Wimbledon, 25th June-8th July

[christos]

yes...as I saw on the MTF this court hasn't coverage!! great.......:-(

[choupi]

And of course, our great friend -the rain- has decided to invite itself, again.......play's suspended. Marcos leads with the 1st set in his pocket 6/2.

[choupi]

Marcos won the match 6-2 7-5 6-0.

[choupi]

From the site of Wimbledon:

Bags of Love for Marcos

Monday, 2 July, 2007


According to the song, you can't hurry love. Love at first sight may be possible, but it is not common and, for most, the norm is a gradual realisation that both sides were meant for each other.

So it was for Marcos Baghdatis, the 6-2, 7-5, 6-0 winner over David Nalbandian and the proud possessor of a place in the fourth round. When Baghdatis first came here as a senior player in 2005, he lost in the first round, beaten in straight sets by Mikhail Youzhny. Twelve months later, he returned and on a wave of smiles, emotion and disbelief (his, not ours) he reached the semi-finals. Now he is back again and he is loving it here.

"Grass is beautiful, you know," he said. "It's green, it's beautiful. I don't know, I just love it. I serve well, I return well, move good on the surface. My strokes are flat, pretty low - it doesn't help the other guys."

It certainly did not help Nalbandian who was decidedly out of sorts. The former Wimbledon finalist went quickly – and in the frustrating weather conditions, Baghdatis was grateful for that.

"I wasn't expecting it," he said. "He didn't play really good. I know he's a dangerous guy, especially through his career he came a lot back from two sets down, match points down. At the third set, I wanted it to finish. But he didn't play very good. I'm happy that I won. It's pretty good."

This year Baghdatis has a lot to live up to. Now he is expected to beat the big boys on this slick surface and is supposed to be one of the contenders at the grand slam tournaments. But even if he is an emotional soul, a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, Baghdatis feels so at home here, that he can shrug off any hint of pressure.

"I had pressure before starting on grass," he said. "But after playing good in Halle, the pressure went out because I saw that my game suits to this surface and I feel quite good on it. So there is pressure, for sure, because it's Wimbledon, it's a grand slam. But I feel good on the surface, so it takes a bit of the pressure off."

Love can do that for you.

Written by Alix Ramsay

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2007-07-02/200707021183401249906.html

Brilliant Baghdatis Denies Nalbandian

Monday, 2 July, 2007


Marcos Baghdatis continued to show that last year's run to the semi-final may not be a one-off by impressively beating the 2002 finalist David Nalbandian to reach the last 16.

The 22-year-old Cypriot, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the semi last year, quickly found his rhythm on Court 11, exchanging some entertaining baseline rallies before breaking the Argentine 25-year-old in the sixth and eight games to secure the opening set 6-2.

The second set was going with serve with Baghdatis leading 2-1 before the rain came down to halt play. When the players returned to court, it was the Argentine who was under threat on his serve while the Cypriot easily held his three service games to love.

The second set looked to be heading towards a tie-break, with Nalbandian serving at 5-6. However, Baghdatis quickly found himself with three set points and, despite failing to convert two, he was gifted the third as Nalbandian double-faulted.

This proved to be the key game of the match with Nalbandian breaking his racquet and receiving a warning from the umpire, whilst Baghdatis let off a roar of delight at the other end.

Baghdatis, making his third consecutive Wimbledon appearance, and clearly pumped up with loud chants from the crowds of “Marcos”, got an early break to lead 2-0 in the third set - and then held a crucial break point on his own serve in the third game.

Nalbandian was by now looking deflated and his body language looked like he was already a beaten man as he was broken again in the fourth game.

Then, when serving to stay in the match, Nalbandian found himself three match points down after a couple of sublime volleys from his opponent. The Cypriot forced another error from the Argentine who netted the return to hand him the match, with the scoreline of 6-2, 7-5, 6-0 reflecting how Nalbandian's challenge collapsed towards the end.

