Marcos Baghdatis has named Novak Djokovic as the toughest opponent of his 16-year professional tennis career, admitting he never felt capable of beating the Serb unlike Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The Cypriot, who faced all three members of the 'Big Three', lost all eight matches against Djokovic between 2007 and 2015, including a gruelling five-hour Wimbledon quarter-final.
Baghdatis, 40, did manage to defeat both Nadal and Federer in 2010, becoming the only player to beat them while they held the world No.1 ranking. Reflecting on his encounters with Djokovic, he told Tennis365: 'I would pick Novak Djokovic, just because of the reason that I never beat him, but it's very hard to pick between them.'
The former world No.8 highlighted a particularly one-sided defeat at Indian Wells in 2015, where Djokovic won 6-1, 6-3. 'I came off the court, and I felt the guy gave me a lesson, and I never felt like that with another player,' Baghdatis said. 'Even when I was younger, and I played Roger, I always felt like: "Next time I can beat him". But with Novak it was... I didn't have that feeling.'
Baghdatis also described the challenge of competing against Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray, saying it 'kind of destroyed my career'. He added: 'When I played against him [Djokovic], you felt that there was no solution. You tried to open a door, but he always closed it. With Rafa and Roger, they always kept the door open, but found a way to close it at the most important moment.'
Djokovic, who won 24 Grand Slam titles, paid tribute to Baghdatis upon his retirement, calling him a player who brought 'lots of joy and positive energy on court with your smile'.
