WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
Date: 2006-08-14

WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 14, 2006

Marcos Baghdatis
CINCINNATI, OHIO
The Moderator Questions, please.

Question It was a close match. You played well when it mattered most.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it was a weird match, not a lot of rhythm in the match. But, like you said, I played good in important points, and that made the difference.

Question How do you find it here? It's different conditions than Toronto, isn't it?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Oh, much different. It's a bit more - how you say? - humid, and the balls are heavier. You can hit the ball. The courts are a bit faster in Toronto, but in Toronto the balls are flying. It was tough conditions. But here it's -- I seem to like them, so that's good.

Question Did you go in with a match plan against him?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, just went in and tried to win every point and tried to win the most important ones. That's what I did, so it's great.

Question How satisfied or happy are you with the year that you're having, how you've played since January?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's amazing year for me. The only thing is that I need to win a tournament now. I didn't win one until now, so my goal is try to win one and go to the Masters Series.

Question Since Wimbledon you've played one tournament and the Davis Cup, which perhaps was not really testing for you. Can you tell us what you did. Did you rest and then did you train?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: After Wimbledon I rested and went to Davis Cup, and then two weeks before Toronto I stayed at home, have some charity things to do in Cyprus, football matches, charity matches, practice a bit and have fun a bit. For sure I was not ready for Toronto, that's for sure. Mentally and physically I wasn't ready. Losing in Toronto was good for me because it just gave me a smack on the face telling me you have to go back and work hard, and that's what I did since five, six days. I mean, the victory comes, so that's great. I'll try to continue.

Question Did you do that here?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry?

Question The practice.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah, Cincinnati.

Question Can you talk about Australia, the Australian Open. Was that a tournament that maybe changed your confidence?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it was great in Australia. For sure I got some confidence, but after Australia I had some doubts also.

Question You said after that you had some doubts?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, after.

Question Do you mean after some of your losses after that?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, no, no. Just after. Start thinking, start saying, Really happening, you know? Can I do it again? Especially coming to Roland Garros was like doubts were more and more. Just doubted a bit. That's a bit normal.
And then after Roland Garros I just said -- I just spoke with my coach and found the reasons and talked a lot and found the solution to get ready for Wimbledon, and that's what we did. That's why I played good.

Question Do you feel like you have less doubts since you had another really big Grand Slam?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah.

Question How important is that mental part of it?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's all about mental part I think, physical and mental. But it's not tennis. Tennis, I mean, everybody has a technical, everybody has everything, so I think it's a matter of physical and mental.

Question Some players do mental training as well as physical training. Do you do that?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, I just speak with my coach or that's all. I know myself pretty good. I mean, that helps me find the way all the time to come back or to feel good on court, because a player has to know himself very, very well to feel good. So that's very important.

Question You said you just now need to win big tournaments. The final of the Australian Open, semifinal of Wimbledon, what little extra thing would take you up that last step, do you think?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Maybe Federer and Nadal not playing a tournament (smiling).
No, I was just joking. I don't know. I think it's continue the same way I'm playing and doing, and one day I think it will come for sure if I continue like this. That's all I have to do, I think.
I'm pretty sure (smiling).

Question What kind of reaction or reception do you get from people back home, because this is a pretty big deal?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: After Australia it was huge. I mean, nobody was expecting it. Was like amazing things going back home. I mean, couldn't go in the streets, was impossible.
But now, I mean, I stay in Cyprus more, so when people see you all the time, they start to see you, they just let you live and it's getting better, I mean, better and better. It's a bit normal because they see you more often and they see you are there, you go have a drink, and they just -- everybody knows everybody, so it's much better now.
But after Australia it was like amazing.

Question Have you seen the instant replay system one time before or twice?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: The HawkEye? One time in Indian Wells -- Miami. Miami, yeah.

Question What do you think about that introduced into tennis now? Is it good or bad?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's fun. It's fun. It's good. It's good because you have some challenges. If you think there is a bad call or you have doubt, you just say I can challenge it. You can challenge. I mean, it's good. I think it's fun for the crowd, so it's good.

Question I can't remember how many times you challenged today. I'm trying to remember if you had one right.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: One right and three wrong, I think. Two wrong.

Question But even if you get one wrong, does it help calm your mind that, Well, at least I didn't get cheated on a call?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, everybody makes mistakes, you know. I mean, you can make a mistake, you can't see the ball, the ball is going like 200 kilometers per hour, how can you see the ball? I mean, not only you, the line umpire also. Everybody makes mistakes.
But if you have the chance to solve that doubt that you have and he has also, the line umpire, make it correct, I mean, a point can change the whole match. That's important for the players to know that you can challenge and you can have a chance to win the point that can change the match.

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