WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
Date: 2007-08-16

WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 16, 2007

Marcos Baghdatis
CINCINNATI, OHIO
The Moderator Questions, please.

Question How did you feel going into the match?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Quite good. I felt quite good. I don't know what to say.

Question I think in the beginning of the first set you were serving really well. A lot of first serves in.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah. I was serving well. Playing well. I had all the chances in the first set to break him. I felt that nothing can happen. Maybe he was not playing so good, but I was feeling so good on the court and like you said serving well.
I don't know. But broke at 6-5, for me, I mean, I played maybe three, four double faults I think in that game. I'm a bit disappointed. I was 40-15 up that game and I thought I was going to win the set.
It was quite hot and difficult weather out there, so he would have maybe went a bit down. But he won the first and then I went down physically and mentally. It was tough, but I don't know, I tried to fight back and just couldn't make it. I broke him and just got broken back.

Question In that 6-5 game in the first set you had two aces to go up 30-Love and like you said you went up 40-15. What changed for you at that point? Did you feel different?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Nothing really. I just played a double fault at 15-40 and then he played a good return and then I served good again and then I make a double fault again. So basically I gave the first set away, and that's it.

Question So like that game when you got broken, did that carry over into the tiebreaker?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. Tried to stay cool, but like Roger got a bit of confidence and played well. Roger is Roger. Just give him a chance, he takes it. That's what you have to do against him. When he gives you a chance you have to take it too and I didn't today, so...

Question You've pressed him hard twice now the last two times you played. Did you feel like going into today that this was the day you might nail him?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah. I was seeing the match, how it went. I couldn't imagine losing the first set, but I did. Because like I said, before, I didn't take my chances, and that's why -- maybe the reason is because I didn't like believe in it, I didn't -- basically he won the first set because of his name. I can say because it's Federer and I just choked.

Question Do you feel like there's a bigger problem. Against Pavel (sic) last night you had three set points in the first set took and you lost that, and second and third sets it took you a couple set points to win those as well. Is there a bigger problem for you at the end of sets?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. Normally it's not a problem, it's just, I don't know. Last week I beat Moya. He had 6-2 in the first set on the tiebreak. That's part of the game. But that's what I said. That's the difference between Roger and the big guys. They take their chances when they have them and first chance they just take it. They don't give you any.