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Post by getta on Aug 26, 2010 23:40:49 GMT -5
Steve Tignor's Concrete Elbow blog at TENNIS.com: predictions for "the Open" tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2010/08/opener.htmlOpener08/26/2010 - 5:40 PM STEVE TIGNOR “U.S. Open draw revealed.” These were the dramatic words that the tournament’s website used to announce that the big event was officially on, that we could all start squinting and speculating. Sounds mysterious, doesn’t it? What was the big secret about the draw? Wasn’t it made in front of our eyes, on television? Wouldn’t that have been a more exciting way of putting it: “U.S. Open draw done before your very eyes.” Maybe next year. Like everything else TV can get its hands and cameras on, the draws at the Slams have become an event unto themselves. Which is all to the good: Whatever you think of ESPN’s coverage—and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of you thought it was horrible—a draw is, at least in parts, a naturally dramatic event, one that shouldn’t be passed up. That’s especially true in tennis, where the brackets have such a huge effect on any tournament as a whole. The winner will hold the trophy, collect the cash, and get his name engraved in the roll call of legends, but what won’t be remembered is that he’ll only have had to beat seven of the 127 other players who showed up to get there. Who has the easiest seven-person road to that silver trophy? Whose bad luck of the draw was revealed today? It’s time to open up the Open. *** The WomenFirst QuarterHow’s this for a revelation? The first name we see is Caroline Wozniacki’s. In the absence of Serena Williams, last year’s runner-up has ascended to the top seed’s slot. While she is ranked No. 2 in the world, and while she played some of her best tennis of the year last week in Montreal, while she likes the Open’s hard courts, and while she’s tougher than she looks, it still must be a dizzyingly artificial position for Wozniacki to find herself in, one she would do best just to ignore. She’s hardly been a dominant, or even forceful, presence at the Slams this season, and she might not even be favored to get out of the round of 16, where she could meet Maria Sharapova. On the other side is Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 French champion who has dropped to No. 11. You never know what Kuzzie is going to do next, but she has shown some signs of life recently. She won her first title of the year in San Diego and says she’s figured out how to hit her forehand, for one thing, which is good news—when Kuznetsova has things figured out, there are very few players she can’t beat. None, in fact. And she can certainly beat those who are arranged in front of her here. Li Na is the highest seed in Kuznetsova’s half of this section, and a few of the other talents—Kirilenko, U. Radwanska, Chakvetadze—will be hard-pressed to stay with her. So who do we like: Woz, Shazz, or Kuz? I’ll take the latter two and see what happens. First-round match to watch: Kuznetsova vs. 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm; Sharapova vs. Jarmila Groth Semifinalist: Sharapova *** Second QuarterHere’s another surprise: Jelena Jankovic is the top seed in her section. While she’s picked herself up after last season’s stumble, she’s hardly been lights out at the majors either. If she makes the round of 16, she may find herself facing Yanina Wickmayer, who made her breakout run to the semis at the Open in 2009. On the other side there’s Vera Zvonareva, seventh-seeded but, after her runner-up finish at Wimbledon, presumably newly confident in her ability at the majors. Her straightforward, timing-heavy game is a good fit for hard courts—she recorded a comeback win over Kim Clijsters on them last week in Canada—and the woman who beat her at Wimbledon, Serena Williams, isn’t here. But have we really reached the point where we can bet on Zvonareva to keep everything together for the better part of two weeks? There are good players near her: Lisicki, Petkovic, Petrova, and A. Radwanska, who has shown an affinity for these courts in the past. First-round match for hopeful Americans to watch: Lisicki vs. Coco Vandeweghe Semifinalist: Zvonareva *** Third QuarterUnlike her sister, Venus Williams has recovered from injury just in time for the Open; good thing, because she wouldn't have wanted to miss a chance to play a Slam sans Serena. Venus’ draw looks, well, very good. Francesca Schiavone is the second-highest-seed, and Victoria Azarenka comes after that, neither of whom has ever reached a semi at the Open. Last year’s Open star, Melanie Oudin is also on the other side here, and while she faces a qualifier to start, Oudin has struggled with serve and scrutiny in equal measures; it’s been months since she put together a significant run at any event. The one potential burr in the saddle for Venus is the presence of Tsvetana Pironkova, the crafty Bulgarian who beat her at Wimbledon and who she could face in the third round here. Semifinalist: V. Williams *** Fourth QuarterOn paper, this section should offer the most entertaining quarterfinal, between the second seed, Kim Clijsters, and the fifth seed, Sam Stosur. Clijsters has had the better results this summer, especially with her comeback win over Sharapova in the Cincy final. Stosur may have been the best player through the first half of the year, but she’s been up and down since her French Open final-round run. Hard courts would seem to be a natural surface for her muscular baseline game, but she’s had a better year on clay. But there are roadblocks between the two: Petra Kvitova, Wimbledon semifinalist; Ana Ivanovic, prodigal daughter; and Marion Bartoli, strange hitter, are on Clijsters’ side. Dinara Safina, former No. 1, and dangerous-but-never-quite-dangerous-enough Elena Dementieva, are on the other. First round match to watch and very possibly cringe at: Safina vs. Daniela Hantuchova Semifinalist: Clijsters *** Semifinals: Sharapova d. Zvonareva; Clijsters d. V. Williams Final: Sharapova d. Clijsters Champion: Maria Sharapova *** The MenFirst QuarterNadal and New York, it hasn’t been a winning combination. But he’s been getting better, reaching the semis each of the last two years and lighting up a few night sessions. Nadal has struggled with his backhand so far this summer and hasn’t built the kind of momentum we associate with his Slam-winning runs. At the same time, he’s laid low and taken some of the heat off himself by seeming to revert to sketchier late season Nadal form. Either way, he’s still the top seed and the champ at the last two majors. This time he has a moderately difficult but navigable path to the semis. Nadal starts with Gabashvili, an excitable free swinger, and then perhaps Istomin, who challenged him in Queens. Kohlschreiber, who took a set from him in