg Novak Djokovic, Mario Ancic) Marcos has pulled out of the Ordina open. Must be tired after doing so well in Halle, plus Wimbledon starts next week.

Ordina Open

The Ordina Open starts today, a Dutch grass court tournament held in Hertogenbosch. Marcos plays the Dane, Kristian Pless, whom he beat in straight sets at the French Open a few weeks ago. Game probably tomorrow, Tuesday.

Up 2 places.

Those Halle ATP points helped Marcos rise to 16^th in the ATP rankings. There is a potential drop in the horizon though at Wimbledon. Anything but a semis (or better) appearance would result in a large net loss of points.

Never mind.

Lost by 2 sets to 0. On Marcos’ birthday. Nice of the Germans to organise a birthday cake though. And to sing the "happy bday to you!" Th €55,000 cheque is also a nice little bday present, so are the 155 ATP points. Would have been a bit nicer to walk away with the trophy.

Well, next year maybe… Or perhaps Wimbledon? Can't wait.

Sweet revenge

I was wrong earlier on. My comment went along the lines of “…not an emphatic start to the grass court season…” Apologies, as it has evolved, Marcos could not have expected to start off any better. Sweet revenge on Kohlschreiber takes him to the 6^th final of his career; first final on grass. To face Berdych, who remains favourite I think, but we’ll check the bookies later.

2 matches to go

Straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Poor Florian. It looked like he did not know what hit him. To top it, Marcos finished with an ace. What's even better for Marcos is that Blake is out. Up next is another German, Philipp Kohlschreiber ranked 34^th in the world. Marcos has come across this guy 4 times, 2-2 outcomes to date. The last 2 though (both in ’07) were won by Kohlschreiber. Still Marcos must be the favourite.

€33,000 and 100 ATP points already.

Quarterfinals!

Nikolay Davydenko, seeded 2^nd, ranked 3^rd by ATP got spanked by the German Florian Mayer (unseeded, ranked 37th). Grass is not Nikolay’s favourite surface; he has a dismal record with 2 wins and 12 defeats on this surface to date. Technically this game should prove easy for Marcos. Even the bookies have him down as hot favourite with match odds to win at 1.44.

This will be the first time Marcos plays Mayer. Match starts on centre court at around 17:30 CET.

Comeback

Another comeback. First set down to Söderling, but got there with a 2-1 result. Not really an emphatic start to the grass season. Davydenko is next, that is if he gets through his game today.

Robin Söderling

Today we play the Swede Robin Söderling, currently ranked 28th by ATP. He has beaten Marcos twice already, once in straight sets in Doha earlier on this year, and last year by 2 sets to 1 at New Haven. So never on grass. Time to improve on this record. Centre court 12pm CET. It can be watched live online through bet365 or unencripted on DSF (Astra Sat). Bookies have Marcos down as favourite!

Marcos singing

Good thing you chose tennis Marcos. I hope this performance is your last on the music stage.

Gerry Weber

I thought Halle, or the 'Gerry Weber' Tournament in the 'Gerry Weber Arena' was named after some local hero or famous tennis player. Like say, Roland Garros or Rod Laver. Nope, it is a (rich) company that makes frocks. No different from the Stella Artois Championship I guess...

Halle vs Queen's

I was wrong. Blake ain't the biggest hurdle. It's Davydenko. With the withdrawal of Federer, Marcos is left in the difficult side of the draw. He will have to beat both Blake and Davydenko to progress to the final. However, the only other option this week, Queen's in London, is certainly more challenging with Nadal and Roddick both present. Both tournaments are worth the same points but there is marginally more prize money in Germany.

Halle begins

And Marcos has already won his first game. 1-1 in encounters with Gilles Simon who beat us in Marseilles earlier on this year. FedEx has withrawn (apparently due to fatigue) so the biggest obstacle to winning this one will be Blake.

Up one place

As of today, up one place (to 18) in the ATP rankings. Problem is, if 2007 Wimbledon turns out sour, then there will be a big fall, as last year's semi final appearance points get deleted. Nadal does it again at Roland Garros, but continues to live in Federer's rankings dust.

Monaco

Rumours have it Marcos is spending some time in Monaco, where the 2007 Games of the Small States of Europe are being held. Although Cyprus has entered a tennis team, Marcos does not feature in the schedule of play. I guess he’s there for moral support; his bro Petros, is playing for Cyprus.

Au revoir Paris

Well, out in the 4^th round. Best performance at Roland Garros to date. Can’t complain really, not our favourite surface. But on paper should have at least made it to the next round. I make it another 125 ATP points gained here.

One thing’s for sure, I will remember Andreev from now on.

Bring on the grass courts.

Who is Igor Andreev?

Ranked 125^th by ATP, and to be honest I have hardly heard of him. By no means a player to be underestimated though, he featured in the world’s top 25 in 2006. His best grand slam run to date was 4^th in the French Open in 2004. Does that make clay his favourite surface?

Although this will be their first encounter, Marcos will have to be wide awake if he is going to get to play Djokovic.

2-0 vs Grosjean

Yes, and that is for encounters, not sets. Straight sets this time, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Very impressive, despite this not being Marcos' favourite surface.

Next up is either the Dane Kristian Pless or Yen-Hsun Lu from Chinese Taipei. Should be an easy ride onto facing Dominik Hrbaty (or another unseeded player). A piece of good news is that Roddick is currently having a rough ride with the Russian Andreev. Down by 2 sets to 1 I get the impression the next we’ll be seeing of him will be at Wimbledon. That leaves no top 4 seeds to face Marcos till the semis. Fingers crossed.

Paris 2007

Roland Garros has started and Marcos is seeded 16th. First opponent is (the unseeded) Sebastian Grosjean, whom Marcos beat by 3 sets to 1 at Wimbledon last year; that was their only competitive encounter to date. Although on paper Marcos should not have much of a problem, Grosjean is always dangerous especially on home turf in front of home crowd on a centre court. IMO this is an unlucky draw for Marcos. Plus he hasn't been playing his best tennis of late...

We shall see.

Marcos Baghdatis’ girlfriend - Camille Neviere

So Baghatis used to date this chick called Camille Neviere. Yes it is over. Strange relationship, she’s Marcos’ coach’s step daughter. A bit of a tongue twister...

Nevertheless she was considered pretty cute, perhaps one of the hottest WAGs on the circuit at the time. The pictures below were the ones that were widely circulated during the 2006 Australian open.