AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 29, 2006

Marcos Baghdatis

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Lost my first one (smiling). No, I mean, it was a great match. I really played very well first two sets. I had my chances. I had a break in the second. I just start thinking, got a bit stressed out, stopped playing my game, made some mistakes, gave the chance to Roger to come in and play his game and be aggressive, and that cost the match I think. So I'm a bit unhappy. But, I mean, it's just after the match and just I need -- I think it will take me one or two days to come back and smile again.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I start thinking about that, start thinking about a lot of things, and I stopped playing. Gave Roger, like I said, the chance to come in and be more aggressive than me. That's what happened.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Really, tell you the truth, that's not what's in my mind for the moment. I mean, my dream is to win Davis Cup for my country. I think my country is Cyprus, and I want to do it with them.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, there are two.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: 500. He's coming up, playing great tennis. He's 500. He's 21 years old, one year older than me. He's fighting. Practicing in Belgium. We have some kids coming up, 13 years old. Maybe not win it, but I'll do my best. That's a dream, you know. My dream was to win a Grand Slam, and here I am. So anything can happen. I believe in it. The people I work with believe in it. I think it will help me to succeed my dream.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I just start cramping on the calf. I don't know, I just jumped, made a backhand, and a cramp. I don't know. Just start cramping.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It felt better, but it came from stress. I had to calm down. It was too tough. Everything was going so fast. Couldn't do anything.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Dream come true. That's the only thing I can say. I mean, it was a great dream. I mean, it feels great. Feels great that all the tough work I've been through and all the things I'm doing through all these years and all the sacrifices my parents do for me, for them and everything, I mean, it was just great being here and playing a final, even if I lost it. I mean, in two, three days I will realize, and life goes on. I mean, I have a career. I'm only 20 years old. I have a career in front of me. I have to go back, feet on the ground, and start working hard again because there are lot of players like me who want it so much and have the heart, have the fire in them to do what I did this week. It can happen to anybody. Tennis is a great sport, and that's the way it is.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Where, in Australia? For sure, yeah. I hope so, if I'm healthy.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I did focus for two sets. But then, I don't know, there were moments that start thinking too much. Maybe was a bit scared of him and didn't really believe in it. So, I mean, it was tough. After everything was going so fast, I couldn't do anything. He was playing great. He got his momentum and he was playing great tennis. So when Roger's playing good, I mean, it's really tough. And when you give him the chance to come in the court and play his game, I can tell you, in the court it's really tough.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. I mean, tonight, just lost a match, just lost a final. I would like to stay maybe in the hotel and relax and play some cards with my team and just relax a bit. I'm not really in the mood to go have fun.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: That's for sure. I'm going to the Greek community, Cypriot community tomorrow. That's where I will catch up with them.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah. I forgot a lot of people, you know. I was not so -- I don't know. I didn't know what to say. I was a bit lost. I just want to say, Roger, I mean, I want to congratulate him because he played a great tournament. He's a great athlete, great sportsman. He just gives a lot to the game. He's so charismatic. He's just playing unbelievable. It's good to have him around. It's a pleasure to play against him and it's a pleasure to be in the changing room with him.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Really, the first time -- not the first time, but the first time he won Wimbledon, I was in front of my TV and I saw him cry, and I start crying so... I was in the tournament, I was in the future I remember in France. He was in the final. He won the final and he start crying. Today when I saw him cry, I mean, I felt happy for him. He's a great man, I think. He is a great person. He shows a lot. He gives a lot to people, I think. It's just so emotional up there, you cannot control yourself. So I think I know what he's going through.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry? I didn't understand.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, just I was just playing my game. Like I told you, after I start thinking, I start, I don't know, I start not playing so aggressive, giving him time, giving him time to play. Like I said before, I mean, when you give Roger time to play, it's just you don't have time to run.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, I don't think so. No, no. I didn't even think about that. I think the ball was out, and that's what I heard after the match, so...

