Photo: Ron C. Angle
Before jetting off to Ostrava, where he will play in an ATP Challenger Tour event next week, Marcos phoned in to update his fans on his progress so far this season and his hopes for the upcoming weeks.
“My ranking is still low (currently at No. 95 in the South African 2009 ATP Rankings), so I cannot say I’m happy with that,” confessed Marcos. “But I have played some good matches at the beginning of the season and I’m confident I can return to the Top 10 in time.
“I’m working hard to stay fit and avoid the injuries that I had last year. The main thing is I’m happy again and feeling good on court. I’m excited to be back on the Tour.”
A strong start to the season by Marcos was highlighted by a run to the Australian Open fourth round, where he lost to defending champion and World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in four sets. “The fans were unbelievable in Australia,” said Marcos. “They are always like that and I want to thank them a lot for that. It was a great tournament and it was great to reach the second week.”
Moving forward, Marcos commented: “I’m still working hard. I had eight months without training last year and it’s hard to get back after that. But I’m happy to be back on court again and competing.”
While Marcos’ schedule is still to be confirmed past the coming week’s event, he is looking forward to the challenge that clay presents.
“It’s always tough on clay. This year obviously the main objective is to play good at Roland Garros. Then it gets easier on grass! You feel so bad on clay but it all gets easier afterwards,” Marcos joked. “I’m looking forward to fighting and finding a way to win.”
Since bowing out to Paul-Henri Mathieu in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami at the end of March, Marcos has been working with renowned fitness trainer Gil Reyes in Las Vegas. Reyes has been largely credited with the turnaround in Fernando Verdasco’s career this season and was instrumental in the phenomenal success of Andre Agassi.
“It was very good in Las Vegas,” enthused Marcos. “I worked on strength of body, specifically on areas of my body where I had injuries last year. I worked a lot and now I feel good and I feel confident. I would like to go again in the future, if possible. We’ll have to see.”
Finally, Marcos affirmed: “I am feeling very fit and am very happy to be back on Tour. I’m looking forward to getting back to winning matches again soon!”