Written by Tim Westmacott

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2007-07-02/200706301183198649312.html

[choupi]

Interview of Marcos after his win over Nalbandian:

M.Baghdatis
Monday, 2 July, 2007


Q. How will you describe your game so far? Pretty happy?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I'm pretty happy, playing good. Tough conditions. But I'm going through every match, playing quite good. I'm really happy I'm winning.

Q. You obviously had great results here last year. Did that in some ways put a bit of pressure on you inside?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I had pressure before starting on grass. But after playing good in Halle, the pressure went out because I saw that my game suits to this surface and I feel quite good on it.

So there is pressure, for sure, because it's Wimbledon, it's a Grand Slam. But I feel good on the surface, so it takes a bit of the pressure off.

Q. You needed that kind of reassurance that it wasn't a fluke?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Exactly, yup.

Q. Did you expect to win quite as comfortably today? David is not involved in many three setters, is he?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, I wasn't expecting that. I don't know, he didn't play really good. I know he's a dangerous guy, especially through his career he came a lot back from two sets down, match points down. At the third set, I wanted it to finish.

But he didn't play very good. I'm happy that I won. It's pretty good.

Q. David was talking about how good the weather was yesterday and saying how all the players would like a middle Sunday, how it made sense. Do you go along with that?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I think so. It would be great to play yesterday because, I mean, now we have to play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday the bottom half, and it's pretty tough. But that's the way it is. We have to accept it.

Q. Will that be too much for you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Too much? Like today was an easy match. I mean, I went through easily. Didn't spend a lot of time on the court. So I feel fit and good. I'll see tomorrow.

I'm ready for tomorrow, that's for sure.

Q. Have you looked ahead, seen yourself in semifinals or finals?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. I just take match per match. I know I'm playing Davydenko or Monfils next round. They're still on court. Try to keep concentrated every match, every game I play, try to it, then I'll see.

Q. Why do you think your game translates well to grass?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I serve well. I return well. Move good on the surface. My strokes are flat, pretty low. It doesn't help the other guys.

Q. Do you get enjoyment from playing on it? Do you actually like it?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I do. I do enjoy it.

Q. Can you just expand why? Is it being able to be more aggressive?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Grass is beautiful, you know. It's green, it's beautiful. Play a lot of soccer. I don't know. I just love it.

Q. When was the first time you played on grass?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Tennis or soccer?

Q. Both.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Tennis was juniors, I don't know, 2002, 2001. 2001, yeah.

Q. And soccer?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't remember. It was earlier (smiling).

Q. Are you aware at all of the increased security? Can you sense that?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, today we were not (indiscernible), but when we came in, they dropped us out. We saw all the walls around where the transport used to leave us in. It fine.

Q. You had to walk a little bit further than normal?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yes, but I hope nothing goes on.

Q. Are you aware of a few of the players that have had property stolen at Wimbledon, other tournaments?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I didn't know that.

Q. Not heard anything?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No.

Q. Have you been watching the Serena match. She was cramping on court.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I just saw it now.

Q. You had a cramping experience at the Open last year. Can you talk about how you manage that, how difficult it is, what you can do?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It hurts, for sure. But what can you do? I couldn't stand. I had to move all the time. I couldn't just put my feet on the ground. I have to move all the time. Slowly, slowly it goes by.

But what it grabs you, it kills you. It's a lot of pain. The muscle, it's like the muscle wants to break. It's really painful.

Q. Even though the rain is annoying, maybe you wished for some back then?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No rain. I had to continue.

Q. Looks like your next opponent is going to be Davydenko. If it turns out that way, what are your thoughts? What is the key playing such a good defensive player?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's the first year he's playing good on grass. It means he is starting to get experience, starting to know how to play on grass. I think he can play everywhere. He's a good returner, good baseline player. The balls are heavy here. The grass is not so fast.

But I think if I play my game and try to be aggressive, just try to return well, serve well, I think I would play good. If I play good, I think I can win.