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Stop thinking. Just play my game, continue being aggressive. My goal, going in the match, was not to give Federer time to play his game, and that's what I did first two sets. I mean, I had my chances. 2-love up in the second, I have a breakpoint, big point, hit some huge forehands, and I didn't finish it off. I think when you don't finish Federer off, it's tough when you let him play. Like I said before, it's tough to play with him.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: He told me doesn't matter. I mean, he told me it's tough. He knows it's tough. But, I mean, it doesn't really matter because I'm 20 years old and he told me that I have a lot in front of me to do and it's not finish. After I start crying and he just told me, "Keep on crying." And that's all.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My goal was to stay healthy, so I don't think will change anything. I will just stay healthy and keep playing like this and keep playing my game. I think I'll -- I hope I'll go far. But the most important thing is that I stay healthy.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Everybody is talking about that, but I didn't hear anything about that. So I don't know what's going on, really.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry? I'm the last to know. I don't know what's going on so I cannot answer any of these questions. Like I said yesterday, I mean, that's the rule of my country. Everybody has to make an Army. So if they ask me after my career to do the Army, I'll be glad to because I respect everybody, I respect all the people that go to the Army. I have a lot of friends, my family went there to the Army. So if I have to do it, I'll do it for my country.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I didn't hear anything about that, so...

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. But when I go on Thursday, maybe I can call you and tell you (smiling). No, I don't really know. But I think it's getting crazy. Like my brother come yesterday, like my football team, just the football team just make me a T-shirt with the signature of all the players. A school wrote me a song. There is a CD and they wrote me a song and they sang a song. I received letters from my family, from my town, hometown. It's great. I mean, it's fun to have them around and knowing that the whole country is behind you, not only helping you, but is really giving everything to you and being so supportive. It just feels amazing.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't remember it.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I hope so. Really, I hope so. It will make me -- it will help me win Davis Cup. No, help my country, of course, go even higher in sports and tennis. So I think it will help a lot.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: True. But you think I can get a passport in two weeks?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's true.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Really, in the beginning, I just took it like a match, like a normal match. I had my objectives and that's what I was focus on. And then, like I told you, when they get closer and closer to the victory, I start thinking, started to get stressed out, alone, and gave Federer a chance to come back and play his game.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What we're doing with my coach is really working really simple. We're just working physically, mentally. I mean, we're playing tournaments. We're talking about tactically a lot, not a lot of technique. We're just -- I don't know, it's so simple. We just go on the court. He just stays in one corner and makes me run. I don't know. I'm just working simple. I'm just working like so simple. It's nothing.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Clay. Clay. But I play much better on hard court and my game suits to hard court. But, I mean, I can play anywhere. I can adapt myself to any style of surfaces.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's a question that I cannot really answer, and I'm really sorry.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I'm not different, but the people who look at me are different.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Memory? Is match against Roddick. Beating Roddick, I mean, was first time winning in Rod Laver Arena. I mean, beating No. 3 in the world was my best victory. It was really -- emotionally was fantastic.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Are you surprised (smiling)? No, of course I believe it. Like I said days before, it was a dream for me to reach a final - well, win a Grand Slam. That's what I work for. That's what I -- all the sacrifices I did, my parents did, that's why we did them, to live this moment. Of course, I believed it, and a lot of people around me believed it. So that's all.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Just told me, "Great tournament." It was a very great tournament for me. He's really happy for me. And he just wished me good luck for 2006.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Because, you know, Cyprus is -- we're all like family. And winning Davis Cup, it means a lot for me, for my family. And when I say "my family," it's the whole tennis in Cyprus. I mean, the guy who is behind me, he's 21 years old, he's 500 in the world. We're playing tournaments together since we were eight. It's just fun. We have the Davis Cup coach who is like a father to me. I stayed in his house for three years. He was my coach for three years. I stayed in his house, lived in his house. So very important person for me. The Federation helped me a lot throughout my career. They believed in me. They were there for me. So that's the way for me to say thank you. And also I love -- like I told you, it's like a family, and I love it so much. Davis Cup is not an individual sport, so...

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yiannos Hadjigeorgiou.