For Baghdatis, Melbourne Is No Longer So Magical

MELBOURNE, Australia — Marcos Baghdatis, the 21-year-old Cypriot, is back in the city where he made a name for himself, where he stunned Andy Roddick with astonishing passing shots, won three five-set matches, and rattled Roger Federer in the Australian Open final before losing in four sets. But the spirit of those wonderful two weeks — the energy, the winning smile, and fist pumps toward his many loyal, loud, and brightly painted fans — has not returned.Instead, Baghdatis is feeling sick. Last year, life was simple: He flew to Melbourne with his coach, Guillaume Peyre, his girlfriend, some rackets, and modest expectations. This year, his father, Christos, who owns a clothing store in Cyprus and started his son in tennis, made the trip. His brother did, too. The pressure of their presence has, for the moment, unsettled Baghdatis and dimmed his prospects for a return trip to the final.“I don’t feel very good,” Baghdatis said after struggling to dispatch an injured Rainer Schuettler, a surprise finalist here in 2003, in the first round on Monday in four sets. “Just don’t feel very good [when] my father is here, my brother is here, everybody is here. It’s not like a normal tournament for me, and that’s all. It’s like a different tournament, and I’m not used to it. I just have to find my way.”Baghdatis had better do it quickly. Wednesday evening in Melbourne he faces Gael Monfils, the young Frenchman who dominated junior tennis as soon as Baghdatis left it. Monfils turned 20 in September, and his tennis is more defensive than one would expect from a 6-foot-4-inch frame packed with muscles. Few men move better than Monfils, however, and quickness might be enough to coax Baghdatis into an early defeat. Even if he survives, the Cypriot is in line to meet Federer in the quarterfinals.This is not the first time Baghdatis has struggled openly with stardom and his emotions. He left home at age 13 to train in Paris and has said that he regrets not having grown up with his parents nearby. After the Australian Open last year, he struggled before making progress at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinal as his mother, Andry, watched (Rafael Nadal pummeled him). At the U.S. Open, he played through cramps during a memorable match against Andre Agassi, the last victory, as it would happen, in the American’s career. Afterward, Baghdatis was reduced to tears.Baghdatis won a tournament in Beijing after the U.S. Open but had a miserable indoor season (he lost three matches and won one in three tournaments). He failed to qualify for the year-end Masters Cup, despite holding the final spot (the no. 8 ranking in the world) in August. If Baghdatis doesn’t defend most of the points he earned here last year, his ranking will drop, and his confidence might, too.There’s plenty of precedent in tennis for a 21-year-old scaling the heights and then retreating, sometimes for years (Marat Safin) and sometimes permanently (a fate that David Nalbandian, a former junior champion and Wimbledon finalist, is trying to avoid). Of the young players on the tour, Baghdatis is among the best shotmakers — his strokes are compact, his feet nimble, and his creativity vast. For all his talent, he also has an equal amount of charm. It would be great for tennis if he found himself soon.***Last year, Baghdatis singlehandedly sustained the Australian Open tradition for long, compelling matches. So far this year, others are proving up to the task, even if Baghdatis is not.On Tuesday, Maria Sharapova fought 100-degree heat that made her “delusional” and captured the most difficult victory of her career in just shy of three hours (afterward, she said the tournament should rewrite its heat policy, which requires matches that begin with an open roof to finish with an open roof, no matter the temperature).The match of the tournament so far, though, belongs to Olivier Rochus, the 5-foot-5-inch Belgian who compensates for size with speed, precision, and variety. On Tuesday, he displayed incredible resolve in defeating Chris Guccione, a 6-foot-7-inch Australian with a deadly left-handed serve.Guccione had more than the crowd behind him. The roof over Vodafone Arena, the secondlargest arena at the Melbourne Park tennis center, was closed because of intense heat, giving the hometown favorite the benefit of air conditioning and a calm, evenly lighted environment to find a rhythm on his serve (he hit 45 aces). Guccione won the first set, Rochus the next two, and Guccione the fourth.In the fifth set, Rochus, serving at 4–5, fell behind 0–40. He saved three match points with steady play and deep groundstrokes, stealing the last one after sneaking to the net for a winning volley. Guccione earned another match point, but Rocchus denied him again. Five games later Rochus broke with an array of sharp service returns and passing shots. He ended the match with an ace, 3–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7(4), 9–7.After 1 a.m. Wednesday, Lleyton Hewitt gave his countrymen something to cheer when he recovered from a two-sets-to-none deficit against American Michael Russell, who had not won a match on the pro tour since 2003 and had to play the qualifying tournament for a spot in the draw. Russell moved ahead by a break of serve in the third set before Hewitt, never lacking fortitude, began his charge. The Australian now holds a 22–9 career record in five set matches and has won three matches after trailing by two sets.Sadly for Russell, this was not the worst defeat of his career. That came at the 2001 French Open, when he took a two-set lead, and held match point against defending champion Gustavo Kuerten in the fourth round. When Kuerten won, he drew a heart in the clay and knelt inside of it (he also went on to win the tournament). There was no clay for Hewitt, so he shouted his trademark, “C’mon,” dropped to his knees, and kissed the court. By the look of things, however, Hewitt is not likely to have as much success here as Kuerten did in Paris.tperrotta@nysun.com

For Baghdatis, Melbourne Is No Longer So Magical

For Baghdatis, Melbourne Is No Longer So Magical

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