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Article
by
Melissa
Reynolds
Amongst
Cyprus'
ever-increasing
list of
sporting
heroes,
the
achievements
of
Marcos Baghdatis
are
certainly
the most
celebrated.
It is
often
said
that the
Cypriot
tennis
star
competes
wearing
his
heart on
his
sleeve,
an
on-court
trait
that
distinguishes
him from
the
serious
demeanour
of
contemporaries
and
which,
along
with his
highly
entertaining
style of
play,
has won
him the
hearts
of
spectators
the
world
over.
What is
particularly
impressive
about
Baghdatis
is that,
despite
his
public
acclaim
and
impressive
accomplishments
- he is
currently
ATP
ranked
16th in
the
world
and has
accumulated
tournament
earnings
close to
US$2.5
million
- the
local
hero
keeps
his feet
firmly
planted
on the
ground,
with na'er a
sign
that the
attention
will
ever go
to his
head.
Meeting
him
en-route
to the
airport,
after
wrapping
up a
whirlwind
business
trip to
the
island
last
month,
Baghdatis
is
relaxed,
friendly
and
ever-ready
with his
warm
trademark
smile as
he talks
about
2007 and
next
season's
challenges,
including
that
elusive
Olympic
gold
medal he
has set
his
sights
on
winning
next
September.
Baghdatis
made his
tennis
debut at
the age
of five
when he
joined
his
father
and
brothers
on the
courts
of
Limassol.
His
natural
aptitude
for the
game was
quickly
apparent
and by
the time
he was
twelve
he had
already
resolved
to
follow a
professional
tennis
career,
a
decision
that led
to a
move to
Nicosia
where he
trained
for
three
years
with
Davis
Cup
coach
Yiannis
Hadjiergiou,
before
relocating
to Paris
to join
Europe's
first
top
level
training
academy,
the Mouratoglou
Tennis
Centre.
Leaving
his
family
and
adjusting
to life
in a new
country
was a
traumatic
step for
the
young
player;
a
decision
that he
often
laments,
"The
only
thing I
regret
in my
life is
not to
spend my
childhood
with my
parents,"
he says
candidly.
Fortunately,
Baghdatis
developed
a close
relationship
with the
Benhaim's,
the
family
he was
placed
with on
his
arrival
in
Paris,
"I have
two
families;
my
Cypriot
family
and my
French
family," he says
of the
hosts
who
provided
support
to him
from the
age of
fourteen.
The
French
influence
is
perhaps
most
apparent
in his
accent,
more
Gallic
than
Greek,
although
he
insists
that
nine
years in
the
French
capital
hasn't
altered
his
sense of
identity,
"I feel
like a
Cypriot,"
he says
with a
Parisian
lilt.
After
considerable
success
on the
junior
circuit,
Baghdatis
joined
the ATP
professional
tour in
2003,
slowly
making
his mark
in 2004
by
winning
two
Challenger
titles
and
taking a
set
against
formidable
Swiss
player,
Roger
Federer,
at the
US Open,
one of
only two
players
in the
tournament
to do
so. The
same
year
Baghdatis
reached
the
second
round at
the
Athens
Olympics,
an
achievement
that
Baghdatis
says
marked a
new
phase in
his
career,
“The
click
(sic)
that I
thought
I could
do it
was at
the
Olympics.
I played
well;
for the
first
time I
beat
guys
that
were in
the top
100 and
when I
played
Nicolas
Kiefer
he was
ranked
18th in
the
world at
the
time.
That's
when I
started
believing
in
myself
more. I
said
that
it's not
really
tough to
do it
and I
think
that was
the
turning
point."
Although
he had
consolidated
his
position
within
the
tennis
fraternity,
it was
the
Australian
Open in
January
2006
that
finally
catapulted
Baghdatis
to
superstardom,
when the
un-seeded
island
upstart,
supported
by an
army of
flag
waving
fans,
demolished
2nd seed
Andy
Roddick
in the
quarter
finals.
In a
gripping
five-set
semi-final
match
Baghdatis
defeated
4th seed
David
Nalbandian,
earning
him a
place in
the
finals
to go
head-to-head
with
Federer.
The
Australian
crowds
loved
him
whilst
Greeks
and
Cypriots
around
the
world,
many of
whom had
previously
taken
little
interest
in
tennis,
became
overnight
fans -
understanding
the
rules
didn't
matter,
what was
important
was that
this was
one of
their
own.
Despite
failing
to match
the
awesome
skills
of
Federer
in the
tournament
final,
from a
personal
point of
view
Baghdatis
was in
his
element,
"The
best
moments
of my
life
were at
the
Australian
Open.
