	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

August 31, 2010

Marcos Baghdatis

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

A. CLEMENT/M. Baghdatis
6-3, 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 5-7

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What happened out there today?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What can I say? I was really heavy on court. I wasn't feeling very fit. It's not a matter of fit but very heavy. Couldn't play aggressive. I was really defensive today, and Arnaud played a very good first set.
I mean, the second set he was giving a lot of points away and I took them, but I was really heavy on court. I was really defensive. I think I didn't play -- I didn't play very good tennis, and he won the match, I think.

Q. How do you explain that? You've played well most of this summer.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Maybe a bit tired, you know. It's been a month and three weeks I'm out here, and it's a lot of time.
Yeah, it's always first round of Grand Slam it's not easy. The nerves are there, also. I had to find a way to win today, and I think I was going to feel better going into this week, and I didn't.
So I'm a bit disappointed, for sure. I lost the match, but that's sport. That's life. I'll try to continue.

Q. How much did the heat affect you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't think it's the heat, you know. I played in Washington, played in Cincy; was pretty hot, you know. So I don't think it was the heat.
I think I was a bit tired mentally, physically, also. So, yeah, I guess that's the reason I felt very heavy today and couldn't play my tennis aggressive.

Q. How do you explain the success you've had in other slams versus this one? How disappointed are you when the crowd seems to want to love you and...
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it's true. I didn't win a lot of matches here. I had some tough draws: Roger 2004, and I lost to Andre 2006 and then Mirnyi in 2007. So, yeah, 2008/2009 I didn't play, and this year...
But I don't know why. I played two times finals in juniors here, so I cannot say. It's not that I don't like the place. I do like the place, but I don't know why. It's just finding the way of winning the first matches, and then everything starts rolling.
But I cannot for the moment. I hope next year I will find a way.

Q. Did you miss it while you were away for the last couple of years?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: For sure, yeah. I miss playing tennis. You know, for the last couple years I didn't play a lot. I'm happy I'm back, you know. I'm looking forward, you know, continuing the form I have and just playing, winning matches, and finding the solutions to win. That's all.

Q. This is a little off the subject, but we all know Mardy Fish lost like 30 pounds, and Roddick had talked last year about losing a lot of weight. I'm wondering, where can a guy playing five sets and playing professional tennis find that much weight to lose? Does that seem weird to you, that somebody can lose that much weight and still be competitive?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. I don't know. I think it's not weird. I mean, if you want to lose weight, you can go ahead and lose weight. That's what I can say. That's not weird. Why would it be weird?

Q. It just seems like you were already fit. Where would you find the weight to lose? If you're playing tennis, seems like you're a pretty fit guy.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, true. But if the guys want to lose weight, they can lose weight if they want to. That's their problem.

Q. Do you think it would help? I mean...
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It depends on the player, depends on his style of game. I don't know. Depends on the people he works with, the physical trainer, the doctors. Depends on a lot of things.
Some people say it's good to lose weight; some people don't.

Q. Do you have like a weight that you're comfortable with that you like to play with, or did it not even come up as far as you're concerned?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, it doesn't come up.

Q. Where would you rank today as far as the court conditions and the heat among all your matches that you've played? Was it, you know, top 5 hottest day?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Tell you the truth, okay, it was hot, but, I mean, we play so much matches in the heat I cannot tell you -- I mean, we play so much matches in the heat, so I cannot rank today's heat.
I mean, when I go on court, I don't say, Ah, today it's the fifth or sixth or seventh. I just play.

Q. How hot was it for you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It was hot. But, I mean, usual day. Yesterday was hot. We had to practice. So, you know, it's -- yeah.

Q. What can you say on ClÃ©ment, who at 32 is still playing this kind of tennis?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Respect for him. He's playing great tennis. I know he didn't win a lot of matches this summer. I mean, maybe I'm the only guy he beat, so... (Smiling.)
But he's playing great tennis. I know him personally. He's a great guy. He's playing great tennis. I wish him luck.

Q. You have the Cyprus emblem on your clothes right now. Can you explain why that is?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Because I have no sponsor, so I just want to put my country.

Q. Is it the office of tourism?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, no sponsor. It's not a sponsor, it's because I want to put it.

Q. How long have you been without a sponsor?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: A year since January.

Q. Who makes the clothes?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My mom. I buy them from Technifibre and my mom puts the flags on them.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297