When the young Baghdatis could not convince his father, he stuck it out. Coming out of his shell after a few weeks at the Paris Mouratoglou Tennis, Baghdatis found complete expression on the tennis court and has become one of the most colourful characters in the game.
Also Read: Hail Baghdatis!
He is born for the stage and camera. Even when he's losing he's flamboyant.
"Marcos hasn't changed," says Fidos, 26, a water ski-instructor in Limassol.
"He has always been full of energy, always joking, cheerful; making people happy. He is a very emotional, sensitive person. On the court, he's just himself. Whether he wins or loses, he just enjoys the game.
"Right from his childhood he always wanted to be in every game, be it football or tennis. When we played football in our neighbourhood, he was always the youngest. He used to compete with people older than him and always wanted to win. He was always competitive and wanted to fight."
Baghdatis, whose favourite pastime is "talking", is not too keen on dissecting his personality and says the only thing that matters when he steps on court is winning.
"The most important thing is to win the match," says the Cypriot. "If I entertain people along the way, it's great. But that's just the way I am, I don't think I am going to do this or that. I don't know, maybe I am born this way."
"He was the darling of the tournament office," recalled Steve Walker, the director of the Australian Open junior event (which Baghdatis won in 2003), during Baghdatis' rivetting run at the Grand Slam in 2006, when he reached the men's final.
"He had this big smile and he was so friendly to everyone from the staff to the referee. We probably get used to dealing with the Czech and the Russian kids who can be a bit dour. You couldn't help but like this kid."
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