Photo: Yohan Brandt
Marcos will open his campaign at the inaugural edition of the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur on Tuesday when he faces Croatian wild card Mario Ancic.
Former World No. 7 Ancic has fallen dramatically down the South African Airways ATP Rankings to No. 417 following illness (mononucleosis) and injury. The right-hander is attempting a comeback this season but has so far only recorded two ATP World Tour-level victories – reaching the third round in Indian Wells.
Marcos has played the 26-year-old Ancic five times previously and trails their head-to-head series 1-4, although this will be their first meeting in over two years. Marcos’ lone victory was a resounding and important one, when he crushed the Croatian in the 2006 Beijing final to win his first ATP World Tour title.
The match will take place second on centre court on Tuesday, beginning not before 12.30pm local time. Check out the full order of play here.
After arriving in Nice on Sunday night, Marcos got his first taste of the coastal town when he and top seed Robin Soderling hit some tennis balls on the famous Promenade des Anglais on Monday morning.
“This is my first time in Nice – I went through the airport a few times but never stayed here,” said Marcos. “I only arrived last night so didn’t have a chance to see much, but it’s beautiful and the weather is great. I hope to be able to go as far as possible in the tournament this week.”
Stay tuned to www.baghdatis.com for all the latest news and photos from Nice.
Go, Marcos!
