Marcos Baghdatis

Murray beats Marcos

2012-01-08T07:11:00.002Z

Marcos last beat Murray about 250 years ago. This time he clipped our wings. The rather talent-lessMurray showedthe rather fitness, concentration-less Baghdatis, how it’s done. Marcos,watch an learn dude, Murrayis the example to follow. I have said this umpteen times.

Watch the full embarrassment here.

Baghdatis – 2012 off to a good start. Andy Murray up next.

2012-01-04T13:05:00.000Z

Australia, Brisbane, here we come. Our favourite place in the world, the only place we’ve reallyachieved anything worth mentioning. The place that catapulted us to stardom.

OK only two victories, but emphatic none-the-less. Nishikori is no pushover any longer, he was seeded higher than Marcos. Let there be more,especially at the Open.

Andy Murray next, can't wait.

Baghdatis - 2011 in a nutshell

2011-12-01T23:34:00.001Z

The season is over and Marcos ends on a lowagain – ranked 44^th, with a total prize money of $603,356 for 2011. Enoughto buy him yet another Porsche perhaps (we all know that’s his weakness), butanother disappointing season overall. The years are slipping away. At thetender age of 26, in tennis terms, Marcos might well be over the hill. He surelooks like he is.

Last week in London, Federer showed the world how comebacksare done. That’s how its done dude, watch carefully and learn (without yourpopcorn or mixed kebab). Cos we’re tired of waiting and we are still dreamingof 2006.

Baghdatis at Wimbledon

2011-06-24T15:03:00.000+01:00

So far, Marcos has taken out Blake in 5 sets and Seppi in straight sets. However next up is Mr Djokovic and I fear it will be the end of the road...

Indian beats Baghdatis at Indian Wells

2011-03-18T11:34:00.002Z

Apologies for the pun.

No posts recently cos I’m annoyed. With Marcos, and his perennial underachievement. No disrespect to any opponent but how could a top 20 player surrender to a qualifier like this? Straight sets, 7-5, 6-0 (!). Apparently it was an ingrowing nail.

Baghdatis beats Lopez

2011-02-10T21:21:00.000Z

Well done Marcos. Surprisingly, unseeded Lopez appeared to be harder work than last month's Australian Open finalist. Rotterdam is no mickey mouse tournament, with 2 of the top 5 ATP ranked players signing up.

Baghdatis vs Murray

2011-02-09T23:36:00.001Z

I regard Murray as an exceptional player. What he lacks in talent, he more than makes up with dedication and extremely hard work. He is the epitome of a sports professional and has not been loitering in the top 5 for the last few years by chance.

On the other hand we have Marcos, who is dripping with talent, yet has the discipline of a toddler. Marcos has a lot to learn from Andy Murray - but not today in Rotterdam. Marcos started by dropping 3 games, coming back to win the set 6-4 and the next one 6-1. Well done Marcos, may this become the rule not the exception we have gotten used to.

Feliciano Lopez up next, 1-1 in encounters to date. I have to admit, I am amazed at his current ranking (44th).

Bye Bye Australia

2011-01-26T23:27:00.000Z

Wrist problems. Here is another video to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxZG1cnlrN8

Baghdatis takes another scalp - Del Potro's

2011-01-21T10:34:00.002Z

In the Rod Laver Arena! More convincing than the 1st round win over a qualifier. 15 aces! Admittedly Del Potro has been struggling with his wrist for ages.

Marcos now faces No. 11 seed Jurgen Melzer in the Hisense Arena, 7pm local time (8am GMT / 10am Cyprus/ 3am ET). He's not played the 29 year old Austrian before.

Baghdatis beats Grega Žemlja 3-2

2011-01-18T11:21:00.000Z

A win is a win, but you'd expect it to come a bit easier vs a qualifier...

Baghdatis and the 2011 Australian Open

2011-01-16T23:19:00.000Z

Marcos is seeded 21st and our first game is vs Grega Žemlja currently ranked 141st. No previous encounters with the Slovenian, on paper this should be just a warm up.

Australian Open 2011

2011-01-12T15:34:00.001Z

Is it over before it even started? Marcos has pulled out of Sydney with a groin injury.

Brisbane

2011-01-12T14:49:00.002Z

We have touched on this before, but I think he means he stopped eating those infamous kebabs.