Toronto, might come after that. On the other side are Verdasco, Ferrer, Gulbis, and Nalbandian, a guy who has generally given Nadal fits. The question is whether the Argentine can survive long enough to give them to him again. First-round shot-maker’s special to watch: Chardy vs. Gulbis; First-round match with the best name combination: Fernando Verdasco vs. Fabio Fognini Semifinalist: Nadal *** Second QuarterThis section is bracketed by two dark horses for the title, Andy Murray and (a longer shot, but still a shot) Tomas Berdych. Murray went coach-less and found his form in Toronto a couple weeks ago, and reminded us again of his skills on a hard-court. Saying “Murray” and “Slam winner” is suddenly not a joke anymore. Who can stop them? Sam Querrey has the shots and the crowd, but he’s played a lot of tennis. Nicolas Almagro has been coming back to earth. John Isner may not make it there at all. Stan Wawrinka and Yen-Hsun Lu are OK. Radek Stepanek is here. Same for Tommy Robredo. I think the dark horses should make it to the finish line in the quarters. If it is Murray vs. Berdych, I’ll take Murray, but I ‘m not going to get the waxing that Berdych gave him in Paris out of my mind until then, either. First-round match to watch: Stepanek vs. Julien Benneteau, two old pros with nice games; First-round match with the best name combination: Marco Chiudinelli vs. Jack Sock Semifinalist: Murray *** Third QuarterThis is a stacked and unpredictable section. Davydenko, Gasquet, Monfils, Baghdatis, Roddick, Fish, Petzschner, Djokovic: It’s made for tennis buffs and lovers of the unknown. The top seed, Djokovic, hasn’t looked like any kind of world-beater lately; ditto for the next seed, Davydenko, who must be waiting for fall’s money windfall. Roddick had his moments in Cincy, but three-out-of-five will be tough so soon after mono. Baghdatis is always possible, but never probable; that’s even more true for Monfils. So what about Fish? He’s playing the best tennis of his career; at 28, he’s almost a new player. This is the moment. If not now, when? Semifinalist: Fish *** Fourth QuarterLike Murray, Roger Federer has used the summer to return to form, so much so that he’s passed Nadal on most people’s lists of favorites. He’s had a few freakish double faults and untimely shanks, but he’s also moved well, returned with oomph, looked to press forward, and hit his topspin down-the-line backhand with confidence. His draw won’t change many opinions about his chances, either. Federer starts with someone named Brian Dabul, and looks ahead from there to a half where Jurgen Melzer is the next highest seed. On the other side, possibly waiting in the quarters, is a genuine obstacle in the form of Robin Soderling. The Sod is no sure thing, of course, and he’ll have to get past Dent or Falla, de Bakker, and perhaps Cilic. By then, though, when the Open reaches its mellow middle, when the day matches in Ashe get quiet and dull, Federer seems to become unbeatable. The rowdiest tournament in the world can go very close to silent at times, and I can remember watching countless matches like that where Federer has slowly put a sleeper hold on his opponent. It’s nothing spectacular, but he’s hard to break down or get around on the hard courts at Flushing. And the only guy who has done it in the last six years, Juan Martin del Potro, won’t be one of the seven men he has to beat to hold the trophy for a sixth time. Semifinalist: Federer *** Semifinals: Murray d. Nadal; Federer d. Fish Final: Federer d. Murray Champion: Roger Federer ============================================================================= so, Tignor is making sure to give Mardy Fish a nice big high-five. so long, it's been good to know you, Steve.
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Post by getta on Aug 27, 2010 2:40:41 GMT -5
Agassi was always a reference point for Marcos. i guess because, just like Agassi, the experience of leaving home in his early teens for an academy caused him considerable growing pains... so, Marcos was happy to play Agassi four years ago. Marcos love the big atmosphere and emotion on the big scene too... but, poor Marcos, perhaps he was distracted by the electric atmosphere there with patriotic fervour in full effect... ================================================================= Jon Wertheim's Tennis Mailbag on Sports Illustrated on September 02, 2006: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/web/COM1054645/index.htmSeptember 02, 2006Background noiseOK, I know he is the most beloved player ever and hey, this is NYC, but what in the hell? The crowds at the U.S. Open night matches with Andre Agassi are the most vulgar, embarrassing crowds I have ever seen -- booing challenges, cheering double faults, cheering an opponent's cramps, screaming "out" to confuse linespeople and on and on. I am worried that these people are so goonish that they could be unduly influencing the umpires and linespeople during the match. And also, what is up with the favoritism in Andy Roddick's scheduling? Why does he get to go to the third round before everyone else? This is leaning way to close to Ugly American for me. If the Australian Open and Wimbledon can be a little classy when a foreign player is up against a native, why is it so hard for people to learn a little etiquette? -- Charles, New YorkWertheim's answer: A lot of you made similar observations. And when I returned home at an ungodly hour Friday morning, the first thing my wife asked was: "What was up with the crowd?" I'm not sure how this played out on television, but, honestly, I didn't sense this vulgarity. Sure, they cheered like crazy for Agassi. They occasionally clapped for Marcos Baghdatis' errors. And they performed the wave -- the "Mexican wave,' as the chair ump bizarrely called it. But, sitting 10 or so rows behind the court, I didn't pick up on the "goonish" behavior, "rampant jingoism," etc. And I guarantee the next time Baghdatis shows his face at the Open, he will be a crowd favorite. As Agassi eloquently put it, one of the reasons he can rest easy leaving the sport is that he's entrusting it to guys like Baghdatis. Thursday night was one those once-in-a-few-years experiences when everything breaks right for the sport. From the momentum swings to the drama to the terrific shotmaking, it really italicized everything right about the sport. Sure, a few knuckleheads -- out of a crowd of 23,000 -- may have behaved inappropriately. But, fortunately, they were a minority who didn't do much to diminish the ambiance. ============================================================================ "... And I guarantee the next time Baghdatis shows his face at the Open, he will be a crowd favorite... "
Jon, injury-plagued Marcos is eyeing comeback to Arthur Ashe Stadium next week. i hope he has the crowd wholeheartedly behind him in the fourth round.