Q. Him being such a shot maker, is there a risk you can become too frustrated, get bored into losing?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Tell you the truth, in the tournament now when you're in the fourth round, the guy who plays better wins. There's no frustration. My side, I mean, I won't get frustrated. I won't get nervous. I just know what to do.

I played three matches on the grass courts here at Wimbledon. I can say I'm in the tournament, and I don't think I'll do too many things wrong.

But if the guy would play better than me then he'll beat me, that's for sure.

Q. What is Nikolay like off the court? Fun guy? Any good jokes, that sort of thing?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't speak to him.

Q. Never spoken to him?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Not really.

Q. Never had the occasion?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No.

Q. Is there any one or two players out there that put some kind of fear in you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Not the top players. Some friends from juniors, like Wawrinka, players from doubles, Yves Allegro. The French guys are funny.

Q. Funny?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah. We get along well.

Q. You had a great result last year, but not a lot of talk about you coming into the tournament. Do you feel disrespected at all?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, no, not really.

Q. Is everything a bit quieter this year? Less of a surprise to see you in the fourth round?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if it's a surprise or not. Like I said, I'm starting to feel good on grass, playing my tennis. I don't know what you guys think.

I don't know if you think it's a surprise or not. But I think that I'm just taking day to day, trying to do my job, trying to play good tennis, trying to win, and I'm doing it good for the moment. I'm pretty happy about that.

Q. Do you consider yourself a momentum player?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What does this mean?

Q. Somebody who gets momentum as you win every match, hotter and hotter as you go along.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah.

Q. Do you feel differently to the way you felt last year? Calmer perhaps? More comfortable here?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, a bit more comfortable. But the weather is not so easy here. It's another experience we have to adjust to, the weather.

But, like I said before, now I'm in my tournament. I'm not scared. I just go on court, just play my game, just try to find the solution to win. That's my goal. That's the most important thing for me.


Q. When you're not playing, what do you do to relax?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I cook.

Q. What do you cook?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Everything.

Q. What is your favorite thing to do during rain delays?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure not reading. Talking.

Q. Talking about what?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. Soccer, anything.

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2007-07-02/200707021183398161296.html#

[christos]

Good win! well done Marcos and for the patience about the rain....Nalbandian was little bothered as I saw in CNN

Good luck for the next!

[choupi]

Marcos is 1st match against Davydenko today on Court 13, starting 11am.

[choupi]

And it's a win!! 7-6 7-6 6-3. Next one is Djokovic. Pame Marcos!!

[choupi]

From the Wimbledon site:

Baghdatis Bags Quarter-Final Place

Thursday, 5 July, 2007


You didn’t need an order of play to find out where Marcos Baghdatis was playing this morning, you simply had to follow the noise. The popular Cypriot swept aside sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, on Court 13 in a match that would not have been out of place in a football stadium given the noise from his army of fans.

Baghdatis, ranked 16 in the world, may have reached the semi-finals here last year, but he was facing the world number four on the other side of the net. What is more, the Russian beat the 22-year-old Cypriot in their one and only meeting in Miami last year and in the beginning at least it wasn’t entirely clear which way this match would go.

Both men started out evenly and if you needed a masterclass in topspin groundstrokes this was the match to watch. Power, precision, consistency - both players had it all and a first set tiebreak was the only way to separate the two.

The 26-year-old led by two points for most of the tiebreak but the gritty Cypriot held his nerve to claw back and level the score. When Davydenko netted a ball, the set was his much to the delight of his fan club, which began chanting “Marcos, we love you”.

In stark contrast, the second set saw both men struggle to hold serve. Yet another tiebreak ensued and again it was to be Baghdatis’s. At the change of ends there was a sense that the ever-rowdy crowd was beginning to seep under the skin of the Russian.

It didn’t help that that some supporters, sporting T-shirts that spelt out M.A.R.C.O.S, were sitting directly behind the players’ chairs. There was not an inch of the court where Davydenko could seek asylum and come the third set he went off the boil, throwing in unforced errors.

