🇨🇾 The man who faced the Big Three 26 times—and survived
Many tennis fans remember 2006 as the peak of Roger Federer—the Swiss won three Grand Slam titles and finished the season a mind-boggling 92-5. Federer won all his Slam finals in four sets, over Rafael Nadal (Wimbledon), Andy Roddick (US Open) and...Marcos Baghdatis (Australian Open).
It may not feel like the Cypriot belongs in that conversation, but 2006 was his peak, too. He also reached the Wimbledon semifinals that year (losing to Nadal) and finished it ranked 12th in the world.
Impressive stuff, especially in that era, but Baghdatis wasn't satisifed, as he told Gilbert and Geoff Chizever in a wide-ranging interview. (15:30)
I wanted to be No. 1 in the world. I wanted to push myself more ... I was not patient enough. Marcos Baghdatis
Baghdatis finished his career 1-7 against Federer, 1-9 against Nadal and 0-8 versus Novak Djokovic. Still, he reached a career-high of No. 8—and has taken his many talents to a new role, as tournament director of the IMG Future Stars Tournament. Today, Baghdatis helps develop the next generation of talent both on and off the court—preparing players, parents and coaches for the realities of the professional tour. He's certainly qualified for the job.
PLUS: What does Baghdatis remember most about playing the latest match in Grand Slam history—it ended at 4:34 a.m., local time—against Lleyton Hewitt? (23:30)
