Going into the first Grand Slam of the season, men’s tennis was desperate for new personalities, and it found the answer in young Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
Little-known before the first Grand Slam of the season, the long-haired lad from Limassol burst on to the stage to establish himself as a legitimate star.
Nicknamed ”The Smiling Assassin” by some media and the ”Wizard of Oz” by others, the 20-year-old’s clown-like antics, infectious grin and blistering groundstrokes earned him a place in the tennis elite.
He defeated a raft of seeds on the way to the final, including Radek Stepanek (17), Andy Roddick (2), Ivan Ljubicic (7) and David Nalbandian (4) before world number one Roger Federer reminded him who was boss.
Even Federer was impressed.
”In two weeks he’s improved incredibly. I think we’re all surprised he got so far because there’s other very talented youngsters who I thought would have made the break before him. But he proved us all wrong,” he said.
His fighting spirit won over the crowds and a new-found confidence in his game pushed him further than he’s been before.
”I’m really quick on the feet. I move very well in the court. I have a great eye. I see the ball very fast,” he said after making the final.
”I can adapt to any players, any style of players. I think that’s my game. I mean, adapting to all the players. I have maybe all the shots.”
The television commentators and their audience have loved what they’ve seen — a new talent who can not only play great tennis but who has fun doing it.
He also benefited from having a stunning French model girlfriend courtside urging him on, which won Camille Neviere almost as many column inches and as much airtime as Baghdatis.
”It’s great to have her around,” he said. ”She helps me a lot and we are having a lot of fun together. My girlfriend helps me a lot because we don’t speak about tennis.”
Baghdatis hails from the Limassol village of Paramytha, which is Greek for ”fairytale”, and his two-week adventure was just that.
But winning cult status has been a long haul.
He began playing tennis aged five with his brothers Marinos and Petros who both went on to compete in Davis Cup.
At 13, his parents moved him to Paris to train at the Mouratoglou academy and he went on to win nine junior titles, becoming the number one ranked junior in the world in 2003.
His father, who runs a clothing store in Cyprus, knew from early on that his son had what it took, which persuaded him to make the difficult decision to send him away to France.
”You have to be born with it. It is a gift from within. I believe Marcos has found out what there is in his soul,” said Christos Baghdatis, adding that his son had arrived, and now the hard work begins.
”My son has already made his mark at the international level. But my expectation, and that of Marcos, is much, much higher,” he said.
”Now reality tells me that Marcos will have to work twice as hard to go higher and stay higher.”
Baghdatis knows that his life has changed forever. He is already a hero in Cyprus, and a street in Limassol is to be named after him.
”I’m famous now,” he said, but he has his feet firmly planted on the ground.
”I have a career in front of me. I have to go back, feet on the ground, and start working hard again because there are lot of players like me who want it so much and have the heart, have the fire in them to do what I did this week.
”It can happen to anybody. Tennis is a great sport, and that’s the way it is.” – Sapa-AFP