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Post by getta on Aug 27, 2010 3:47:14 GMT -5
www.tennisdiary.com/2010-articles/august/federer-ready-to-recapture-us-open.htmlFederer Ready To Recapture U.S. OpenWritten by Mike McIntyre Thursday, 26 August 2010 19:47The U.S. Open main draw was revealed today and here at Tennis Diary we are very much excited for the commencement of the final Grand Slam of 2010. There are so many different possibilities to imagine this year in New York. Will Rafa win his first U.S. Open? Can Andy Murray finally deliver in a Slam final? Could Roger Federer capture his second hard-court Slam of the year? With defending champion Juan Martin Del Potro unable to compete due to his continued recovery from wrist surgery, we are guaranteed of seeing a different man hoisting the trophy this year on the final Sunday. After watching back-to-back Masters 1000 events in August in Toronto and Cincinnati we can look at who the contenders and pretenders are for this year's edition. That being said, two tournaments does not give us a tremendous amount of depth to judge the field, so take these recommendations with a grain of salt. Seeded number one, though certainly not playing like the favorite, is Rafael Nadal. His return to form in 2010 has been a welcome sight on the ATP Tour and he has just won successive Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon. Nadal has made no secret of the fact he wants to win the U.S. Open to complete his career Slam, but the Spaniard seems to have trouble sustaining his dominance in the latter stages of the season. In Toronto he admitted that if he is not playing at his best on hard-courts then he is vulnerable. At the Rogers Cup he navigated his way to the semi-finals before being soundly defeated by Andy Murray 7-5, 7-5 in straight sets. While a Nadal vs. Murray match on hard-courts is a coin flip most days, his loss to Marcos Baghdatis in Cincinnati shows that he is still struggling to find his rhythm on the surface. Still, Nadal in a best of five set match is hard to bet against. At Wimbledon he twice came back from a two sets to one deficit to pull out the victory. Nadal grows stronger the longer a match lasts and I think we can all agree there is no way Baghdatis wins that match in Cincy if it went the distance. In New York Nadal opens against Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia. He could face Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round against whom he has never lost, but was tested by in Toronto recently. An encounter with David Nalbandian in the quarter-finals would be interesting. The pair have a 2-2 career record against one another and with Nalbandian suddenly showing flashes of his old self we could be treated to a great match. Other names to watch in the top quarter of the draw include the talented but unreliable Ernests Gulbis, lefty Fernando Verdasco and the up and coming Alexandr Dolgopolov who must first face 10th seeded David Ferrer in the first round. If this isn't the Slam where Dolgopolov announces his presence at, then I guarantee a strong showing in 2011. In the second quarter, Andy Murray seems like a good bet to advance. He won the event in Toronto defeating Nadal and Federer in back-to-back matches and then fell in Cincinnati to Mardy Fish. Fish has Murray's number this year, beating him three times, but fortunately for Andy he does not have the veteran American anywhere near him in the draw. Sam Querrey has had a great year with multiple titles, but still has not come up big in any definitive events on the tour schedule. He looked ordinary in a loss to Kevin Anderson in Toronto and I just don't feel the confidence from the 6'5'' American. A fourth round match against Murray looms which would be a re-match from their LA final in July where Querrey prevailed in a tight one. I don't see a repeat of that on the horizon for him this time around. Tomas Berdych should find his way towards the quarterfinals as well in this section. With John Isner still hobbled by an ankle injury, I really do not see any true opposition for the emerging Czech super-star. He will battle Murray for a semi-final spot against Nadal. The third quarter looks pretty good for Andy Roddick. If he has truly recovered from his mild case of mono then he should make a good dent in the draw. Roddick could face the acrobatic Gael Monfils in the third round and either Mardy Fish or Novak Djokovic in the quarters. Despite having a tough summer, Roddick showed us he is capable of defeating almost anyone after his performance in Cincinnati where he took care of Soderling and Djokovic back-to-back.
Djokovic meanwhile, seems lost lately and I'm not just saying that because he couldn't find his way to the draw ceremony in New York on time today. While he made the semis in Toronto, he was highly erratic in that match against Federer and then in Cincy he was beaten by Roddick in the quarters. His battles with the heat have continued and if he gets a day time match against a guy like Mardy Fish in the fourth round, I really don't feel confident picking him to advance.
Marcos Baghdatis should be mentioned as a potential sleeper in this section of the draw, but a second round match against Robby Ginepri could give him trouble as would a third round tilt with Fish. Baghdatis would have the crowd against him in either of those matches just as he did in 2006 against Andre Agassi.
Mardy Fish has had the summer of his career in 2010 and has recently risen to the number 21 ranking in the world. With two titles under his belt and a strong showing against Federer last week, he is a guy that nobody wants to face.
That being said, I don't like his chances in a five set match and he does seem to have a particularly tough section of the draw to work with.
Roger Federer lurks in the fourth quarter of the draw and comes into the Open as the favorite again this year. After winning five consecutive titles here, he mismanaged a two sets to one lead against Del Potro last year in the final. Federer has a great draw with Lleyton Hewitt and Jurgen Melzer as the only two names of note in the first four rounds. Neither will give him much of a struggle but Rodin Soderling could challenge in the quarter-finals. With Nadal, Murray and Berdych all in the other half of the draw, it seems as though Federer has as good a chance as ever to get to his seventh straight U.S. Open final where he would feel right at home. Even though Federer came ever so close to bowing out in Toronto to both Berdych and Djokovic he still managed to persevere for the gritty victories. In Cincinnati he certainly benefited from a first round bye, an abbreviated second round 5-2 win and then a third round walkover - but then he turned it up against Nikolay Davydenko and Baghdatis before waiting for the right moment to finally break Fish's serve for the title. The possibility for a 17th Grand Slam title is very realistic and Federer seems eager to once again prove any doubters wrong. In 2008 he came into the Open without a Slam title to his name and waltzed through the draw with relative ease. He seems to have the same type of defiant attitude this time around which I think will work to his favor. Semi-Finals:Nadal vs. Murray and Roddick vs. Federer Finals:Federer over Murray in four sets
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Post by getta on Aug 27, 2010 15:44:04 GMT -5