Even so, the rallies were intense. Twenty strokes were counted at 15-15 in the last game and it was eventually a crosscourt backhand winner that secured the Cypriot his place in the quarter-finals for the second year running.

Baghdatis will now face either Lleyton Hewitt or Novak Djokovic in the next round.

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2007-07-05/200707051183629692078.html

[choupi]

After-match interview:

M. Baghdatis - 5 July


Q. What was the key to the victory?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know really. Winning the tiebreaks. It was tough out there. Conditions were tough. We both didn't play very good. We didn't serve very good.

It was tough to serve. It was tough to feel the ball. So I just fought through.

Q. How hard is it to hit a winner against him, because he's very fast and steady?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's very hard. He's moving pretty good. He gets all the balls back. It's very tough.

But I just tried to fight, just tried to put the ball more times than him in the court. That's what I did. That's why I won.

Q. You have some great fans.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it was nice having them.

Q. Do they follow you everywhere?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Not really. Not everywhere. But I have some in Australia. The Greek Cypriots, we are a lot in the whole world. We have a lot in New York, in London. We're 25,000 here. They came to see me and that's really nice.

Q. Does it boost your game?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure it helps you. It motivates you. It gives you some energy.

Q. Do you know some of them?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, not really.

Q. Of victories like this or a guy like Davydenko, how much of the victory is more mental than physical and technical for you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I'm just trying to play my game. I mean, when I play guys like this, I'm just trying not to make more things that I know and just trying to do what I know, just try to play my game.

I've beat good players before in the past. Every time I go there, when I play better players than me, especially in the top 10 and 5, I'm more concentrated. I think that's the key.

Q. Who do you think the steadiest player is?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Roger. He's not only moving well, but his ball is really heavy. It's really tough.

Q. Now that you've got through, do you think the fans will be in the next game?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I hope.

Q. You'll have loads more coming out?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know.

Q. You had the breakout a year and a half or so. Are you still surprised at how successful you've been, or do you expect more out of yourself?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I expect more.

Q. Because?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Because I know I can play good tennis. After Australia I didn't play so good, especially the last six months I wasn't playing good at all, losing a lot of confident. I'm trying to find my way back and go up there in the top.

Q. What have you done to put yourself in this point where you are playing well again?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Just had some changes. I mean, had some changes, working hard, trying to be more consistent every day, working hard trying to find a new thing every day to work on and improve.

Q. You're a guy who seems to get a lot of joy out of the sport. Have you found it's also very much of a job?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, when I was a kid, I took it more like fun. But now, like you said, it's more like a job. I start to realize it. I wake up every day and I know why I'm here and I know what to work on. It's not like I don't have a coach tell me do that, do that.

Q. Rafa, Moya and yourself are all from Mediterranean islands. What makes it so special?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: The food. I don't know.

Q. What part of the food?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: The sun, I don't know.

Q. In Cypress, tennis must have come on a lot.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, more kids playing tennis today than before. It's nice to see that. Not only tennis, but other sports. I mean, there is more competition with soccer.

Before it was only soccer. So now there is more sports in the country, so it's good, good competition. It's nice to see that.

Q. The shirts your fans were wearing, were they Cypriot shirts?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Greek.

Q. Can you picture on Sunday Marcos Baghdatis holding up the winner's trophy?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Why not? I know I have to play better, but why not?

Q. You're feeling that good about yourself now where your game is at the level?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Like I said before, I mean, I can beat good players. I can beat a lot of players. I did it before. Every day's a different day. Every match is tough.

I need to stay concentrate and play my best tennis to win.

Q. Talk about either Djokovic or Hewitt.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: They're both tough opponents, especially Djokovic is having a great year this year. He's very consistent. I think he's leading now.

But Hewitt is a tough player, too. A lot of experience. I can say he has seven lives. He's never giving up. He's always there. I'm looking forward for tomorrow's game.

