Marcos Baghdatis
Profile:
Pronounced: bag-DAH-teesAge: 26 (17.06.1985)
Birthplace: Limassol, Cyprus
Residence: Limassol, Cyprus
Height: 6' (183 cm)
Weight: 181 lbs (82 kg)
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2003
Coach: Miles McLagan
Biography:
Currently ranked No. 26 in the world, Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis has four career ATP Tour titles.He has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the world, first achieving that rank on Aug. 21, 2006. His highest doubles ranking is No. 83, reached on Jan. 7, 2008.
He reached the second round of the US Open in 2004 (lost to Roger Federer) then made his big splash in 2005, becoming the first Cypriot to rank in the Top 100 (55th). He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to Federer again. In February, he underwent surgery that correct a congenital problem causing muscles to constrict around a nerve in his right arm.
In 2006, he won his first ATP title (Beijing) and reached his first Grand Slam final at the Australian, again losing to Federer. He defeated three Top 10 players, including No. 3 Andy Roddick, in the process. The big run improved his ranking from 54th to 27th in one week. He followed it up with a quarterfinals appearance at Indian Wells and a semifinal trip at Wimbledon, losing to Rafael Nadal both times. After Wimbledon, he breached the Top 10 and stayed there for 13 weeks before finishing the year at No. 12. He followed it up with a second straight Top 20 finish in 2007, winning at Zagreb (defeating Ivan Ljubicic) and reaching two other finals.
In the Slams, he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the fourth round at the French Open. Injuries sent Baghdatis crashing down to No. 100, before moving up to No. 98 by year’s end. He played in just 12 tournaments, highlighted by a fourth-round trip to Wimbledon and a third-round battle with Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open that took nearly five hours and ended at 4:34 a.m. He missed two months with a stress fracture in his wrist, and retired from three tournaments down the stretch with back injuries. Baghdatis fought his way back into the Top 50 by the end of 2009, even though he briefly fell out of the Top 100. In October, he won at Stockholm, his first title since Feb. 2007.
He started 2010 with a win at Sydney, dedicating the title to his brother, whose birthday it was. He then donated $5,000 of his prize money to the Haiti Earthquake relief fund. The win shot him up 11 places in the rankings to No. 31. At Indian Wells in March, he defeated Federer in what he called “the best win of my career.” He reached the third round of the French Open, but was upset in the first round at Wimbledon by Lukas Lack, ranked No. 75.
Images:
Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
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