Injured Baghdatis pulls plug on season

2010-11-04T15:00:00.003Z

From the Cyprus Mail, Nemanja Bjedov.

MARCOS Baghdatis has called a premature end to his 2010 season after he withdraw from the Swiss Indoors Basel and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

The Cypriot suffered a right shoulder injury in Vienna last week and was advised by his physio to rest for a fortnight in order to avoid aggravating the injury.

“I am very sorry that I will not be able to see my fans in Basel and Paris this year. I injured my right shoulder in Vienna and have been advised to rest so as not to cause any further damage,” said Baghdatis in a statement published on his official website.

“I am disappointed that the season has come to an early end, but I am very happy with my progress in 2010 and look forward to seeing you all on tour next year. Thanks for your support,” he added.

After recovering, the world number 20 will work hard during the short off season in preparation for the 2011 campaign which he will commence at the eagerly-anticipated Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi featuring an all-star line up of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.

The tournament will be held at the recently upgraded Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City.

“Abu Dhabi is a very special place to me. I have enjoyed the best season of my career so far and it all started with a victory in Abu Dhabi, so it holds great memories,” said world number one Nadal.

“The early season momentum gained in Abu Dhabi is good preparation for the Australian Open,” the Spaniard added.

“Everything about Abu Dhabi and the tournament - from the weather, facilities and the atmosphere in the stadium, make it the ideal place to start my season. Having seen the strength of the field, I look forward to returning to defend my title in a fantastic city that loves tennis and is emerging as one of the world’s great sporting destinations,” concluded the 24-year-old..

Returning to Abu Dhabi for the third straight year, Federer said he is also looking forward to the tournament. “To win against such a strong field will be the perfect start to the 2011 season, as this world class tournament has put Abu Dhabi on the global tennis map,” he said.

“It’s personally rewarding to play here and Abu Dhabi is a place where I always want to win.”

Baghdatis in Malayisa (again)

2010-09-26T13:12:00.001+01:00

Marcos is playing in Malaysia this week. Too many decent players there for just 250 points – I wonder if it is worth the trip. He lost to Youzhny here last year and Youzhny is here again, on even greater form.

Baghdatis and the Davis Cup

2010-09-15T12:58:00.000+01:00

I think I agree with Marcos in dropping out of the Davis Cup. It is a one man bandwagon much like the British one. But I doubt it will help his performance. He needs to drop the kebabs.

Anything is possible with enigma Baghdatis

2010-08-26T17:01:00.002+01:00

Look what I found
(Published in the Cyprus Mail, on August 24, 2010)

CYPRIOT tennis star Marcos Baghdatis is a bit of an enigma. Big things were expected of the Limassol native after he reached the final of the Australian Open in 2006, and he reached a career high of number eight in the rankings after making it to the last four at Wimbledon later that year.

Since those heady heights, the 25-year-old has suffered from inconsistency and injury. A crowd favourite wherever he plays around the world due to his infectious enthusiasm and breathtaking shot-making, Baghdatis is capable of a stunning win one day, followed by a dismal defeat to a lower-ranked opponent the following day.

Despite a respectable four career titles, the latest coming in Sydney in January, nobody really knows what to expect when Baghdatis steps out on court. However, he has been showing signs of getting back to his best this summer, reaching the final in Washington a couple of weeks ago and the semi-finals of the prestigious Cincinnati Masters last week. Upsets are nothing new to Baghdatis, who knocked off four of the hardest hitters on Tour since he opened play in Ohio last Sunday. He defeated Marin Cilic, Thomaz Bellucci, Tomas Berdych and world number one Rafa Nadal for the first time.

A semi-final clash with Swiss maestro Roger Federer was a step too far though, the Cypriot making no impression on the 16-time Grand Slam champion as he was swept aside in only 70 minutes. Television commentators made a good point about Baghdatis’ game following the loss.
“There is a marked difference in the quality of his first and second serve,” they said. “When he is serving well, (as he did against Nadal with 18 aces), he can dictate play.
“But when the serve is not working, he can really struggle.”

Nevertheless, his recent performances have seen the national icon, who proudly displays the island’s flag all over his clothing, rise to number 18 in the rankings. He is also the only player on Tour to beat two world number ones this season, after his victory over then top-ranked Federer at Indian Wells in March. “It was a great week for me and I am now back in the Top 20 and I feel great,” Baghdatis said on Sunday. “I am fit and playing the top guys well.
“I am working hard and being patient and more success will come.”

