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The
Daily Gyro January 30, 2006 Who’s your Daddy? Baghdatis. Marcos Baghdatis' Fairy-Tale Run Ends in Australian Open Final It first became a story to those of us in the Western Hemisphere last weekend when an unknown, unranked 20-year old Greek Cypriot tennis player Marcos Baghdatis stunned second-seeded American Andy Roddick to reach the Quarterfinals in this year’s Australian Open. A week later and two more impressive and improbable wins over top 10 ranked opponents found Baghdatis in the finals against World #1 Roger Federer who Baghdatis had never beaten. Despite taking the first set, Baghdatis went on to lose the match in four sets being overwhelmed by the world’s best player. Baghdatis’ rise had been fueled mostly by the large contingent of Greeks in Australia showing up in droves to support him, after the early and predictable bowing out of classic underachiever Greek-Australian Mark Philippoussis in the first round. Highlights from Baghdatis’ matches have looked more like soccer than tennis with boisterous Greeks waiving Greek flags, singing, yelling and cursing. Sunday’s final was no different with hundreds of fans both inside and outside the stadium waiving Greek flags. (There were maybe three Cypriot flags that the TV cameras were able to pick up.) Among Greek Cypriots in his hometown of Limassol, Baghdatis is a hero. There are already plans to name a street there in his honor. Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriots couldn’t care less. And many on the island were more than troubled with the Baghdatis’ run being wrapped up in Greek nationalist sentiment. In the end though, Baghdatis’ run is good for Cyprus. Anything that draws attention to the island can only increase awareness for the issues that its inhabitants still face everyday. While Baghdatis is probably the last person to be or to want to be a torchbearer for any political cause, what he does with a racket in the course of his career may do more to help the island than 30 years of diplomatic efforts ever did. Other Servings of The Daily Gyro
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