Photo: Mike Baz
Marcos has risen to No. 20 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings after reaching his ninth career ATP World tour final last week at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C. It is the first time since 26 May, 2008 (No. 18) that Marcos has ranked inside the world’s Top 20.
It is in stark contrast to a year ago, when he had just won the Vancouver Challenger ranked World No. 136 on his comeback from a succession of injuries. His return to the Top 20 over the past year has seen him win ATP World Tour titles in Stockholm and Sydney, and also record the biggest win of his career over then-World No. 1 Roger Federer in the Indian Wells third round in March.
“I will never forget where I come from," said Marcos, who is now working once more with Guillaume Peyre. "I was ranked 150 last year and now I touched Top 20 this year. I am looking forward to the future and playing better."
Marcos will now look to build on his success in Washington when he plays at the Rogers Cup, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto this week. Marcos is playing the event for the first time since 2007, when he reached the third round before losing to then-World No. 3 Andy Roddick.
Marcos is unseeded in the 56-man draw and will open his campaign against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, with the prospect of a re-match against No. 9 seed Fernando Verdasco in the second round. Should Marcos repeat his Washington victory over Verdasco, he could meet sixth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the third round.
Check out the full draw here.
Stay tuned to www.baghdatis.com for all the latest news and photos from Toronto.
Go, Marcos!