With only a week to go before the final Grand Slam of 2010 - the US Open - there is one last stop on the Tour before we get to Flushing Meadows. This week offers the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven where Baghdatis is the number one seed. But will he crash out early or end up lifting the trophy? With his track record, anything is possible.

Baghdatis beats Federer (finally!)

2010-03-17T10:00:00.007Z

So Marcos has beaten Him. After half a dozen attempts.
Here are the highlights:

And here is Marcos talking all about it.

Tommy Robredo up next. Why do they have to play in the middle of the night in America? Jee. On Novasports 4 for the privileged.

Bagdatis beats James Blake

2010-02-10T20:48:00.000Z

Straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. First ever encounter with Blake, 1-0 to us.

Davydenko up next... tough test, early on. If anything though, history is on our side. Lost to him in 2006, but beaten him twice since. Davydenko, seeded 2nd in this tournament, is of course the bookies' favourite.

Baghdatis in Rotterdam

2010-02-10T12:43:00.000Z

Marcos is up against James Blake for this ATP 500 tournament. The 500 points are badly needed.
Game starts at 730pm CET. I am not sure Marcos has ever played here before.

Baghdatis and his kebabs

2010-02-01T18:58:00.002Z

It has been common knowledge that Marcos likes his food. Kebabs is one of his favourite dishes. A Melbourne kebab house has gone as far as naming a version of the quintessentially Cypriot dish after him. Rumour has it he used to sneak out for a kebab or two at 4am before major games.

Apparently serious tennis players don't do that. Someone pointed this out to him recently, and if you believe the press, those days are over . He is now:

stopping futsal (even I used to see him knocking a ball around in Cyprus)
he has cut out beer drinking
he has cut out those infamous kebabs

Baghdatis' latest girlfriend

2010-01-30T23:58:00.002Z

Apparently he is dating Karolina Šprem.

The Croatian singles player. Great surname.

Baghdatis beats David Ferrer

2010-01-21T14:19:00.000Z

What a match. What an epic match!!! 2 sets to 0 down, never having beaten Ferrer before. What a game to turn around. Yet again Marcos makes the headlines (for the right reasons)!

He is the Australian Open.

I predict that the Hewitt match will be rostered for the Rod Laver arena. We beat him last week, we should beat him again. Just like at Wimbledon 2007. Take revenge for last year's loss.

Baghdatis to meet Ferrer.

2010-01-20T01:26:00.000Z

Paolo Lorenzi was no match for Marcos, who brushed him aside with a 6-2 6-4 6-4 win. Worryingly, David Ferrer (our next opponent) easily won his first game. He has beaten us twice in the past.

Match most likely to be played on Thursday. I wander which court we will be allocated.

Baghdatis wins Sydney 2010

2010-01-16T12:17:00.003Z

First ever encounter vs Gasquet, won in straight sets (6-4,7-6)! What a comeback, after trailing 5-2!
A few Euros in the bank and 250 much appreciated ATP points. Not a bad way to start the year. Let's keep up the momentum Marcos.

Baghdatis spears a Fish!

2010-01-15T16:52:00.003Z

Could we please meet Mardy Fish over and again? 3 for us in encounters to date. 0 for the Fish.

Final is vs Richard Gasquet. These two have yet to meet to date. For those who want to watch it, it is on (Greek) Eurosport 2. 10:30am (Athens Time)

Baghdatis beats Hewitt (again)

2010-01-14T16:19:00.000Z

With this 2-1 win Marcos is through to the semis. Head to head, it is 2-1 to Marcos now.

Mardy Fish next. He's ranked below us (cough, i thought we had hit rock bottom gov?) plus he's felt the wrath of Marcos twice in the past. Marcos dismissed him last week in Brisbane, straight sets. The omens are good.

Marcos Baghdatis in Australia!

2010-01-13T23:33:00.006Z

Marcos started the year in true fashion, crashing out of the Brisbane 250 with a rather embarrassing 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Thomas Berdych. However, he’s found time to occupy himself with Miss Universe (check out the photo!)

He’s past round 1 in the Sydney Medibank (ATP 250) tournament and he’s up against Lleyton Hewitt tomorrow, an old foe.

Is there a cunning plan? Will we bounce back? Is 2010 the year?

