Review of the 2008 season. Oh, Marcos Baghdatis, where art thou?

You know where I am going with this.

The year started quite well. Ranked 16^th, 2008 began with a memorable match vs Lleyton Hewitt in round 3 of the Aussie Open. And even though Marcos lost the match (in the early hours of the morning - perhaps the latest ever finish of a grand slam match), he seemed poised for major achievements.

But Baghdatis would be hampered by a back injury and other health concerns and only managed to compete in four events after Wimbledon, retiring in 3 of them. He posted just 14 match victories for the entire season and swapped 3 coaches. Baghdatis begins 2009 ranked 98^th and has been branded as one of this season’s Least Improved Male Player.

I have come across articles already referring to Marcos as a one-slam wonder. Oh, Marcos Baghdatis, where art thou?

Bagdatis' new coach

Coach no 3 for 2008 turns out to be Olivier Soules who works for Team Lagardere, a professional sports training agency that specialises in tennis coaching (but also does athletics if you have the cash). They are based in Paris and Sophia Antipolis (close to Nice) plus they have/had a few other (mainly French) celebrities on their books - such as Richard Gasquet, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Julien Benneteau, Nicolas Devilder, Nicolas Mahut...

I think Olivier Soules himself was a tennis player, in the late 80's but I will dig out his story (and perhaps some dirt too) later on. New girlfriend and a new coach! Way to go... I seem to have been out of the loop for too long - has Marcos turned the page?

Baghdatis' new girlfriend

Well, there's not much on-court action to talk about - there hasn't been much for yonks. So I googled about to search for any gossip on his personal life. A couple of discussion forums seem to suggest he is now dating another tennis player, from Luxembourg. Her name is Mandy Minella and this is her pic. Let us see if she can turn things around.

Didn't somebody once say "Change always comes bearing gifts"?

Baghdatis in South Africa 2009

Marcos has signed up to appear at the South African Open tennis championship to be held at Montecasino in Johannesburg from February 2 to 8 2009. It is mentioned that “he is hoping to re-launch his career” there. He is sure to have a good following there, through Joburg’s sizeable Cypriot Diaspora.

On the other hand, he has also registered to play at the Australian open, held from January 19 through February 1, 2009. Am I the only one noticing the discrepancies?

Baghdatis' current injuries

He has new or ongoing issues with his:

1. Wrist
2. Back
3. Ankle
4. Psyche ?
   

And he is only 23.

Baghdatis out of Metz

Metz should have been a walk in the park. In an interview on his arrival, he claimed to be in great form and hungry to get back on the circuit.

Disappointment again. One set up vs Ivo Karlovic in the first round and he had to retire through injury (not wrist, it's his back this time)

Baghdatis is not back just yet.

You know what gets on my tits? Marcos’ silence. OK you’re injured. Or you don’t feel up to entering a few tournaments. Or you want to take a holiday. Fair enough.

Just tell us dude. You have a website, just paste a short notice along the lines of “Shop closed for the summer, I’ll be back in 2 months”. His new website has been coming soon for over 6 months. Marcos is in danger of amassing more comebacks than Mike Tyson. Or Lazarus.

So just why did he drop out of the Orleans Challenger in the semis? No one seems to know, and soon, no one will seem to care.

Baghdatis is back!

Yes, He is back. First match since June 30, he competes in the Orleans Challenger, a small tournament on the circuit’s fringes. Having skipped every major tournament for over 70 days (including the US Open) and bypassing the Olympics, Marcos has slid into ATP ranking obscurity. He is currently forty something in the world, which seeds him second in this tournament. It is not the first time he attends here either; whilst still an unknown , in 2005 he reached the quarterfinals.

Baghdatis on the entry list for 2008 Rogers cup

Marcos is on the entry list for Rogers 2008. He had a good time there last year. Ranked 30^th in the world at present is unlikely to be given a favourable draw.

Baghdatis at Wimbledon 2008

OK, so Marcos was knocked out of Wimbledon in the 4^th round by Feliciano Lopez. In fact I find it surprising that he got this far - considering his form this year. But I cannot help but wander if the tide is turning. His new coach, Peter Lundgren, is one of the most respected in the sport (but probably not the best looking) and he can hopefully knock some sense into the kid. Marcos looked fitter on court, more serious and more confident. If he continues to build on this I am confident there are trophies to be won.

Baghdatis at Paris 2008

Not much to say here. Short visit for Marcos, in out like a flash. Lost to Simone Bolelli in straight sets. 51 unforced errors!
Next year probably?

Here is Marcos Baghdatis

I had to trawl the French websites to find out his whereabouts. Apparently he has an ankle injury and will rest up until the French Open so we wont be seeing him in action for another whole month.
Now how difficult would it have been to drop us a line on your website Marcos? Please stay away from the kebabs in the meantime.

Where the f&#%$ is Marcos Baghdatis?

OK, his head popped out of the sand to help Cyprus ease past Slovenia in the Davis Cup, but he has vanished once more. Where the hell is he? Two master’s tournaments have gone by and and no news on his official website… He is becoming a recluse. He does not feature on this week's tournament line-ups. Had he entered the Munich tournament he would have been top seed, with a few easy points to bag. Does no one advise him on such matters? Grrrr. So frustrating...

What amazes me even more is that despite the above he is climbing the ATP ranks and is now top 12. The players just above him must be dropping points off last year’s tournaments.

If you know his whereabouts drop me a line (comment) and I will get down there and bring him to his senses. How will we ever stand a chance of winning that Olympics medal we planned?

Baghdatis into 3rd round of 2008 Australian Open

Marcos could not have wished for a harder start to 2008 and the Australian Open. After dispatching two former champions he is back on the radars. Marcos made an easy job of ageing Thomas Johansson and a not so easy job of Marat Safin.

Safin looked like making a strong comeback by taking 2 easy sets to level the game 2-2, but Marcos pulled himself together at the end to wrap up the 5 set thriller. In this game, Marcos was penalised with two foot faults (!) of which at least one was a wrong call. HawkEye does not cover foot faults so despite clear evidence on a court side video display, Marcos could not appeal. He laughed though.

Evening centre court game vs Hewitt tomorrow. Vocal Australian vs Cypriot crowd, I am sure it will make good TV. Marcos has only played Hewitt once in the past beating him in the quarters of Wimbledon 2006. Despite Hewitt's home advantage, the bookies have Marcos down as the favourite.