From Eurosport: Baghdatis ready for Nadal
Marcos Baghdatis will be hoping to repeat his dream run in the Australian Open when he takes on Rafael Nadal in the quarter finals on Friday...
But despite only having played in Marseille - where he crashed out to Croatia's Mario Ancic in the last 32 - since the headline-making run in Melbourne, Baghdatis remains relaxed.
"After Australia, I played in Marseille. I was a bit tired. I had some pain in my ankle, lost to Mario, went to Rotterdam, got injured there. I said 'that's enough, maybe I have to stop'. That's what I did," he said.
"I took four or five days off, then started practicing physically. I had a week and a half off, then I came here a week or five days before the tournament started. That's how I prepared - nothing special."
Baghdatis accepts that his life has changed since Australia, but insists that up to now, he can deal with the pressure.
"There's more pressure," the Cypriot admitted. "But for the moment, I'm coping fine. The whole team thing, with my team around me, they help me for everything. They help me to keep the same, to go to the matches the same way and keep to my routines - my old routines.
"So I really don't feel the pressure so much."
And the Cypriot reveals his coach Guillaume Payre is a constant source of inspiration:
"He helps me a lot. It's really nice to have somebody that you almost see as a best friend or brother to you, who gives you so much confidence and so much will to win every points and be there every time, not to give up.
"He's a great fighter, so I respect him a lot. I wouldn't say he's my idol, but he's somebody that I respect a lot.
"So sometimes I play for him. To win a match, sometimes I do it for him. It helps me a lot."
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