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jon_wertheim/08/26/usopen.men/index.htmlThursday August 26, 2010 3:49PMU.S. Open men's seed reportJon Wertheim Top 16 seeds1. Rafael Nadal: He's won the past two Slams and is firmly entrenched as numero uno. But until he can prove his bona fides in New York -- where he's never won, of course, so much as reached the final -- it's hard to tab him as the favorite. Especially coming off two desultory performances in Toronto and Cincy. Physically, Nadal should be okay, a change from years past. And the draw gods have smiled on him. It's the fast court that remains a cause for concern. 2. Roger Federer: As the critics were busy considering what to wear to the Federer funeral, suddenly, the Mighty One is back, winning Cincinnati, making a personnel move and getting happier with the state of his game. Yes, he's only won two titles in 2010 and lost to lots of lesser lights. But when a five-time champ shows up in form -- especially with his 2009 vanquisher not in the draw -- how is he not the favorite? 3. Novak Djokovic: Fast becoming tennis's mystery man. A disturbing trend: He tends to play well in week one, only to have the wires short in week two. He has the game to win a second major, no one denies that. But can the heart and head (and respiratory system) cooperate? 4. Andy Murray: "Andy will win a Slam one day" is getting stale. If not now, when? Comes into his favorite major with some momentum, having beaten both Federer and Nadal this summer. And he appears comfortable with his mom as a de facto coach. Now about those seven wins... 5. Robin Soderling: Holy mediocrity, Batman. Robin ought to be a terrific hard-court player, what with those, flat pace-laced strokes. But his results this year have been most ordinary. 6. Nikolay Davydenko: Another Mystery Man. The eccentric Russian looked terrific in late 2009 and early '10, especially on the fast hard courts. But thanks largely to injury, he's hasn't been heard from much since. Always a dangerous player but lingering injury and limited match play might hinder his progress. 7. Tomas Berdych: Has yet to piggyback on his tremendous Wimbledon showing. But those flat, hard strokes ought to go over well. Plus he appears to have overcome his penchant for shaky effort. Burtal first-round draw against Michael Llodra, but after that, look out. 8. Fernando Verdasco: Loads of talent and hardcourt weaponry but the results haven't kept pace with the expectations this year. Can upgrade a fine-but-not-great season with a strong showing. 9. Andy Roddick: On the plus side, the Americans have a player back in the Top 10. It's been a funny year for Roddick, some superlative tennis (Miami) mixed with some bad losses. Plus a case of mono. Always a threat in New York -- and his draw could have been much worse -- but he surely wishes he had more momentum coming in. 10. David Ferrer: An admirable grinder who's wrung everything from his game and will win battles of attrition. But lacks the serve and arsenal to threaten for the title. 11. Marin Cilic: After a fine performance in 2009 -- in which he appeared destined for the top five -- the palindromic one has regressed this year. Last chance to salvage a disappointing season. 12. Mikhail Youzhny: Always dangerous, his power game is at odds with his physique. 13. Jurgen Melzer: Austrian lefty had done himself proud at the past two majors but appears to have a hit a wall. 14. Nicolas Almagro: Have to admire anyone with the body of a middle reliever who competes at this level. Fun, expressive player but not a threat to win a hard-court major. 15. Ivan Ljubicic: Hard-serving Croat had the week on his life on the hard courts of Indian Wells but has been quiet ever since. 16. Marcos Baghdatis: Needs the diet of Fish (his likely third-round foe). Terrifically talented player is always worth watching, but lacks to stamina/fitness to win seven best-of-five matches.=================================================================== "Terrifically talented"... Jon, that's a very nice attempt to clarify all the doubts regarding Marcos' talent, keep trying man!
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Post by getta on Aug 28, 2010 22:29:03 GMT -5
and here are Steve Flink's predictions on the Open's official site (by the way, i like most of Flink's articles : bit.ly/cRcXTz3 chief candidates for the 2010 US Open men's singles crown: Federer, Nadal and Murray. a bunch of other players who can do well and go deep in the draw: Djokovic, Berdych, Soderling, Roddick, Fish, Nalbandian and Baghdatis. Baghdatis: "... is a crowd pleaser and a sparkling shot-maker. He's one man you don't want to miss the chance to watch at this 2010 US Open..." ===================================================================== all these predictions do not make Marcos feel nervous at all. yes, it doesn't work like it used to...
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Post by getta on Aug 28, 2010 23:13:04 GMT -5
a couple of days ago, seasoned tennis journalist Neil Harman of The Times referred to Marcos as a dark horse at Flushing Meadows. he also stated that we should regard his loss to Lacko on the grass as a blip... i really do like Neil Harman. most tennis journalists and bloggers compared to Harman are like garbage trucks... by the way, access to The Times requires paid subscription. yes, i pulled out my credit card. unfortunately i can't reprint the article - or any article from The Times for that matter - in whole or in part. a woman of principles... i'm that woman.
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Post by Giatros on Aug 30, 2010 2:01:44 GMT -5
a couple of days ago, seasoned tennis journalist Neil Harman of The Times referred to Marcos as a dark horse at Flushing Meadows. he also stated that we should regard his loss to Lacko on the grass as a blip... i really do like Neil Harman. most tennis journalists and bloggers compared to Harman are like garbage trucks... by the way, access to The Times requires paid subscription. yes, i pulled out my credit card. unfortunately i can't reprint the article - or any article from The Times for that matter - in whole or in part. a woman of principles... i'm that woman. No principle problem here, as this is the New York Times, not The Times V V VHealthy and Hungry Again After Three Lost SummersKevin C. Cox/Getty Images A surprise finalist at the 2006 Australian Open, Marcos Baghdatis saw his ranking and his income plummet as he struggled with injuries. He is seeded 16th at this year's Open. By THOMAS GOLIANOPOULOS Published: August 29, 2010One of the many revelations in Andre Agassi’s autobiography, “Open,” involved Marcos Baghdatis, who is re-emerging as a force after his career went into free fall following his runner-up finish in the 2006 Australian Open. “He smiles when he’s happy or nervous,” Agassi wrote of Baghdatis, “and you can never tell which.” In the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters, Baghdatis flashed a wide grin after squandering a second match point against Rafael Nadal. That time, he was definitely nervous. “When you are up, 40-0, serving for the match against Rafa, you start thinking a bit,” Baghdatis said last week in New Haven, where he was the top seed at the Pilot Pen and was later eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sergiy Stakhovsky. “The crowd is going wild. Everything starts spinning.” Baghdatis recovered, won the next point and the match, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, but he had good reason for his jitters. Once a bright young star in the sport, Baghdatis had spent the previous three years plagued by injuries and inconsistent play. His ranking, which had climbed to No. 8 in August 2006, plummeted to 151st last summer. His apparel sponsorship with Adidas was not renewed. “I was down and wasn’t feeling good, but I don’t think I was worried about not coming back,” Baghdatis said. “I always had the feeling deep inside