That was
the best
two
weeks of
my life,
the best
ever. I
was
winning
so it's
easy to
say it
was the
best but
it was
the
atmosphere
too, the
way
things
happened
for the
first
time. I
think it
will be
two
weeks in
my life
that I
will
never
forget,"
he says.
The
media
attention
that
came as
a result
of his
Open
success
has, at
times,
been
difficult
for
Baghdatis,
who
despite
his
happy-go-lucky
on-court
persona
is a
deeply
private
individual
who
prefers
to keep
his
personal
life
away
from the
glare of
publicity.
"You
know, on
the
court I
am
somebody
and off
it I am
somebody
else; I
mean I
am the
same
person
but in
my
personal
life -
concerning
my
family,
my
girlfriend,
everything
in my
life -I
am more
closed
up
because
I don’t
want
everybody
to know,
not
because
I don’t
want it
but out
of
respect
for the
people I
love.
You
don't
want to
say
things
that
don't
make
them
feel
good; on
camera,
when you
are out
or me
saying
things.
I
respect
their
choices
and I
try to
be
closed
on my
personal
life,"
he
explains,
adding
that he
feels
shielded
from
intrusion
whilst
in
France.
"It's
quieter,
they
respect
our
privacy
and I
think
that's
really
important,
everybody's
a human
being,
everybody
has
emotions,
everybody
has
feelings
so I
think
you have
to
respect
those
feelings
that’s
all." Baghdatis
fans at
home in
Cyprus
pose no
problems
for the
island's
biggest
star,
"It’s
much
better,
they see
me more
often
and
Cyprus
is
small.
The
people
are
really
nice,
they
show me
love and
they
respect
me, they
show me
respect
and I
find
that
very
important."
This
year
Baghdatis
has
moved
closer
to
reaching
his
goals,
winning
his
second
career
ATP
title in
Zagreb
in
February
and
gradually
closing
the gap
between
himself
and top
seeded
rivals
Federer
and
Raphael
Nadal.
Both
players
have
posed a
significant
hindrance
to his
progress,
however,
in
examining
his
performance
against
Nadal he
is
confident
he can
gain the
upper
hand,
"I'm
trying
my best
to beat
him but
at the
moment I
cannot
and I
don’t
know
why.
Maybe
it’s
mental,
maybe
it's a
tennis
tic, I
don’t
know.
I’m
always
close
but I
just
cannot
finish
off;
with
Roger,
with Nadal,
but I
think
the time
will
come one
day and
we just
have to
wait for
it."
The
professional
tennis
circuit
carries
an image
of
prestige
and
glamour
yet for
the
players
it
represents
an
exhausting
eleven
month
schedule
of
training,
travel
and
competitions,
with
most
participating
in as
many as
twenty
five
tournaments
over the
season.
After a
short
vacation
with
friends
in
Amsterdam
in early
November,
Baghdatis
spent
just
three
days in
Cyprus
fulfilling
work
commitments
with
sponsors
Societe
Generale
and MTN,
in
addition
to
filming
a public
service
commercial
on the
introduction
of the
Euro and
offering
his
services
to the
Ministry
of
Education
to
support
future
development
programmes.
With the
2008
Australian
Open
less
than two
months
away,
the
Cypriot
star
headed
straight
back to
Paris to
commence
training
for the
coming
season
in which
he hopes
to
realise
several
important
goals,
including
his
Olympic
aspirations,
"To win
a medal
for my
country
is one
of my
dreams
and
that's a
dream I
wish to
achieve.
I think
for me
it is
one of
the most
important
tournaments,
maybe
more
important
maybe
than a
Grand
Slam.
It’s a
big
challenge
for me,
for the
whole of
Cyprus.
I have a
lot of
pressure
because
everybody
is
waiting
for a
medal,
so if I
do that
it will
be a
dream
come
true,
that's
the
biggest
challenge,"
he
states,
adding,
"I have
four or
five
goals
for the
year and
every
tournament
I play,
I go to
win, so
I will
see in
July how
I will
prepare
for the
Olympics."
Winning
a Grand
Slam
title,
earning
a
Masters
place
and
maintaining
a group
two
position
for the
Cyprus
Davis
Cup team
are also
on
Baghdatis
list of
challenges
for the
coming
year. In
the
meantime,
Cypriots
in
Melbourne
are
preparing
a hero's
welcome
for the
island
champion
when he
arrives
in
Australia
early
next
month,
with
hopes
riding
high for
that
first
Grand
Slam
victory
and a
spectacular
opening
to what
could
just be Baghdatis'
best
year
yet.
Any
comments?
Email
info@scenethenews.com
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