Q. Has this Wimbledon been tough with the weather for you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It wasn't easy for sure. It's boring, I guess. That's the way it is. We have to find a way to get through. That's life. That's what I did. I just tried to stay concentrate.

Just try to go every time I go on court to be there and not out. That's what I did. It's working. I'm pretty happy.

Q. Do you like the grass?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No (laughter). Of course, I do.

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2007-07-05/200707051183643834187.html

[christos]

I was sure about this! Great for Marcos, still in.
Djokovic will be tough one but Marcos is tough too.Go for it!

[choupi]

Certainly not an easy match for sure. They're scheduled 1st on Court 1, starting 11am.

[choupi]

I guess we all knew this would be tough but it seems it's been a great match to watch for those who were lucky to get coverage.

Marcos lost 6-7 6-7 7-6 6-4 5-7.

[choupi]

About the match:

Weary Djokovic Denies Baghdatis

Friday, 6 July, 2007

In the longest singles match of this year's Championships, Serbia's Novak Djokovic defeated Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (7-3), 4-6, 7-5 in exactly five hours on No. 1 Court to reach his second successive grand slam semi-final.

Djokovic, beaten by Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at the French Open last month, will again face Nadal tomorrow but he will be a tired 20-year-old, having had extensive treatment on his back at the end of the fourth set of this marathon.

The fourth-seeded Djokovic and the 10th-seeded Baghdatis, who reached the last four here in 2006, were evenly matched in both temperament and ability. At the end they embraced good-naturedly but the player with a smile on his face will be Nadal, a quick winner today and bound to be fresher for tomorrow.

What reinforces Nadal's confidence is that the previous longest singles match at the 2007 Championships also involved Djokovic, a four hours and 12 minutes four-set fourth round contest against Lleyton Hewitt.

Yet it had seemed that, like Nadal, Djokovic was in for a straightforward, if extended, afternoon. Although Baghdatis saved a couple of set points at 4-5 in the opening set he was outplayed in the subsequent tiebreak and the Serb was a set in front with an hour played.

In a second set free of service breaks Djokovic missed four break points in all, testimony to the battling abilities of Baghdatis, and became so frustrated that he hurled his racket to the ground, incurring a code of conduct violation from umpire Alison Lang.

It was the Cypriot who should have been hurling things around, since he went on to squander five set points in the subsequent tiebreak before Djokovic took it by 11 points to nine. Two sets up, two hours and 15 minutes played.

Baghdatis had extensive treatment on the shoulder of his serving arm before the start of the third set but when he immediately fell 3-0 behind it seemed Djokovic was heading for a straight sets win. However, Baghdatis did not think so, counter-attacking so spiritedly that he broke Djokovic twice, led 5-3, and missed two more set points, making it seven in all.

When it came to the third tiebreak of the match it was the 22-year-old from Limassol who took charge, though he missed two more set points before clinching it on his 10th one of the match.

In the fourth set Djokovic again seemed to be pushing towards victory when he broke to lead 4-3, only for the exuberant Baghdatis, urged on by a raucous crowd of supporters in blue football shirts, to sweep the next four games. The match was level after four hours and eight minutes. While Baghdatis took a toilet break, having run out of treatment time, Djokovic received massage on his back.

Although Djokovic was clearly tiring faster than Baghdatis following the exertions of the Hewitt match, he hung on and achieved the crucial breakthrough in the 11th game of the final set, breaking to love. He munched on a banana before striding out to serve for his place in the semi-finals, winning as the clock ticked up to five hours when Baghdatis pushed a backhand service return into the net.

After the match, Baghdatis said he was pleased with his performance in fighting back. "I had a good fight," he said. "I was proud of myself because I gave everything. That's a good thing. But a loss is a loss. I accept losing. You have to continue. I lost today and am a bit disappointed. But I am happy for Novak that he can go through and maybe win it here."

He praised his opponent, saying: "I think he is playing great tennis. He serves pretty big. He's confident."

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2007-07-06/200707061183737624906.html

[christos]

oh many tiebreaks there.....it was tougher than I thought