me that I could come back.” His victory over Nadal capped a tremendous stretch for Baghdatis. Despite losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Roger Federer, Baghdatis was brilliant in the Cincinnati Masters, defeating the Australian Open semifinalist Marin Cilic, the dangerous Brazilian left-hander Thomaz Bellucci and the Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych. Coupled with a run this month to the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, Baghdatis, ranked 18th as of Aug. 23, is suddenly a contender at the United States Open. It is quite a comeback for Baghdatis, 25, who first charmed fans during an improbable run at the 2006 Australian Open. It is also a stark contrast to last summer. Because of his low ranking, Baghdatis entered ATP Challenger Tour events, tennis’s minor leagues. The draws include an odd mix of journeymen, rookies, rehabilitating veterans and local favorites, and the events are held in sites like Astana in Kazakhstan and Binghamton, N.Y. The prize money was minimal, but Baghdatis craved the matches. “Last year, if I played two matches in a row, I felt sore,” he said. “So I said to myself, ‘Maybe go play some Challengers because if you win, you get five days in a row of tennis.’” Baghdatis won Challenger events in Vancouver, British Columbia; St.-Rémy-de-Provence, France; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In October, he captured the Stockholm Open for his first ATP Tour title since February 2007. He also started 2010 strong. In January, he won the Medibank International in Sydney, Australia. Two months later at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., he defeated Federer, who was ranked No. 1 at the time. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long,” the ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert said of Baghdatis’s return to form. “He’s a great ball striker and too talented of a player. After what he did in 2006, I thought he was going to be in the top five.” Baghdatis grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. His mother, Andry, a Greek Cypriot, ran the family clothing store while his father, Christos, a Lebanese immigrant, oversaw the development of Baghdatis’s tennis career. At 13, Baghdatis moved to the suburbs of Paris to attend the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. He was the 2003 International Tennis Federation junior champion, but his big breakthrough came in Melbourne in 2006. Baghdatis defeated three top-10 seeds — No. 2 Andy Roddick, No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic and No. 4 David Nalbandian — before meeting Federer in the final. In front of a rowdy crowd of Cypriot and Greek supporters, Baghdatis won the first set and was up a break in the second before losing, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2. The defeat haunted him. “For two, three years afterward, I had nights where I thought about that match,” Baghdatis said. The next few years were filled with injuries. In 2008, Baghdatis sustained a high ankle sprain and a stress fracture in his right wrist. At a tournament in Metz, France, he crumpled to the court with a back spasm and was carried off on a stretcher. The injuries halted Baghdatis’s training, and his fitness became an issue. But after finally regaining his health, Baghdatis resolved to live up to the promise he showed in 2006. “When you grow up, you get more mature and you know what you want,” Baghdatis said. “I felt really hungry. I wanted to come back so much.” He spent last off-season training vigorously in Buenos Aires, Paris and Cyprus. “I didn’t work as much on tennis,” he said. “I worked more on physical conditioning to get stronger.” He said it was the only way he could compete with big hitters like Berdych, the French Open finalist Robin Soderling and the United States Open champion Juan Martín del Potro, not to mention Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. “I am not as tall as them, not as big as them and not as strong as them, but I have my weapons,” said Baghdatis, whose strengths include fearless shot-making, a big first serve and aggressiveness. Baghdatis has not advanced past the second round at the Open, but he is well known in Flushing Meadows for an epic match with Agassi in 2006. Riddled with cramps, Baghdatis lost in a brutal fifth set. It was the last victory of Agassi’s career. Baghdatis missed last year’s Open and has few points to defend this fall, so he should continue moving up the rankings. Maybe that is what it will take for the sponsors to return. For now, an image of the flag of Cyprus is the only logo on his T-shirt and bandanna. “I am proud of being Cypriot, so that’s why I put my country’s flag on my T-shirt,” Baghdatis said. “It’s not a sponsorship. I don’t have a contract and am waiting for sponsors to sign me. I am open to any negotiations.” ( A version of this article appeared in print on August 30, 2010, on page F3 of the New York edition. )GO MARCOS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by getta on Aug 30, 2010 3:04:07 GMT -5
thanks for posting this article, Giatre. Healthy and Hungry Again After Three Lost Summers... He spent last off-season training vigorously in Buenos Aires, Paris and Cyprus. “I didn’t work as much on tennis,” he said. “I worked more on physical conditioning to get stronger.” ... this reminds me of a very nice article on Marcos published in an Argentinian newspaper, absolutely loved it. it will take me a lil time to translate it from Spanish into English. should be available later today, so you can see for yourself.
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Post by Giatros on Aug 30, 2010 9:22:12 GMT -5
Two phrases of note from the article below ( comments from Getta, later [hopefully] ) :.... Mardy Fish has a bad draw. He is in the same section as Marcos Baghdatis who is the other “hot player” ....
.... fate gives you a bad draw, like it did Mardy Fish and Marcos Baghdatis who are expected to meet in the 3rd round. It’s not really fair to either player ....ESSENTIAL TENNIS ..... ( essentialtennis.com/ )Who’s in form (and not) heading into the US Open ? by Charles LinAlthough past performance is not always an indicator of future success, what else do we have to use for predictions? So, here we go looking at players in form and not. In FormRoger FedererHere was a guy who had an amazing streak of reaching semifinals of Slams dating back 5 years. Had Fed not gotten mono in 2008, he would have had an (even more) impressive streak reaching finals of Slams. All this went away in two consecutive Slams. In the French, Roger lost to one hard hitter in Robin Soderling in the quarters, then he lost to another hard hitter in Tomas Berdych in the quarters at Wimbledon. Everyone said his game was done for, especially after Nadal’s dominant performance winning the French and Wimbledon. But what a difference 5-6 weeks make. Roger entered Toronto and Cincinnati and got to the finals of one and won the other. In the process, he beat players that had given him trouble, including digging deep to beat Berdych down a break in the third set. Roger had complained his back and legs were bothering him. Many said it was sour grapes, but he came back moving better than ever. His backhand was better. He was holding serve more easily. If there’s anything that seems troubling, it’s that his matches seem to go on longer than they have to. He’s often pushed to another set, or having to wait for a late break because he’s not returning spectacularly well. Roger’s return game has never been a huge strength. He certainly returns well, but he likes to end points somewhat quickly on big shots, and has