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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2006

Marcos Baghdatis

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I am from the United States, so shall we label this "a Greek tragedy"?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know how do you take it, but in Cyprus they pretty like it (smiling).

Q. Did you have a good time?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, a great time. It was great out there. I was just in my own world. I played pretty good tennis. I think that was one of my best matches ever. Pretty happy. Had a really great time, yeah.

Q. In the circumstances, to serve out the match the way you did, does that make it extra special? You had to play Roddick, serve for the match in such circumstances.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I knew that was very important to stay calm and just stay in the match and finish it because I lost some matches before when I was up 5-4, serving for the match, and lost the match. So kept pretty cool, tried to serve well. That's what I did, so I'm pretty happy.

Q. Which was, do you think, the key to win this match against Roddick?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Return. Return. I mean, I return pretty good, and I actually return him a lot. If I saw the stats good, I serve more aces than him. So I think the return of serve was one of the keys.

Q. What about the forehand on the line?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry?

Q. What about your forehand?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, I mean, of course it was important. I played pretty good today. But, I mean, the key of the match was return and serve.

Q. He seemed to have no clue on your backhand down the line.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What do you mean "no clue?"

Q. He didn't know what was going on?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Maybe. That's one of my best shots also. I can adapt to games, and I think I have a lot of solutions in the court. I think maybe was one of the key. I'm sorry. I feel dizzy (eating a banana).

Q. Do they show the match in Cyprus television, or no?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, they did.

Q. Live?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, especially now. All the people in Cyprus are down on the roundabout full of water and celebrating. So it's fun. I hope I was there.

Q. In the fountains?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, exactly, yeah.

Q. How many people you think are watching? I mean, probably the whole country?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Possibly whole Cyprus. Yeah, maybe.

Q. Because this is new territory for you in a Grand Slam tournament, how do you plan to celebrate? Do you have to try to keep a lid on it?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: First of all, it's not finished. I have to (calm/come?) down and go back, stay in the tournament and try to go even further.

Q. Is it hard for a young guy like you not to get very excited about a win like this?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's tough. But, I mean, I had my experience. I finished No. 1 in the world juniors. I know how it is to stay focused. I've been working on this. So I think that's what I'll do, stay in the tournament and try to go even more further.

Q. Is tennis a big sport in Cyprus?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Starting. It wasn't before, but now it's starting to grow.

Q. Because of you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yes (smiling). Yes. I think so. But, yeah, it's starting to grow up, going up.

Q. Many courts or people playing?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Two thousand members. No, maybe a bit more, 2500. Not a lot of people playing. Courts are maybe seven, eight -- seven clubs.

Q. When you walked out to play the match, you walked out first and you chose the chair so that you had your supporters.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Nothing to do.

Q. Nothing?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Nothing.

Q. You didn't want to keep your eyes on them?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, nothing to do.

Q. Just explain a little bit how you were saying you had to get some of your supporters into Rod Laver today on the court.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah.

Q. You said you had to buy tickets?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Oh, that was just a joke. That was just a joke.

Q. Have they asked you to help?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, they asked me to help them. I gave them the six tickets I got from up in the players lounge, and that's all. They bought others.

Q. You obviously hope they'll be over there for your next match?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I hope so. It's been great playing in front of them. I think it's great for tennis, great for me. It's just -- I love it, playing in front of them.

Q. They seem very respectful, too. They stopped cheering when you're about to serve or your opponent is about to serve.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah, they don't know tennis so they're starting to get known to tennis. They think it's football, so (laughter)... So when I spoke to them, I just told them to -- I told them a bit the rules and I told them to calm down and no swearing and no stuff. I mean, it's getting better. It's good for them, good for tennis, good for me.

Q. What are some of the cheers they're cheering, the translations?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: "Marcos, you're crazy with the white T-shirt." That's one. The other one is, "I will not stop singing for you." There are a lot. I mean, I can't remember.

Q. Can you remember the first time you did the through-the-legs service motion? Is it now instinctive? Are you thinking about it when you do it?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, it's just one -- like a routine. I don't even think about it. It comes along. The first time was the year I lost first round in Australian Open. I saw Federer do it. He did it just once in the match. That's when I went back, I start doing it. So it just came habit.

Q. But you never miss. You never hit the back of your leg?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Only in practice (smiling).

Q. How important do you think this win is to your tennis? Is it going to lift you, make you believe and lift you into a different level?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I think it will help me in experience. I mean, to beat Andy in Rod Laver Arena in front of I don't know how many people there were today, it's a big experience. Helps me in my life to get into the family, the ATP family, and start being with those guys and feeling that I can beat them.

Q. You are little bit different to these players. Maybe you are happy, you laugh a lot. You take this like a joke - not completely, I understand - but in some way you are different.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, maybe, but that's how I am. I think it's not easy to change people. That's the way I am. That's the way I like to play and like to live. I mean, what we see in the court, it's also what I am in my life and with the people that I love. So that's me.

Q. You said many times that you had to do everything alone; you got no wildcard after you had been No. 1 junior. It's now a kind of revenge?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's not a revenge, but it makes me even stronger, makes me even feeling closer and closer. Makes me dream, makes me want it more, makes me get confidence and also motivation.

Q. How important was your experience with Bob Brett in Paris, all that stuff?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Was good experience. I mean, I had some few coaches in my life. A lot of them helped me. All of them helped me a lot. It's like a story. All the things that happened in my life, it was just learning things and learning by mistakes. It was -- everything was a good experience.

Q. In the last game when you were serving to close the match, how do you manage to keep cool and to produce such winners?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: First of all, like I said before, it's experience. I lost some matches serving for the match at 5-4. I just tried to kept cool. I was saying to myself, "It's not finish." I mean, that's how -- I knew that it was very important to serve well and try not to -- how you say?

Q. Get excited?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, get excited and make stupid mistakes. That's what I did. It paid off and it was great.

Q. You didn't think in that moment, "I'm so close to beat Roddick"?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it got on my mind but I just stayed in the match and said, "Now stop thinking, just focus on the match and just try to stay cool and finish the match."

Q. Which is your best friend between the players here?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Dudi Sela.

Q. Does the court play any differently with the roof closed? Is there any difference?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I played just twice. I played last year against Roger here open, and this year. I don't remember. I cannot answer.

Q. Who do you prefer to play in next round? You beat Ljubicic last year.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, anyone, anyone. I mean, I'll play -- I'll still play my game, try to find the solution in the match whoever it might be.

Q. You beat Ljubicic. Does it make you comfortable?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Every day is different. Every year is different. I think everybody can beat everybody, especially at this level.

Q. Do you think any more people will want to fly out from Cyprus to take a chance, see the next match?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it's possible. But I don't think a lot of them can.

Q. The excitement is going to build between now and the next match. How do you keep a feel on what's happening back home?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Don't answer the phone.

Q. When is the first time you picked up a racquet?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Four. No, I don't remember. I don't remember. I think very young. Very young.

Q. Did your parents play? How did you get involved?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My brothers played.

Q. They were a bit older than you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: They are eight years older and six years older.

Q. Do they still play?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: One is a tennis coach in Cyprus, and the other one is a mathematic professor in States.

Q. Did you study?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Me? I stop school when I was 13.

Q. Do you read something?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Read, no.

Q. This is a choice?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry?

Q. Is a choice. Is it because you have no time?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I just don't like it.

Q. Where is the university your brother is at?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Dallas.

Q. Southern Methodist?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know.

Q. Can you explain your love affair with Melbourne. Best Grand Slam. You won the juniors here. What is it about Melbourne?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Fans. That's all. Fans.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

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