AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Date: 2006-01-20

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2006

Marcos Baghdatis
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
The Moderator First question, please.

Question Are you thinking about moving to Australia maybe?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, feels great being here. I feel like home. I have 21 cousins here. So feels like home. From my father's side, Lebanese. I have some uncles here, and all the fans here make me feel like home.

Question Obviously, the court surface you like really well?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love the surface also, of course. I played Juniors here like for four times and last year. I won the Juniors. Every time I come here, it feels great. I like the atmosphere here. And also the fans are helping me so much. I think it's a big help when you have the fans behind you and supporting you.

Question Can you translate some of the chants of the fans?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: They're saying that, Marcos, you're crazy with the white T-shirt. I will never stop singing for you. Stuff like this.

Question Nothing rude?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No. Yesterday with Stepanek, yeah. But I think he provoked it a bit, so. Anyway, I don't want to talk about that. I spoke to them and I told them to keep it down, don't say anything rude. Today they were much better. They were only singing stuffs about me. It's better, I think.

Question How does a Cypriot become interested in tennis?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My father was crazy about tennis. My brothers were playing tennis. My father wasn't, but, I don't know, he loved tennis. He pushed us into tennis. He put us into tennis. That's where I started loving it and started playing the game. Left from home when I was 14 to become a champion. That's all.

Question Did you get to watch much tennis on television in Cyprus when you were young?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sometimes, yeah, like the Grand Slam finals maybe sometimes. But not much. Not unbelievable. But we had Eurosport in the house, so used to watch that when I was a kid.

Question How high is your profile in Cyprus now? How well are you known?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Man of the year last year and best athlete.

Question That's well-known.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: (Smiling).

Question When you're on court, you seem to not like just play but entertain as well. Fabrice Santoro is playing well today. Is it nice to see players that enjoy playing, that entertain, not just play?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, that's my character. I think you cannot change people. You cannot make them play like that. That's me, that's Santoro. Other players are different. I think you cannot change that. It makes me feel good on the court when I'm like this. I try to be natural, try to be myself, try to have fun in the court.

Question Your profile says you admire Patrick Rafter. You play a very different game.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, very different. Yeah, it's true. I love his game. I love how he was playing. And what I love in Rafter is his look and his attitude and his fair play in the court. He is so charismatic. I don't know. I just find it very good.

Question Did you ever play him?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No.

Question Did you meet him?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, last year here. He commented my match against Robredo. The next day he came and told me, "Well done."

Question How important is it do you think at this stage of the tournament to get through in a quick straight-sets match like that?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Very important. I mean 'cause it's really hot there. Today was very hot. A lot of wind. Was tough to play. But I'm really happy I won in three sets. That's pretty good because I had a five-setter two days ago. I felt a bit tired. I have one day to recover, plus today. It's very important to go through three sets for recovery.

Question What will you do for the next two days? How do you recover? How do you spend your time?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Just sleep, have massage, hang around. Just go walk, shopping.

Question Do you watch tennis when you're not here?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, no, no.

Question Too boring?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Too boring, yeah (smiling).

Question What happened with the smash in the second to last game?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: The sun was right on the ball. I couldn't see the ball.

Question You did see it afterwards.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yes. I just turned around and I found it in front of me. I just put it back.

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