generally never liked waiting for his opponents to make errors. Even so, he’s the one to watch. Andy MurrayAndy Murray was criticized for winning too many tournaments but not being a serious enough threat at the majors last year. In 2009, he lost to Fernando Verdasco saying he was ill during the Slam. He reached the semis of Wimbledon, but fell to Andy Roddick in four sets. He reached the quarterfinals of the French, his best showing at Roland Garros up to that point. He then lost early to Marin Cilic in the fourth round of the US Open, a disappointing result for a man who puts the US Open as his best chance to win a Slam. Andy Murray reached his second Slam final in Australia this year, but again fell to Roger Federer in straight sets. Then, he went into a funk, didn’t want to play, withdrew from Marseilles, lost early in Dubai, and although he had a decent QF result in Indian Wells, it was followed by a shocking exit to Mardy Fish early in Miami. Murray would then lose handily to Philipp Kohlschreiber in Monte Carlo before he tried to get his game in gear. He lost to David Ferrer twice, but at that point, Ferrer was playing some of his best tennis. It didn’t translate to a deep French Open run, but even so. Murray lost in the fourth round to Tomas Berdych at Roland Garros before reaching the semifinals again at Wimbledon where he succumbed in straight sets to eventual champ, Rafael Nadal. Andy then filled in for Novak Djokovic in Los Angeles. Djokovic was supposed to play but withdrew prior to the tournament. Murray reached the finals but lost to defending champ, Sam Querrey. Murray then had his best result in a non-Slam. He beat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and took the title in Toronto. In Cincinnati, Murray reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Mardy Fish for the third time this year (he lost to him in Queen’s Club and Miami). He had looked lackluster against Ernests Gulbis, but still pulled out the victory. The upside is how well Murray played to win Toronto. The downside was dealing with the heat in Cincinnati and looking somewhat listless against Gulbis and Fish. Even so, he still pushed Fish to a third-set tiebreak. Mardy FishCincinnati was Fish’s big result. Although he won Newport and Atlanta, making it one of Fish’s best stretch of playing tennis in a while, those are relatively small tournaments, especially Newport. Those early wins might not have meant much had Fish lost early at both Toronto and Cincinnati. Fish decided to skip Toronto, as did Andy Roddick, so both could train in the Austin heat. Fish clearly benefited beating two Andy’s en route to a final appearance against Roger Federer and pushing Fed to three sets only dropping serve once, late in the third set. Everyone points to his 30 lb weight loss, his increased mobility, and just the belief he can win. With a huge serve, an ability to finish points off at the net, he looks poised to make a deep run in the US Open, but… But, Mardy Fish has a bad draw. He is in the same section as Marcos Baghdatis who is the other “hot player”. Marcos BaghdatisFor a guy who reached the finals of the Australian Open a few years ago, Baghdatis was a talent that hasn’t quite been fully realized. Last year, Baghdatis’s rank had dropped to around 100, and he had to claw his way back up the ranks playing Challenger events. Baghdatis upset Roger Federer in Indian Wells, but lost to Tommy Robredo in the next round. Baghdatis then reached the finals of Washington DC, then went on to reach the semifinals of Cincinnati, beating Rafael Nadal in the quarters. He lost to Federer in the semifinals. As mentioned earlier, he likely faces Mardy Fish in the third round of the US Open, which is bad for both players who’d rather see someone with less recent success. David NalbandianSome call him the most talented player playing never to have won a Slam. Well, they used to say that until Andy Murray came along. Like many of Federer’s rivals, Nalbandian was someone Federer found tough to beat early in his career. Later in his career, Nalbandian struggled to stay relevant much like another top player, Lleyton Hewitt. Nalbandian was recovering from injury and spent time training for Davis Cup in Russia where he single-handedly gave 2 wins for Argentina. Were del Potro healthy, Argentina might have been a formidable team. Nalbandian then came to Washington DC and on the strength of his big return game, he won the tournament. In Toronto, many felt he might topple Andy Murray, but Murray came out with a fierce attack against Nalbandian, who looked weary after his recent success. Nalbandian lost to Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati in a match that threatened to go three sets. But up to then, he looked sharp, returning well and pressuring opponent off the ground. Nalbandian has a reasonably friendly draw. He meets a qualifier in the first round. He might meet Fernando Verdasco by the third round. He might actually be favored since Verdasco hasn’t had a great summer. They’ve only met once, back in 2006 at Wimbledon, which Verdasco won in three sets. Almost In FormSam QuerreyIf ATP 250 events were the only events where rankings mattered, Sam Querrey would be number 1. He won Memphis, Queen’s Club, Belgrade, and Los Angeles. He was a finalist in Houston and got to the semis of San Jose. And that’s this year. And yet, when it comes to ATP 500, Masters 1000, or Slams, Querrey’s results are more spotted. He lost to Tipsarevic in the 2nd round of DC, then lost to Kevin Anderson in the 2nd round of Toronto, then to Ferrer in the 2nd round of Cincinnati. Querrey is getting better at beating players outside of the top 20, but he only has the occasional win against players ranked highly, although he did get his best win recently beating Andy Murray in the finals of Los Angeles. Querrey has a reasonably good draw early on. His section would be a headache were he on clay, but on hard courts, he should fare better. The players include Granollers, Seppi, Kubot, Garcia-Lopez, Almagro, and Starace. However, he only has to face one of Kubot, Starace, Almagro, or Garcia-Lopez. Almagro would be his toughest match, but Almagro hasn’t played tough hard court tennis. Querrey should make it to the fourth round to meet Andy Murray. Novak DjokovicOne wonders what would happen if Novak Djokovic were truly healthy. He missed out on so many opportunities falling a round short on several occasions. Despite his iffy health, he generally goes deep in tournaments and Slams. He got to the semifinals of Wimbledon, the semifinals of Toronto, and the quarterfinals of Cincinnati losing to Berdych, Federer, and Roddick, respectively. By and large, Djokovic usually only loses to players in the top 10. Sure, he had a loss to Malisse and a loss to Melzer and Krajinovic, but although those losses are a bit shocking, Djokovic doesn’t usually play poorly in Slams. He has a pretty friendly draw. He starts out “tough” with Victor Troicki, but unless the heat gets to him, his head-to-head is strong against his fellow Serb. Then, maybe Petzschner who gave Nadal some trouble at Wimbledon, then maybe Juan Monaco? Djokovic, if he’s in form, should get to the fourth round to meet either Baghdatis or Fish and while they would likely give Djokovic a tough match, Djokovic would be favored against both of them. Robin SoderlingWe know this guy can play on hard courts. Perhaps the two players that played best in the first two Masters hard court events, Indian Wells and Miami, were Andy Roddick (won one, finalist in the other) was Robin Soderling who reached the semifinals of both losing to Roddick in one and Berdych in the other. Toronto and Cincinnati