Welcome New User!

Registered Members
Please Login

Member ID:
Password:

Not a member?
 Click here for free registration.

VSK Entertainment Presents Antypas Live in DC with Prodromos & Evgenia at Karma DC Live Music Venue on Friday, 4/5/24!  Reserved table, couch, and general admission tickets on sale exclusively at DCGreeks.com!
DCGreeks.com invites you to Capital One Arena on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 7:00 PM as the Washington Wizards take Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at our Annual DCGreeks.com Greek Heritage Night with the Washington Wizards featuring a HALFTIME Greek dance performance by Byzantio! Click here for details!
International Powerhouse Tenor & Classical-Crossover Artist MARIO FRANGOULIS performs live in Washington, DC on Friday, April 12, 2024 at Warner Theatre, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the American Hellenic Institute. Click here for details!
International Powerhouse Tenor & Classical-Crossover Artist MARIO FRANGOULIS performs live in Washington, DC on Friday, April 12, 2024 at Warner Theatre, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the American Hellenic Institute. Click here for details!
What's New @ DCGreeks.com
03/12Tickets are now on sale for POLIS - The Queen of Cities: A Musical Tribute to the Fall of Constantinople on May 10, 2024 at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC!
03/11Tickets are now on sale for The Path of the Sacred Passion: A Byzantine Music Concert on April 20, 2024 at St. Katherine's in Falls Church, VA!
03/04Tickets are now on sale for Midwest Greeks 2024 from May 17-19, 2024 in Cleveland, OH!
02/24New Event: Chios Societies of the Americas & Canada 67th Annual Convention from October 11-13, 2024, in Washington, DC!
02/17New Event: St. George's Greek Festival 2024 on 5/18/24 & 5/19/24 in Bethesda, MD
02/07New Event: AHI 50th Anniversary Gala Weekend, April 12-13, 2024, in Washington, DC, featuring Mario Frangoulis in Concert and Hellenic Heritage Achievement and National Public Service Awards Dinner
01/15Tickets are now on sale for DCGreeks.com Greek Heritage Night with the Washington Wizards 2024 on 4/2/24 as they take on Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks!
01/14Tickets are now on sale for Antypas Live in DC with Prodromos & Evgenia on 4/5/24 at Karma DC Live Music Venue in Washington, DC!
DCGreeks.com
Upcoming Events
FriSatSunMonTueWedThu

29

30

31

1

2

3

4

KGTV - #1 Greek IPTV. Get over 200+ Channels, 2500+ Movies on Demand, Greek series, and All Major Sports Events for $39.99/mo. Click here for details!

The Daily Gyro
Updated Daily on Greek Time

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
06/30/2010
08/31/2009
08/03/2009
03/25/2009
08/28/2008
08/27/2008
08/13/2008
04/02/2008
03/25/2008
08/30/2007
08/14/2007
03/05/2007
02/14/2007
01/22/2007
11/06/2006
10/02/2006
09/18/2006
09/04/2006
09/01/2006
08/14/2006
07/13/2006
07/10/2006
06/25/2006
06/05/2006
05/03/2006
04/04/2006
03/22/2006
02/21/2006
01/30/2006
01/17/2006
01/11/2006
01/09/2006
01/05/2006
01/04/2006
12/12/2005
11/28/2005
11/16/2005
10/31/2005
10/17/2005
10/03/2005
09/12/2005
09/02/2005
08/29/2005
08/10/2005
07/27/2005
07/13/2005
07/06/2005
06/27/2005
06/13/2005
05/23/2005
05/16/2005
05/06/2005
05/02/2005
04/25/2005
04/18/2005
04/13/2005
04/08/2005
04/06/2005
04/04/2005
04/01/2005
03/30/2005
03/28/2005
03/25/2005
03/23/2005


Read past feature articles.