When Marcos Baghdatis upset second seed Andy Roddick in the fourth round of the 2006
Australian Open, he told reporters he was in his "own world". With his piratical
appearance - ear piercings, long hair, beard and bandana - the 20-year-old Cypriot
certainly cuts an unconventional image on court. His colourful, bubbly, free-swinging
game has illuminated the tournament and now promises to make him more than just a
fan-friendly diversion. One wonders if he will be able to keep his happy-go-lucky
demeanour as expectations start to build.
"Maybe I am different to other players, but that's just the way I am," explained the
2003 junior world number one, who is the first Cypriot to break into the top 100. "That's
the way I like to play and that's the way that I like to live. What you see on the court
is also what I'm like in my life and with the people I love."
Baghdatis has been spurred on by a boisterous group of fans clad in blue and white,
singing, chanting and cheering football-style throughout his matches. "My supporters
don't know tennis that well, so they are having to learn what tennis is all about,"
he said. "They think that it's football. So when I spoke to them I told them the rules
and I told them to calm down and no swearing and stuff. It's getting better. It's good
for them, good for tennis, good for me."
Baghdatis started playing tennis at age five with his father and two older brothers, Marinos
and Petros. His father sent him to Paris at age 14 to pursue his tennis dreams and he trained
at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy on an Olympic Solidarity Youth Development Programme
Scholarship. After reaching the fourth round of the 2005 Australian Open, where he lost
to world number one Roger Federer, he underwent surgery to correct a muscle problem in his
right arm. Towards the end of the year, he reached his first career final, losing to
Fernando Gonzalez in Basel. He is a soccer fan who supports Limassol's Apollo Football
Club.
Baghdatis and his passionate supporters take on seventh seed Ivan Ljubicic in the
quarter-finals in Melbourne on Tuesday. There will be dancing in the fountains of
Limassol if he pulls off another upset.
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