weren’t nearly as kind as he lost to a resurgent Nalbandian and a somewhat resurgent Andy Roddick. Even so, Soderling generally loses to top ranked guys and get reasonably deep in Slams, the Australian Open of this year, not withstanding. He faces a qualifier in the first round, either Taylor Dent or Alejandro Falla in the second, either Thiemo de Bakker or Fernando Gonzalez in the third (or some qualifier). de Bakker is the player most in form, but it’s New Haven with a weakened field. Last year, Gonzo would have been a problem, but he’s coming off of injury, so he’s not expected to be in great form. Soderling may have one of the easier routes to the quarterfinals with no big threats. Cilic would be his biggest challenge, but he’d have to start playing good again, which is possible. It’s just that he hasn’t looked good in a while. Andy RoddickEver since the French, Roddick has been good enough to win a few rounds, but not good enough to particularly deep. He has yet to win a tournament since the French Open. He announced, during Toronto, a tournament he skipped because of his early loss to Gilles Simon in DC, that he had had mono, but that he was getting over it. He hadn’t had a super bad summer. He did reach the semis of Atlanta, losing to Mardy Fish in the semifinals. And, he lost to him in the semifinals of Cincinnati. But he skipped Los Angeles this year, which is a tournament he usually plays. Form-wise, I think Roddick might be getting back into shape. There was a question of how fit he’d be, but he looked find in Cincinnati, and he’s had one more week to train. He looks good, but it’s matches like the Fish match that Roddick needs to be wary of. Roddick’s draw looks good for the first three rounds. He might face Gael Monfils in the third round. Monfils hasn’t played great, but he did hit well against Nadal in the US Open last year. Monfils leads the head-to-head, but 3 of his wins are on clay, Roddick’s weakest surface. Monfils hasn’t had a great summer either. He lost to Murray in Toronto then to Falla in Cincy. His next challenge would be Davydenko if he can reach the fourth round. Davydenko might have to play, say Gasquet. Were Davydenko in January form, he’d be favored to meet Roddick. Right now, I’d say Roddick is playing better than Davydenko. Nikolay DavydenkoDavydenko seems like one of these players that has to play his way into form. After breaking his wrist and noticing it in Indian Wells, Davydenko didn’t return to tour until Halle, just before Wimbledon, then had a series of mediocre results. He lost to Becker in Halle, Brands in Wimbledon, Gimeno-Traver in Stuttgart (on clay), Golubev at Hamburg, Chela in Umag, Chardy in Toronto, and finally Federer in Cincy where he had beaten Ferrer in the previous round. In Toronto, Davydenko was spraying shots everywhere, his normal precise shots misfiring. Presumably, he’d been struggling like this for about 2 months. However, by Cincy, Davydenko was starting to look more like his self. He’s not quite looking dominating like he did late last year and January, but he is at least keeping more balls in play. The big question mark is whether he’s in good enough shape to make it deep at the US Open. He might meet Gasquet in the second round and he might face Kevin Anderson in the third round. His first real challenge would be Andy Roddick in the fourth round. Roddick is in better form than Davydenko now, as is Djokovic. Not in FormRafael NadalOf course, this is blatantly unfair to Rafa. An out-of-form Rafa is still a very good player. He might be an in-form Verdasco. But the fact remains that Rafa hasn’t looked this bad in a while. He makes numerous errors. He is slicing back returns. He seems to have trouble handling the speed of the court. Of course, Rafa struggles on the hard courts because it’s the surface of choice for most players. But he never loses particularly early. To Rafa, losing in the quarterfinals is losing early. It’s rare he loses earlier than that. He only played two events since Wimbledon: Toronto and Cincinnati. He reached the semifinals of Toronto and the quarterfinals of Cincy. He struggled against players he normally does well against including players like Kohlschreiber, Benneteau, and Wawrinka. The peculiar aspect is that he didn’t look much better in Cincy than he did in Toronto. However, Rafa rebounds as well as any player, so he should eliminate some of the errors. Obviously, if he continues to play like he did in Cincy, he’ll lose early. He faces Gabashvili in the first round. Should be an easy win, but Gabashvili did play well at New Haven. Then, he might play Istomin in the second round. Istomin is in the finals of New Haven, so he might trouble Rafa. He has to get some rest however. Then, he might play Kohlschreiber again in the third round. All these players have a chance to make life tough for Rafa, but probably none of them can sustain the kind of hitting to pull the upset off. There’s nobody particularly intimidating in the fourth round, though Rafa did lose to two players that could meet him there. He lost to Feliciano Lopez at Queen’s, but it seemed like a strategic loss (much like Baghdatis). He also lost to Ivan Ljubicic in Indian Wells, but Ljubicic seems to have taken a bit of a vacation since Indian Wells. It’s questionable whether Ljubicic will reach the fourth round to meet him. He’ll need to play inspired ball to get there. If he does, then there’s a chance he could trouble Nadal, but his current form suggest otherwise. Fernando VerdascoSpeaking of Verdasco, here’s a guy in the top 10 that normally does well on hard courts. He’s had an indifferent summer, but his losses were to players that went deep, including losing to Baghdatis in DC (he reached the finals), to Chardy in Toronto (reached the quarters) and to Fish in Cincy (reached the finals). Many feel he burned himself out playing too much tennis in the clay season where he not only played all three Masters 1000 clay events (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Madrid) but additionally played Barcelona and Nice, and he went pretty deep in nearly every tournament. Verdasco plays Fognini in the first round, but his biggest challenge if he gets past Fognini is Nalbandian in the third round. Verdasco might play inspired ball, but his form isn’t good heading in. Wrap UpForm doesn’t tell the entire story. Nadal and Djokovic were playing the best clay tennis heading into the French in 2009, but both had played too much and both lost early. And sometimes, even when you play hot, fate gives you a bad draw, like it did Mardy Fish and Marcos Baghdatis who are expected to meet in the 3rd round. It’s not really fair to either player who have had a great summer to have to play each other that soon. So there you have it. The US Open starts on Monday !
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Post by christos on Aug 30, 2010 10:40:17 GMT -5
Interesting article! Thanks Giatre!
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Post by Giatros on Aug 30, 2010 11:46:59 GMT -5
Two phrases of note from the article below ( comments from Getta, later [hopefully] ) :.... Mardy Fish has a bad draw. He is in the same section as Marcos Baghdatis who is the other “hot player” .... .... fate gives you a bad draw, like it did Mardy Fish and Marcos Baghdatis who are expected to meet in the 3rd round. It’s not really fair to either player .... Giatros, out of line.
It should have read : .............. ( comments from Getta OR Choupi OR Christos, later ....... )
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Post by getta on Aug 30, 2010 15:27:52 GMT -5
my knees began to tremble and my hands to sweat.
then the truth dawned...
