Semi-finalist in 2004
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Marcos Baghdatis
Best ATP ranking 8
- Country Cyprus
- Age 39 years
- Size 1.78 m
- Jeu Right-handed, two-handed backhand
Special feature: Best Cypriot player ever
Profile & career
BAGHDATIS, THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Marcos Baghdatis, spotted as a teenager by Patrick Mouratoglou, announced himself to the tennis world at an early age. First as a junior. He became world No 1 in 2003, winning the Australian Open and the Orange Bowl. In 2006, at the professional level and aged just 20, he reached the final of the Australian Open after wins over Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian. He fell to Roger Federer after winning the first set in front of Mouratoglou and his staff.
Baghdatis reached No. 8 in the world during his career and won four titles on the ATP circuit, in Beijing (2006), Zagreb (2007), Stockholm (2009) and Sydney (2010). He is also known for being the last player beaten by Andre Agassi at the 2006 US Open before the American retired. Marcos Baghdatis played the last match of his career at Wimbledon in 2019, losing to Matteo Berrettini in the second round.
BAGHADATIS' TRACK RECORD
Junior career: World champion and Grand Slam title
After reaching the US Open junior final in 2002, Marcos Baghdatis confirmed his status the following year by winning the Australian Open junior title, beating Florin Mergea in the final to become world No 1. He also won the Orange Bowl title after beating Gaël Monfils. A US Open junior finalist in 2003 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marcos Baghdatis finished the year as world No 1 and became world junior champion. He ended his junior career in 2003 with a record of 152 wins and 41 losses.
ATP career: A dazzling debut followed by a rollercoaster ride
After his first year as a professional in 2004, Marcos Baghdatis quickly climbed the rankings and reached the top 100 in January 2005. The following year, thanks in particular to his final at the Australian Open, he reached world No 8, the highest ranking of his career. Between injuries and doubts, the Cypriot then struggled to fulfil his potential. He remained a regular member of the top 20 until 2008, before gradually dropping down the rankings.
ATP honours list: 4 titles, 14 finals
Marcos Baghdatis left the professional circuit with four titles to his name, in Beijing (2006), Zagreb (2007), Stockholm (2009) and Sydney (2010). He also lost 10 finals, the biggest of his career at the Australian Open and in Washington (2010) and Dubai (2017), both ATP 500 events.
The Cypriot beat 22 Top 10 players in his career, including the world No 1 twice, Roger Federer in Indian Wells in 2010 and Rafael Nadal in Cincinnati the same year.
BAGHADATIS & THE GRAND SLAMS
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4th round in 2007
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Semi-finalist in 2006
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4th round in 2016
Statistics & records
- 36 consecutive Davis Cup victories
- 22 wins over members of the top 10
- 12 consecutive seasons in the top 100
Link with the Mouratoglou Academy
Marcos Baghdatis was spotted by Patrick Mouratoglou when he was just 13, at the Petits As tournament in Tarbes. “He was different, I could tell straight away,” said Mouratoglou. “He was the only one I could see, with his charisma and the way he signed his name. After a week’s trial, his father entrusted him to me.” The Cypriot stayed at the Academy from 1998 to 2008, personally supervised by Mouratoglou.
The split between Baghdatis and Mouratoglou was a difficult one, as the two men were no longer aligned on objectives and how to achieve them. Patrick Mouratoglou often says that he learnt from his experience with Marcos Baghdatis that he should never make decisions on the spur of the moment, which is the worst advice for a coach, nor should he over-invest in the emotional relationship with the player.
HIS GAME
Marcos Baghdatis’ two strong points were his backhand and his return of serve. They gave him an extraordinary ability to break serve. Very solid in the baseline exchanges, capable of playing at a very high tempo, he is typical of those players who win their matches thanks to the unforced errors they provoke. Despite his size, he was a good server, with a very high risk-taking first serve.
Personal life
& interests
In July 2012, Marcos Baghdatis married former Croatian tennis player Karolina Sprem. They have three children together, two daughters, Zahara and India, and a son, Zeus. Marcos Baghdatis coached Elina Svitolina in 2020. He is currently the coach of Chinese player Yibing Wu.
