LARNACA airport is expected to come to a standstill at 4pm today when tennis hero Marcos Baghdatis returns home for a short visit following his extraordinary run in the Australian Open last week, where he stunned the world to reach the final, before bowing to world number one Roger Federer.
Although Baghdatis, 20, lost the match, his meteoric rise and charismatic personality won over the crowds and the world’s media.
At home, Baghdatis, from the village of Paramytha in Limassol, has become a hero and will be welcomed as such today before he leaves the island again on Monday to continue with his career.
Baghdatis, who is flying in from Paris via London, will have a busy weekend ahead. At the airport, he will be met not only by his family but also by Education Minister Pefkios Georgiades, the Cyprus Tennis Federation, the Cyprus Olympic Committee, the Cyprus Sports Organisation, mayors, other officials and hundreds of fans.
Larnaca Mayor Andreas Moiseos has called on the people of Larnaca to show up at the airport, where Baghdatis will be presented with a statuette in his honour.
He will then travel to Limassol for another reception.
Limassol Municipality will honour Marcos during a ceremony on Saturday evening at the Town Hall.
Mayor Demetris Kontides called on Limassol residents to attend the ceremony, as an expression of their appreciation of his achievements. Baghdatis is now ranked 27th in the world, shooting up from 54th before the Australian Open.
During the ceremony, the Mayor will present Baghdatis with the golden key to the city and declare him honorary citizen of Limassol.
The Municipality also decided to dedicate this year’s ‘Lemesia’ sports events to Baghdatis and to name a “Marcos Baghdatis” prize. He will also be honoured by the Cyprus Tennis Federation today.
Tomorrow, Baghdatis is expected to meet President Tassos Papadopoulos at the presidential palace in Nicosia before attending another special event in his honour at the Eleftheria Stadium in the capital.
There, all young people attending will be given a tennis ball personally autographed by Baghdatis. An announcement from stadium officials yesterday said: “The name of Marcos Baghdatis has already been recorded with golden letters in the history of Cypriot sports.”
Following the Nicosia ceremony, Baghdatis will return to Limassol to attend a football match, in which his favourite team Apollon is playing rivals APOEL. On Monday morning, he returns to France, where he has been in training since the age of 14.