Baghdatis wins the Stockholm Open 2009

2009-10-25T22:01:00.001Z

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

This is no mickey mouse tournament. 250 points and $100k to play with. OK Soderling was a walk over and Olivier Rochus is not the most formidable of opponents. But a 6-1, 7-5 is convincing and the points are for real. A new beginning? Back to the good times? Tomorrow Marcos should shoot up the rankings back where he belongs.

Baghdatis beats Robert Kendrick

2009-10-22T19:08:00.003+01:00

Come on Marcos keep the momentum. 6-2, 6-2. 7 aces in less than an hour. Judging by our form (I know of two games only) Arnaud Clement the 31 year old ageing Frenchman (who is up next) should be breakfast material.

This is supposed to be Robin Soderling's tournament, and we want to steal it.

Bagdatis beats Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Stockholm Open

2009-10-22T12:52:00.000+01:00

Eat our dust Juan. 6-4, 6-2 is pretty solid stuff. Robert Kendrick up next, for a change a player ranked lower than us. Game starts soon, so tune your sets.

Baghdatis in Stockholm

2009-10-19T20:51:00.005+01:00

Marcos has shot up the ATP rankings (by 20 odd places please!) and is now back in the top 70. Which now gets him into some half decent tournaments, such as the Stockholm Open, part of the ATP 250 circuit. First draw vs Juan Carlos Ferrer. Not an easy draw I'm afraid... The game is probably scheduled for Wednesday the 21st. The Stig says you can watch it on a JustinTV 4x4 screen here, live free and online. I am not so sure.

What is Baghdatis wearing?

2009-10-19T18:47:00.003+01:00

Marcos has just conquered the prestigious Tashkent Open after brushing aside the infamous Denis Istomin. Where is Tashkent I hear you ask? Yep, dear readers, I had never heard of this place before. It is of course, the capital of Uzbekistan, with a population larger than Cyprus (~3 million).

After his hard earned 2-1 victory in the final Marcos had to wear what you see in the picture (is that a noodle take away box on his head?). Would he have still pursued the win, had he known about this impending photoshoot? Images of Borat...

Nadal beats Baghdatis (again) at the China Open

2009-10-09T18:13:00.001+01:00

No surprises there. A limp Nadal struggled a bit, but would the end result ever have been any different? Perhaps a couple of years ago...

Mikhail Youzhny beats Baghdatis at the Malaysian Open

2009-09-30T10:29:00.001+01:00

6-2, 6-3 to Mikhail Youzhny. Malaysian tour over, China next. Will Marcos stick around in SE Asia or come home for a mixed kebab?

Baghdatis beats Lu Yen-hsun, Mikhail Youzhny to come.

2009-09-29T21:18:00.002+01:00

Praise raining in from all angles. Marcos has beaten no 75 in the world: Lu Yen-hsun the 26 year old from Taiwan. It only took us 3 sets over 3 hours. Is that what we have been reduced to? Mikhail Youzhny the Russian, is up next - a pretty respectable opponent. He beat Marcos at his inaugural Wimbledon appearance. Praise is due if we beat him.

Baghdatis in Malaysia

2009-09-23T14:08:00.000+01:00

Marcos has squeezed a wild card to take part in the Malaysian Open next week.This ATP tournament is worth a million bucks and offers the winner 250 ATP points. Nikolay Davydenko tops the seeds.

Baghdatis' ranking

2009-09-22T22:30:00.003+01:00

Marcos has remained out of the top 100. Just click on this link and you will find you need to follow on to rankings 101-200 for his name to appear.

Some good news though, is his entry in the 2009 China Open. He needed a wild-card invitation on the back of his 2006 victory here, but should he perform well in Beijing there are points (and yes, money!, over $3 million in fact) to be won.

Could a good performance here herald a return to the good times? Come on Marcos, you are not over the hill yet...

Baghdatis in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

2009-09-09T17:25:00.005+01:00

Months have gone by, and Marcos is off the radars... Languishing in triple figure rankings he now competes in fringe ATP Challenger tournaments such as 'Le Trophée des Alpilles'.

Will he ever claw his way back into the big boys' club?

Baghdatis makes sushi Nishikori

2009-02-18T22:13:00.002Z

Straight sets, 7-5, 6-3. I do hope Sam Querrey makes it to the next round. We need revenge!

Memphis here we come!

