Baghdatis is still fighting.
Through five sets and almost four hours, the stout man with the scraggly beard and fat bandana stood in against an American tennis icon playing his farewell US Open. The men traded backcourt body blows and nerveless brilliance long past midnight, and by the end, Andre Agassi had what would turn out to be the final victory of his career, and his opponent, a Cypriot named Marcos Baghdatis, cramping so badly he could barely stay upright, had a starring role in one of the greatest matches in the annals of the Open.
It happened ten years ago in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and it was only fitting that Agassi and Baghdatis finished the night holding hands in the training room as each got replenished by IV fluids.
"I fought for it,” Marcos Baghdatis said that night.
Now 31 years old, the 5-foot-10, 181-pound Marcos Baghdatis is still fighting, still powered by his trademark upbeat persona, and a resolve that reaches all the way to the new retractable roof, as he makes an improbable late-career comeback that has helped him move into the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time in seven years. On Sunday, Baghdatis will square off against the 10th-seeded Frenchman, Gael Monfils, a match that figures to be rich with acrobatic shotmaking and crowd-pleasing improvisation. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, admittedly a neighborhood Baghdatis thought he might never see again, after several years of injuries, primarily to his wrist and back, dropped his ranking from a high of No. 8 all the way down to No. 155.
Baghdatis’ comeback began with having people feed him balls to hit, as if he were holding a racquet for the first time. He slowly built up from there, kept swinging, even as he questioned where it was all going.
After all, he had gone from a 2006 Australian Open finalist and Wimbledon semifinalist to the Challenger circuit, trying to fight his way back to the big leagues.
Not even two years ago, Baghdatis fell to No. 591 John Millman of Australia in the second round of a Challenger tournament in Napa, Calif.
“There were a lot of doubts and a lot of ups and downs,” Baghdatis said. “[But] I think that helped me also. I realized how much I love the sport. You have to find that motivation, which I think I lost a bit. I came in and just said, ‘It’s enough.’ Sometimes I say to myself, ‘I’m just going to die on the court if I have to.’ That’s when you push more than your limits and you improve.”
David Goffin of Belgium, the No. 14 player in the world, isn’t surprised that Baghdatis blasted through his despondence.
“On the court, [Marcos] always plays with his heart, which is so good,” Goffin said.
Baghdatis has never made it to the second week of the Open before. That he did so this year is due in no small measure to his wife, former WTA player Karolina Sprem, the former world No. 17 and now the mother of their two young daughters.
“She never doubted me at all. She helped me get back to where I am today,” Baghdatis said.
Baghdatis got a major lift early in the year, when he made it to the final in Dubai, playing a taut, two-setter before falling to Stan Wawrinka. He has advanced here with victories over Facundo Bagnis, a 90th-ranked Argentine, Benoit Paire, No. 34 from France, and American qualifier, Ryan Harrison, who dismantled No. 5 Milos Raonic in the second round, but was worn down over four sets by Baghdatis’ crisp groundstrokes and timely aggressiveness.
“I don't miss a lot of balls and give a lot of free points,” Baghdatis said. “When I need to attack, I do. I'm very happy with the way I'm moving and returning.”
The dazzling, if mercurial, Monfils will constitute a far greater challenge than Baghdatis has encountered here. Monfils had little problem with Baghdatis in the tour stop in Cincinnati just before the Open, administering a 7-5, 6-0 thrashing.
Ten years after his epic match with Agassi, Baghdatis, now ranked No. 44, said he learned things from that match that may help him. He has set a goal to finish his career in the top 20. He likes his chances.
“I’ve been playing really good tennis,” Baghdatis said.
Through five sets and almost four hours, the stout man with the scraggly beard and fat bandana stood in against an American tennis icon playing his farewell US Open. The men traded backcourt body blows and nerveless brilliance long past midnight, and by the end, Andre Agassi had what would turn out to be the final victory of his career, and his opponent, a Cypriot named Marcos Baghdatis, cramping so badly he could barely stay upright, had a starring role in one of the greatest matches in the annals of the Open.
It happened ten years ago in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and it was only fitting that Agassi and Baghdatis finished the night holding hands in the training room as each got replenished by IV fluids.
"I fought for it,” Marcos Baghdatis said that night.
Now 31 years old, the 5-foot-10, 181-pound Marcos Baghdatis is still fighting, still powered by his trademark upbeat persona, and a resolve that reaches all the way to the new retractable roof, as he makes an improbable late-career comeback that has helped him move into the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time in seven years. On Sunday, Baghdatis will square off against the 10th-seeded Frenchman, Gael Monfils, a match that figures to be rich with acrobatic shotmaking and crowd-pleasing improvisation. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, admittedly a neighborhood Baghdatis thought he might never see again, after several years of injuries, primarily to his wrist and back, dropped his ranking from a high of No. 8 all the way down to No. 155.
Baghdatis’ comeback began with having people feed him balls to hit, as if he were holding a racquet for the first time. He slowly built up from there, kept swinging, even as he questioned where it was all going.
After all, he had gone from a 2006 Australian Open finalist and Wimbledon semifinalist to the Challenger circuit, trying to fight his way back to the big leagues.
Not even two years ago, Baghdatis fell to No. 591 John Millman of Australia in the second round of a Challenger tournament in Napa, Calif.
“There were a lot of doubts and a lot of ups and downs,” Baghdatis said. “[But] I think that helped me also. I realized how much I love the sport. You have to find that motivation, which I think I lost a bit. I came in and just said, ‘It’s enough.’ Sometimes I say to myself, ‘I’m just going to die on the court if I have to.’ That’s when you push more than your limits and you improve.”
David Goffin of Belgium, the No. 14 player in the world, isn’t surprised that Baghdatis blasted through his despondence.
“On the court, [Marcos] always plays with his heart, which is so good,” Goffin said.
Baghdatis has never made it to the second week of the Open before. That he did so this year is due in no small measure to his wife, former WTA player Karolina Sprem, the former world No. 17 and now the mother of their two young daughters.
“She never doubted me at all. She helped me get back to where I am today,” Baghdatis said.
Baghdatis got a major lift early in the year, when he made it to the final in Dubai, playing a taut, two-setter before falling to Stan Wawrinka. He has advanced here with victories over Facundo Bagnis, a 90th-ranked Argentine, Benoit Paire, No. 34 from France, and American qualifier, Ryan Harrison, who dismantled No. 5 Milos Raonic in the second round, but was worn down over four sets by Baghdatis’ crisp groundstrokes and timely aggressiveness.
“I don't miss a lot of balls and give a lot of free points,” Baghdatis said. “When I need to attack, I do. I'm very happy with the way I'm moving and returning.”
The dazzling, if mercurial, Monfils will constitute a far greater challenge than Baghdatis has encountered here. Monfils had little problem with Baghdatis in the tour stop in Cincinnati just before the Open, administering a 7-5, 6-0 thrashing.
Ten years after his epic match with Agassi, Baghdatis, now ranked No. 44, said he learned things from that match that may help him. He has set a goal to finish his career in the top 20. He likes his chances.
“I’ve been playing really good tennis,” Baghdatis said.
