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.

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.