2009-02-15T19:47:00.003Z

First up is a 19 year old Japanese guy by the name of Kei Nishikori ranked 56th, about 30 places above us. If the script is right, he will be flying back to Tokyo soon, which brings us back to guess who... Sam Querrey, our nemesis.

Baghdatis squashed by Querrey

2009-02-12T00:48:00.002Z

2 sets to 1, short stay in San Jose. Is this a return to Marcos’ familiar form? Off to Mephis.

Baghdatis at San Jose 2009

2009-02-08T12:00:00.003Z

And so to the states. San Jose 2009 (aka SAP open) starts tomorrow with Marcos facing Sam Querrey the 8th seed. This guy, ranked 50 places above us (he is no 35 in the universe) beat Marcos less than a year ago at the Paris masters. Time for revenge?

Bye Bye SA

2009-02-07T07:42:00.002Z

David Ferrer was the end of the road. Decent first set with decent service, but hopeless in the second. Final score: 7-5, 6-2. Onto San Jose next week.

Baghdatis cooks Klaasen on the braai

2009-02-04T22:37:00.003Z

6-3, 7-5. Nice and sweet, Marcos advances to the quarterfinals. David Ferrer next. He is ranked 72 (!) places above Marcos and in 2006 beat him in straight sets, their only encounter to date. Despite this, Baghdatis is still second favourite (behind Tsonga) to win this tournament.

Baghdatis makes biltong out of Anderson

2009-02-02T21:01:00.003Z

Yummy yummy.

Marcos beats Anderson 6-4, 6-2. First set was closer than one might have expected. Good result though,. Next up is Raven Klaasen another South African wildcard. Ranked 350th by ATP he should also be a matter of procedure. Careful though, he's just beaten Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in straight sets. And we all know how Marcos can mess these 'easy ties' up...

Baghdatis stays in the southern hemisphere.

2009-02-02T13:21:00.002Z

Seeded 8th, due to our ranking, the South African Open should be an opportunity to earn some invaluable points. Eighty Fifth in the world is a bit embarrassing… we want single figures Marcos!

We kick off facing Andrew Anderson , ranked 1546th in the world ( I wander if he's a wildcard entry being a local). No surprise, it’s our first encounter. Come on Marcos, lets make some boerewors out of this guy. Last game today (Monday) on centre court.

I’m wandering, who will the South African Greeks be cheering on?

And Baghdatis shoots up the ATP rankings!

2009-02-02T13:08:00.004Z

New week, new rankings, from 100th to 85^th; on the back of a decent start to the season. Bowed out of the Aussie Open losing to Djokovic in a tightly contested match (again). It is worth mentioning that Djokovic - on the back of this game - had to retire from his next fixture with Roddick the following day. One could argue then that Marcos knocked the no 3 in the world out of the Australian Open! For those who remember, it has happened before, during Wimbledon 2007.

Marcos’ 4^th round Australian Open points replace the ones he gained 12 months ago where he only reached round 3, so up the ranking he shoots. Next tournament is in Sout Efrika.

Serb Fans

2009-01-22T15:54:00.002Z

The Serbs are nicking our trademark. What does this remind you of? And I thought we were the only ones to turn tennis into a football game. Mind you, the Serbs have 3 cracking players to cheer on.

But you know, that's what i like about the Australian Open. Laid back. You can cheer your player on without some British Legion octogenarian going all menstrual over it. Can anyone imagine that sort of atmosphere in Paris or Wimbledon? Fat chance. They have to be 'proper'.

I hate Australian time though. It sucks having to get up in the early hours to watch Baghdatis. Why cant they just play during daytime? Or perhaps around 7pm CET - so that I can watch it over my supper.

Baghdatis is picking up pace.

2009-01-22T15:13:00.000Z

Söderling dispatched. Just about. It was looking very much a pending disaster half way into the game - 1 set down and trailing 5-4. But Marcos managed to turn it around to a 3-1 victory, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. Don't want to tempt fate but Mardy Fish who follows tomorrow, should be just procedural. Which will bring us to a different Fish (or kettle of). Djokovic. Nuff said.

Baghdatis beats Benneteau

2009-01-20T21:24:00.003Z

Marcos dispatched Benneteau with apparent ease. Bar the puke. 6-3, 7-6, 6-2.

Next up is Söderling, who currently ranks 16th and has been our nemesis three times to date. Scheduled as the last game on show court 2.

