WIMBLEDON: Taking to the number two show court Marcos Baghdatis knew that this could be the end for him on Thursday.
Almost 15 years after getting his maiden main draw grand slam win at the 2004 US Open, the Cypriot elected to choose The All England club as the place to say goodbye. It was the first tournament he saw on TV, watching Andrew Agassi win his maiden grand slam title back in 1992. Something Baghdatis was unable to emulate as a player, but he did reach the 2006 Australian Open final. Becoming the first and only player from his country to ever do so.
“Every year I come here (to Wimbledon), it’s a beautiful memory.” Said Baghdatis.
“I felt it was time to stop, to give priority to other things in my life. I cannot thank enough the tournament for supporting me and giving me a wildcard. Giving me the chance to say good-bye to the fans and to the sport that I love in this great event.”
After defeating Canada’s Brayden Schnur in his opening match, the second round was much more difficult. His opponent was 17th seed Matteo Berrettini. 11 years younger than Baghdatis, the Italian has only ever lost two tour-level matches to a player ranked lower than him. Furthermore, Berrettini won all five of his meetings with wild cards heading into the match.
The evening match went according to paper with the Italian dropping serve only once on route to a 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-3, triumph. Nevertheless, the crowd roared and cheered the Cypriot on from the start until the very end.
“I didn’t want to leave the court. It was a nice farewell. It felt amazing. I want to thank everybody for staying and giving me that last emotion.”
A trailblazing career comes to an end 👏
Emotional scenes on No.2 Court as Marcos Baghdatis bows out from professional tennis following his second round defeat to Matteo Berrettini #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/qrkR2dtebp
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2019
The loss denied the 34-year-old a chance to get his 50th win over a top 20 player before he retired. Nevertheless, Baghdatis’ achievements are ones that have inspired his entire region. Between 2003-2016 he won 36 consecutive Davis Cup matches. A benchmark that has been achieved by no other player in the history of the competition. At his best, he was ranked eighth in the world and finished 12 straight seasons ranked in the top 100. As for trophies on the ATP Tour, he claimed four titles in Beijing, Zagreb, Stockholm, and Sydney over a four-year period.
“Marcos is one of the most gifted, most positive people you’ll ever meet. He shows it on the court. He has this vibe where it kind of feels like life is more important than tennis, which I love to see.” Stefanos Tsitsipas said in a tribute.
“I believe he’s underrated. He deserved more. But things worked this way. The fact that he did semifinals Wimbledon, finals in Australian Open, was a big thing not just for him but also for his country. He came from a really small country, with zero history in tennis, with zero tradition in that sport.”
The ending of Baghdatis’ career on July 4th was on the 15th anniversary of one sporting event that inspired his career. A strange, but fitting coincidence. As he ventures into the world outside of professional tennis, the 34-year-old hopes his career will have an impact on those in his country.
“The 4th of July, 2004, Greece won the European Championship in soccer, and that’s the impact that tournament gave me. The impact that I can believe in myself and I can achieve anything.’ He reflects.
“And I’m retiring on the 4th of July, 2019. And I think that says everything. I leave a legacy behind, the same legacy I got from the team of 2004 in Portugal, I leave this legacy behind to some kids in Cyprus or Greece.”
From next week, Cyprus will have one only one player with an ATP ranking. That is Petros Chrysochos, who is currently 506th in the world.
