Baghdatis the hero

Cyprus hailed Marcos Baghdatis as a national hero on Sunday even though his odyssey down under ended in defeat. "He is still a winner for Cyprus. We all love him," said Michalis Petrou, 34. "This is still a great day for Cyprus."

The exploits of Baghdatis, from a village named 'fairytale', had seized the imagination of tennis fans worldwide as he roared into the Australian Open final in Melbourne.

World number one Roger Federer eventually proved too good for the unseeded Baghdatis in Sunday's final but his defeat did nothing to dampen Cypriot pride.

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"He played well and even though he didn't win, it doesn't matter to us. We are very proud of him," said Maria Soteriou, 25, walking near a giant banner reading "Marcos, you honour Cyprus and we honour you".

All over the island, traditional Cypriot coffee shops and trendy cafes were packed. Each time Baghdatis won a point, wild cheering would break the silence.

In Baghdatis's home village of Paramytha (Greek for fairtytale), shots were fired in the air and, once it was all over, neighbours and well-wishers headed for the besieged Baghdatis house to pass on their commiserations.

TENNIS 2006 AUSTRALIAN OPEN 1/4F. Baghdatis

Image credit: Reuters

The village's church bells were still ringing out half an hour after the match ended.

In Limassol, thousands of people crammed into the stadium of Baghdatis's favourite football club, Apollon, where a giant screen had been erected for the match.

When Baghdatis won the first set the atmosphere was electric but by the fourth set, the crowd were subdued.

In this country of less than a million people, defeat didn't really matter. To his compatriots Baghdatis is a rare success story for a divided island dominated by partisan politics.

TENNIS 2006 AUSTRALIAN OPEN Marcos Baghdatis 240106

Image credit: Eurosport

"He's a real fighter. We are so proud," said Andreas Stavrou, 28.

Whole families sat side by side with the usual Sunday morning yuppie crowds on trendy Makarios Avenue in Nicosia cheering him on.

"He gave it all he had." said Christos Panayides, 50. "Roger Federer may have won the match but Marcos has won our hearts. He knew that all of Cyprus was with him in this."

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