Baghdatis at Australia 2009

2009-01-18T22:40:00.008Z

Marcos kicks off down under ranked 98th and facing Julien Benneteau, currently ranked 48th by ATP. He has beaten Marcos on both previous encounters but that was in 2006.

In an interview with the Age Marcos is quoted: "I feel happy being on court again : I feel fitter than ever".

Come on Marcos, make it 3 wins in a row. Australian Open here we come.

Baghdatis beats Cilic

2009-01-16T16:32:00.003Z

More great news! We've beaten Marin Cilic in straight sets! (6-3, 6-2)

No mean feat my friends. He is no 20 in the world. Are we back, or are we back? Australian Open here we come.

Baghdatis beats Ljubicic

2009-01-15T12:52:00.003Z

Great news! First time we've won in ages. Can anyone even remember the last time we won? I can't... it has been months!
I watched the first set, which was close, settled on a tie break. Marcos' service needed (a lot of) tweaking.

Ljubicic has become Marcos' whipping boy. Four wins vs 1 loss to date, even though Ivan is ranked a mind boggling 40 or so places above us. Unfortunately though i dont think this tournament offers any ATP points.

Baghdatis loses at AAMI

2009-01-14T01:18:00.003Z

Marcos Baghdatis lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in his first game at the AAMI Kooyong Classic. Two sets to love, 6-2, 6-2. Marcos has a new haircut though...

I wander where Stanislas' sunrame comes from. He bats for the Swiss but his surname sounds Polish to me. Great player, no wander he's top 20.

Baghdatis Knocked Out In Brisbane

2009-01-12T15:22:00.003Z

Not the best of starts to the year! 2-1 sets to Nieminen in round one. Next up is the AAMI Classic at Kooyong, Melbourne. It's an exhibition tournament though, no points up for grabs. Which means we must be out of the top 100 next week. The only way is up!

Baghdatis at Brisbane 2009

2009-01-04T10:59:00.001Z

First round, vs Nieminen. All square (2-2) in head to head encounters, last match in 2007. Nieminen won that one and he is now 41^st in the world. A whopping 55 places above Marcos. Surely, we cannot past him, can we?

Hopefully this will be live on Eurosport.

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

2008-12-30T16:36:00.003Z

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

2008-12-23T22:52:00.009Z

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

2008-12-23T21:47:00.010Z

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

2008-11-22T14:17:00.000Z

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

2008-10-07T11:12:00.002+01:00

He has new or ongoing issues with his:

Wrist
Back
Ankle
Psyche ?

And he is only 23.

Baghdatis out of Metz

2008-10-02T11:57:00.003+01:00

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.

2008-09-29T17:54:00.004+01:00

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!

2008-09-10T14:52:00.001+01:00

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

2008-07-13T17:01:00.002+01:00

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

2008-07-03T09:05:00.003+01:00

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

2008-05-27T10:31:00.002+01:00

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

2008-04-29T00:25:00.006+01:00

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?

2008-04-28T23:49:00.008+01:00

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

2008-01-18T10:35:00.000Z

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.

Baghdatis beats Robredo to reach Master's semi

2007-11-02T16:29:00.000Z

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

2007-11-02T00:28:00.000Z

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

2007-10-26T21:10:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-25T14:43:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-23T22:05:00.000+01:00

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.

2007-10-23T21:58:00.000+01:00

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

Where is Baghdatis?

2007-10-03T15:24:00.000+01:00

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.

2007-09-17T13:45:00.001+01:00

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

2007-09-15T16:29:00.000+01:00

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

2007-09-12T10:06:00.000+01:00

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

2007-09-11T14:03:00.000+01:00

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

2007-09-10T16:29:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-28T15:17:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-23T12:12:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-20T12:02:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-17T09:18:00.000+01:00

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.

2007-08-16T10:02:00.000+01:00

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.

2007-08-14T21:12:00.000+01:00

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.

2007-08-13T11:43:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-12T14:01:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-12T12:47:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-08-10T12:33:00.000+01:00

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.

2007-08-09T13:59:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-08T12:24:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-06T00:43:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-03T10:00:00.000+01:00

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?

2007-08-01T17:40:00.001+01:00

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.

2007-07-26T12:33:00.000+01:00

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

2007-07-22T01:04:00.001+01:00

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.