Cyprus government to send Baghdatis family to Open final

Cypriot tennis sensation Marcos Baghdatis will not be alone when he faces world champion Roger Federer in the 14.5-mln-dollar Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday.

Parliament leader Demetris Christofias announced after the weekly regular session of the House Thursday that the state will pay for Baghdatis’ family to travel to Melbourne.

All of the political leaders have been sending messages of congratulations to Marcos Baghdatis’ family home in the southern coastal town of Limassol, with President Tassos Papadopoulos saying that the 20 year old ace “rightfully takes his place among the sports legends of Cyprus.”

His Lebanese-born father Christos and Greek Cypriot mother Andri have sacrificed their family’s financial welfare to send Marcos to the tennis academy in Paris from the age of 13, causing a public uproar in Cyprus that the Baghdatis family should have been helped by the state a long time ago.

“Marcos’ prize money will help reduce his family’s debt that was created to take this talented young player and turn him into junior world champion in five years,” said his uncle Pambos.

But the “young lion with a big heart” has faced all difficulty, including a 26-month potential military service that is looming over his head, to brave a beaming smile that is driving his loyal and often noisy fans in Melbourne.

Apart from his trainer-manager and Czech-born girl friend in the family box, the Baghdatises will be added to the roaring crowds on Sunday.