Marcos is through to the second round of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors after battling past Germany’s Tobias Kamke 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 in just over an hour on Tuesday. Marcos improved to a 9-1 lifetime mark in Zagreb, having lifted the trophy in 2007 and reached the semi-finals last year.
Talking about his strong record in Zagreb, Marcos said, “It’s a nice tournament, the court suits me also. The first year I played I won, so it’s kind of special for me. Of course, getting married to Karolina here and having a Croatian baby, makes it feel like home.”
Marcos hit 11 aces and did not lose serve throughout his first-round win, while converting three of his 10 break point opportunities on Kamke’s serve. It was his second win in two meetings with Kamke, having also beaten the 26 year old in three sets on clay in Munich last year.
“Basically I was a bit surprised the way Tobias played today,” said Marcos. “He was really aggressive and he was taking the ball very early. I had some problems dictating the points. Whenever I was serving, I was dictating the game very well. I served pretty well. His first serve is tricky. He hits the ball very flat and in these conditions, indoors, it’s tough to take him out of position.”
Marcos improved to a 6-2 mark on the season. As he bids to reach the quarter-finals in Zagreb for the third time in as many visits, he will face Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic on Thursday. Marcos has played World No. 83 Kavcic once before, beating the right-hander five years ago in a Davis Cup contest in Cyprus.
“I will continue the way I’ve been playing,” said Marcos. “I’m playing good tennis, trying to dictate the points and be aggressive. We’ll see how it goes. If I play good tomorrow, I will find a way to win.”
Marcos is playing his first tournament since losing in the third round of the Australian Open to David Ferrer. He told www.baghdatis.com that he has been working on his fitness with track and field drills and also expressed his delight at the chance to spend time at home with his wife, Karolina, and baby, Zahara. “
“She had grown! We’re spending so many nice moments together. When I have time, I try to spend time with her. It’s an amazing feeling.
“I’ve been working a lot in the track and field, running a lot outside, making some 400s, 200s, 300s, working really hard and keeping the rhythm. We don’t go full sprint, that’s not the way we work. It’s time routines to repeat every day.
Stay tuned to www.baghdatis.com for the latest news from Zagreb.
Go, Marcos!
