BMW Open Players

Marco Baghdatis

The 22-year-old Cypriot is known and loved for his exuberance and enthusiasm on and off the court. He has been criticised in the past for playing high-risk tennis and trying to make difficult shots which can either pay off or back fire, big time.

His tempestuous nature has sometimes resulted in self-destructive losses, but with time and experience he is sure to learn to temper ill-advised play. He does, however, draw the crowds, and he certainly has the arsenal and ability to become one of the very best in men’s tennis.

In 2005 he found good form, and as a qualifier he reached the final of the ATP Tournament at Basel, defeating former world no.2, Tommy Haas, and David Nalbandian.

The BMW Open player’s good form continued unabated into 2006, and as an unseeded player at the Australian Open he reached the final defeating the likes of Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian. He eventually lost to Roger Federer.

Career Highs:

In 2006 he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon defeating Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt en route. He lost to Rafael Nadal.
At the US Open he reached the second round but lost to Andre Agassi in a crippling five-set match which lasted long into the night.
At 2007 Wimbledon he was seeded 10^th and made it through to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row, losing to fourth seed Novak Dokovic.

Baghdatis was the fourth seed at the 2007 BMW Open where he was defeated by the eventual winner, Philipp Kohlschreiber, in the semi-finals. He is currently ranked number 21 in the world.

David Nalbandian

Argentine, David Nalbandian, has had a remarkable comeback year in 2007, and if his form continues into the 2008 season he may well be unstoppable.

The aggressive baseliner found his best form at the 2007 Madrid Masters when he stunned the world by defeating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in consecutive rounds to lift the title. In doing so he became the third man to beat the world’s top three players in the same tournament.

Nalbandian, currently ranked number 21 on the ATP World rankings, had a fabulous start to his professional career. He reached the Wimbledon final in his senior debut year, and what made this feat even more astounding was that it was his first ever pro event on grass.

His success continued at the 2003 US Open where he reached the semi-finals, but lost to Andy Roddick, and the following year he made it to the semis at Roland Garros, only to be defeated by eventual champion Gaston Gaudio.

In 2005 he won the coveted Tennis Masters Cup, becoming the second Argentine player in history, after Guillermo Vilas in 1974, to win the last tournament of the year. He was instrumental in Argentina’s 5-0 destruction of Australia at the Davis Cup.

Early 2007 saw him leave his coach and struggle with back, leg and stomach injuries. He had a disappointing showing at both the Australian and US Opens, reaching the fourth and third rounds respectively. He then took the Madrid Masters title and since then has been in fighting form.

If Nalbandian can overcome his tendency to relax when he is ahead, and can work on his weak link, his serve, there is absolutely no reason why this young man will not make it to the number one berth in the very near future. He has shown he has the ability to beat the best in the world, and it should only be a matter of time before this BMW Open player is in the top ten on a consistent basis.

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