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Post by getta on Sept 1, 2010 0:36:00 GMT -5
Marcos post-match interview after his first-round loss to Arnaud Clement: www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2010-08-31/201008311283290002641.html(also, a video clip is available) An Interview With: Marcos BaghdatisTuesday, August 31, 2010 THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. What happened out there today?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What can I say? I was really heavy on court. I wasn't feeling very fit. It's not a matter of fit but very heavy. Couldn't play aggressive. I was really defensive today, and Arnaud played a very good first set. I mean, the second set he was giving a lot of points away and I took them, but I was really heavy on court. I was really defensive. I think I didn't play I didn't play very good tennis, and he won the match, I think. Q. How do you explain that? You've played well most of this summer.MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Maybe a bit tired, you know. It's been a month and three weeks I'm out here, and it's a lot of time. Yeah, it's always first round of Grand Slam it's not easy. The nerves are there, also. I had to find a way to win today, and I think I was going to feel better going into this week, and I didn't. So I'm a bit disappointed, for sure. I lost the match, but that's sport. That's life. I'll try to continue. Q. How much did the heat affect you?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't think it's the heat, you know. I played in Washington, played in Cincy; was pretty hot, you know. So I don't think it was the heat. I think I was a bit tired mentally, physically, also. So, yeah, I guess that's the reason I felt very heavy today and couldn't play my tennis aggressive. Q. How do you explain the success you've had in other slams versus this one? How disappointed are you when the crowd seems to want to love you and...MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it's true. I didn't win a lot of matches here. I had some tough draws: Roger 2004, and I lost to Andre 2006 and then Mirnyi in 2007. So, yeah, 2008/2009 I didn't play, and this year... But I don't know why. I played two times finals in juniors here, so I cannot say. It's not that I don't like the place. I do like the place, but I don't know why. It's just finding the way of winning the first matches, and then everything starts rolling. But I cannot for the moment. I hope next year I will find a way. Q. Did you miss it while you were away for the last couple of years?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure, yeah. I miss playing tennis. You know, for the last couple years I didn't play a lot. I'm happy I'm back, you know. I'm looking forward, you know, continuing the form I have and just playing, winning matches, and finding the solutions to win. That's all. Q. This is a little off the subject, but we all know Mardy Fish lost like 30 pounds, and Roddick had talked last year about losing a lot of weight. I'm wondering, where can a guy playing five sets and playing professional tennis find that much weight to lose? Does that seem weird to you, that somebody can lose that much weight and still be competitive?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. I don't know. I think it's not weird. I mean, if you want to lose weight, you can go ahead and lose weight. That's what I can say. That's not weird. Why would it be weird? Q. It just seems like you were already fit. Where would you find the weight to lose? If you're playing tennis, seems like you're a pretty fit guy.MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, true. But if the guys want to lose weight, they can lose weight if they want to. That's their problem. Q. Do you think it would help? I mean...MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It depends on the player, depends on his style of game. I don't know. Depends on the people he works with, the physical trainer, the doctors. Depends on a lot of things. Some people say it's good to lose weight; some people don't. Q. Do you have like a weight that you're comfortable with that you like to play with, or did it not even come up as far as you're concerned?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, it doesn't come up. Q. Where would you rank today as far as the court conditions and the heat among all your matches that you've played? Was it, you know, top 5 hottest day?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Tell you the truth, okay, it was hot, but, I mean, we play so much matches in the heat I cannot tell you I mean, we play so much matches in the heat, so I cannot rank today's heat. I mean, when I go on court, I don't say, Ah, today it's the fifth or sixth or seventh. I just play. Q. How hot was it for you?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It was hot. But, I mean, usual day. Yesterday was hot. We had to practice. So, you know, it's yeah. Q. What can you say on Clément, who at 32 is still playing this kind of tennis?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Respect for him. He's playing great tennis. I know he didn't win a lot of matches this summer. I mean, maybe I'm the only guy he beat, so... (Smiling.) But he's playing great tennis. I know him personally. He's a great guy. He's playing great tennis. I wish him luck. Q. You have the Cyprus emblem on your clothes right now. Can you explain why that is?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Because I have no sponsor, so I just want to put my country. Q. Is it the office of tourism?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, no sponsor. It's not a sponsor, it's because I want to put it. Q. How long have you been without a sponsor?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: A year since January. Q. Who makes the clothes?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My mom. I buy them from Technifibre and my mom puts the flags on them.
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Post by christos on Sept 1, 2010 4:14:23 GMT -5
Q. Who makes the clothes?MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My mom. I buy them from Technifibre and my mom puts the flags on them. ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Giatros on Sept 2, 2010 12:12:31 GMT -5
amNewYork
Column: Charismatic Marcos Baghdatis can't seem to stick around U.S. Open
Wednesday September 1, 2010 8:46 PM (New York time)
By Max J. Dickstein
Marcos Baghdatis has the game to win at the U.S. Open and the personality to star at it. To New York tennis fans’ frustration, he has done little of either. Seeded 16th after a successful North American hardcourt season, Baghdatis suffered a first-round exit from the Open on Tuesday for the third time. The 25-year-old Cypriot is now 2-7 at Flushing Meadows. In falling to 32-year-old Arnaud Clement, a tactically superior Frenchman, Baghdatis moved poorly at times during 31⁄2 hours in sweltering Louis Armstrong Stadium, throwing in several foot faults. “I was really heavy on court,” he said, though he refused to use the heat as an excuse for his 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 loss. “I wasn’t feeling very fit.” With 22 aces and 56 winners, Baghdatis flashed some of his redoubtable baseline power. But his sluggish effort contrasted with the positivity projected by Baghdatis’ greatest moment in Queens, one that showcased his talent and charisma. In 2006, I was among the ticket holders who watched Baghdatis become the retiring Andre Agassi’s final Grand Slam victim, in a palpitating night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Dancing dramatically on his non-cramping leg, Baghdatis was still mustering winners when Agassi subdued him well past midnight, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5. The classic match came toward the end of a breakthrough year when Baghdatis was the Australian Open runner-up and a semifinalist at Wimbledon. Injuries and poor form sent Baghdatis as low as No. 151 thereafter, and he missed the Open in 2008 and ’09. Last year, the Cypriot even lost his clothing sponsor, Adidas, a humbling experience. Now, Baghdatis’ mother sews a patch with an image of the flag of Cyprus onto clothing that he buys from Technifibre himself. Perhaps his previous humblings on New York courts will fuel a run here next summer. “I don’t know why,” Baghdatis said of his struggles here. “I hope next year I will find a way.”
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